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Irish roots

Roots: Walsh, Welsh (or Brannagh)

By James G. Ryan

November/December 1996

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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 different groups of Welsh people who arrived in Ireland with the Normans during the 12th century. The name simply means Welshman and its early Norman form was "Le Waleys" but this became gradually anglicized to Walsh. The … [Read more...] about Roots: Walsh, Welsh (or Brannagh)

Roots: The Stout-Hearted Murphys

By Irish America Staff
July / August 1996

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One of the most common names in Ireland, the Murphy Clan has distinguished itself in every field. Among them were an Army chaplain, poet, war hero, police commissioner, and mistress. ℘℘℘ The name Murphy, the most common and widespread name in Ireland, is a derivation of the Gaelic personal name of Murchadh or Murragh, which gave rise to the different versions MacMurchadh … [Read more...] about Roots: The Stout-Hearted Murphys

Roots: Land Records in Irish Family History

By James G. Ryan

January/February 1995

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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 ancestor lived. Making this connection is often the main problem faced by Irish-Americans attempting to trace their roots back to Ireland. Whereas many root-seekers will know that their ancestor was from … [Read more...] about Roots: Land Records in Irish Family History

Irish Roots: Quinn, Quinlan and Quigley

By James G. Ryan

March/April 1994

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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 with this sound. Examples include Quinn, Quinlan, and Quigley, none of which are connected other than by their initial letter. Quinn is perhaps the most common of these names. It is derived from the … [Read more...] about Irish Roots: Quinn, Quinlan and Quigley

Irish Roots: Barry, Berry and Beirn 

By James G. Ryan

January / February 1994

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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 was Anglicized as O'Barry or Barry. This family was also of Munster origin. Even today around 50 percent of the Barrys in Ireland are in Cork or other parts of Munster. A current prominent member of the … [Read more...] about Irish Roots: Barry, Berry and Beirn