Irish America

Irish America

Roots

Irish Roots: Quinn, Quinlan and Quigley

By James G. Ryan

March/April 1994

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Although the Irish language, or Gaelic, does not have a letter "Q," the distinctive sound of the accented "C" in some Gaelic names has caused them to be anglicized phonetically with this sound. Examples include Quinn, Quinlan, and Quigley, none of which are connected other than by their initial letter. Quinn is perhaps the most common of these names. It is derived from the … [Read more...] about Irish Roots: Quinn, Quinlan and Quigley

Irish Roots: Barry, Berry and Beirn 

By James G. Ryan

January / February 1994

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The Barry name is mainly of Norman origin and is very closely associated with County Cork. There is also a less common Gaelic origin from the Irish family O'Beargha, which was Anglicized as O'Barry or Barry. This family was also of Munster origin. Even today around 50 percent of the Barrys in Ireland are in Cork or other parts of Munster. A current prominent member of the … [Read more...] about Irish Roots: Barry, Berry and Beirn