Roots Archive
Island Man
Q. What do Bob Marley and U2 have in Common? A. Chris Blackwell The founder…
How Name Changing Hid a Heritage
Barry Manilow. Yes, I know, most think of him as a Jewish fellow from Brooklyn…
Meg Ryan’s Irish Heritage
She’s going back to her acting roots, so I took a dive into her ancestral…
More Articles
Manx, Music, Military, Moxie, and a Bit Irish
Roots detective Megan Smolenyak researches Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham’s roots What can’t Hannah Waddingham do? I’m late to the party discovering her talents in her portrayal of team owner, […]
Roots: The “Mul” Names
A large range of Irish names begin with the prefix “Mul.” Examples include Mulcahy, Mulvihill, Mullally, and Mullan. These names have no familiar connections, but like the names beginning with […]
The Undisgraced Ryans
Given its status as one of the ten most numerous surnames in Ireland, the name Ryan is recognizable to most people as a telltale indicator of green in the veins. […]
The Finnegan Clan
Finnegan is an Irish surname coming from the Gaelic Ó Fionnagáin, meaning “son of fair-haired.” James Joyce immortalized the name for all time in his 1939 novel Finnegans Wake. But literary […]
Roots: That’s Not an Irish Name!
Names such as Kelly, Murphy, O’Brien, and Ryan are distinctively Irish and are widely known to be. However, there are many other names that are Irish – but far less […]
Roots: Murphy, O’Murchu, and O’Murphy
The Irish surname Murphy is a modern form of the ancient Irish name O’Murchadha, which means “descendant of sea warrior,” from the Gaelic muir, meaning “sea,” and cath, meaning “battle.” […]