Roots Archive
Roots: The O’Brien Clan
The O’Briens are one of the great Gaelic families of Ireland, and were the rulers…
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…
More Articles
Irish Roots: Quinn, Quinlan and Quigley
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 […]
Irish Roots: Barry, Berry and Beirn
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 […]
Roots: The O’Carrolls
The modern Carroll family is derived from one of two Gaelic roots, McCarroll or O’Carroll, but very predominantly from the latter. The name O’Carroll, in turn, derives from the Gaelic […]