Roots Archive
Roots: The McCooey Clan
The McCooey surname has Armagh roots, deriving from the Gaelic name Mac Cumhaigh, meaning “son…
Irish Roots: O’Connell, Connolly, Conlon and Connellan
William Connolly The name Connolly is derived from several different roots….
Roots: The O’Sullivans Past & Present
The O’Sullivan Clan of Munster has produced fine military leaders, sporting heroes, politicians, movie stars,…
More Articles
Roots: Walsh, Welsh (or Brannagh)
The name Walsh or Welsh is one of the most numerous of Norman associated names found in Ireland. It seems to have been the name used independently by the many […]
Roots: Doherty or O’Doherty
The Doherty or O’Doherty name has many variations, including (O) Dougherty, Daugherty, Docherty and Doharty. The name, derived from the Gaelic O’Dochartaigh, means (descended) from Dochartach. Dochartach was a descendant […]
Roots: Land Records in Irish Family History
In a previous article, we discussed the use of church records in researching family history. However, to access church records you will usually need to know where in Ireland an […]
Roots: Using Church Records
To do successful family history research you must know where to look. Knowing the sources and what they can tell you is vital to success. This column in the coming […]
Roots: Jordan, Rice and Power Families
Readers have asked about the origin of the names Jordan, Rice and Power, only the last of which is in any way common. However, some explanation is provided below. The […]
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 […]