Roots Archive
Roots: Reynolds and Haughey
This month we are featuring the families of our new Taoiseach [Prime Minister] Albert Reynolds,…
Roots: Unusual Irish Names
My recent article on “That’s Not an Irish Name” has prompted a lot of comment…
Roots: That’s Not an Irish Name!
Names such as Kelly, Murphy, O’Brien and Ryan are distinctively Irish and are widely known…
More Articles
Roots: Gilhooly, Gilmartin, Gillespie, and Gilfoyle
A significant number of Irish names have the prefix “Gil” or “Guil,” including Gilchrist, Gildea, Gilhooly, Gilmartin, Gillespie, Gilfoyle, Gilleece, (Mac) Gillicuddy, Gilpatrick, Gilroy (now McElroy), Gilsenan and Gilvarry. These […]
Roots: The McCooey Clan
The McCooey surname has Armagh roots, deriving from the Gaelic name Mac Cumhaigh, meaning “son of Cú Mhaighe,” which translates to “hound of the plain.” This surname is an Anglicized […]
Irish Roots: O’Connell, Connolly, Conlon and Connellan
The name Connolly is derived from several different roots. In Connaught and Monaghan it derives from the Gaelic O’Coingeallaigh. Both are anglicized to Connolly although the spelling form Connelly is […]
Roots: The O’Sullivans Past & Present
The O’Sullivan Clan of Munster has produced fine military leaders, sporting heroes, politicians, movie stars, songwriters, and even a space walker, as the following history of one of the most […]
Roots: The O’Briens
The O’Briens are one of the great Gaelic families of Ireland, and were the rulers of the ancient kingdom of Thomond, which takes in much of the modern county Clare […]
Roots: Byrnes and O’Beirnes
The names O’Byrne and O’Beirne (or Byrne and Beirne) are often regarded as variants of the same name, much to the annoyance of the less-common Beirnes. In fact, the names […]