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…
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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 […]
Roots: The Burkes
Burke (or Bourke) is one of the most popular Irish names of Norman origin. The name was introduced to Ireland through the person (and presumably extended family) of William Fitzadelm […]
Roots: The O’Reillys
The O’Reilly family name is derived from the Gaelic “O’Raghailligh,” which means descendants of Raghaillach. The O’Reillys were the most powerful sept of the old Gaelic Kingdom of Breffny, and […]
Roots: O’Mahoney, McMahon and Vaughan
The families of McMahon and O’Mahoney are related only by the common derivation of their names from the Irish name Mahon (in Gaelic Mathuna) which was a personal name, meaning […]
Roots: Malone and Moloney
This month’s pair of sound-alike names are Moloney and Malone. As with others that have been featured, they bear no relationship to each other. Moloney is derived from the Gaelic […]
Roots: O’Mahoney, McMahon and Vaughan
The families of McMahon and O’Mahoney are related only by the common derivation of their names from the Irish name Mahon (in Gaelic Mathuna) which was a personal name, meaning […]