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Roots

How Name Changing Hid a Heritage

By Megan Smolenyak

November 15, 2023 by Leave a Comment

Barry Manilow. Yes, I know, most think of him as a Jewish fellow from Brooklyn – and he is. But he’s also a quarter Irish, and due to certain circumstances in his family, that Irish share has had a disproportionate influence on his family tree. - Megan SmolenyakName ChangingThough he wouldn’t have known it, when Barry changed surnames, he was the third generation of Pincus … [Read more...] about How Name Changing Hid a Heritage

Roots: The “Mul” Names

By James G. Ryan, Contributor
June / July 2000

March 22, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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 "Gil," all have their origin in a common name form. They almost all derive from the Gaelic word "Maol" meaning follower, servant, or devotee. The name was invariably preceded by O as … [Read more...] about Roots: The “Mul” Names

The Undisgraced Ryans

By Olivia O'Mahony

December 8, 2022 by Leave a Comment

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. Less commonly known, however, is the fact that the great majority of these Ryans are actually O’Mulryans, an earlier form of the name that has been buried away over time. More unusual source names for Ryan are Ó … [Read more...] about The Undisgraced Ryans

Calling on Carrowduff

By Aidan Ryan

Fall 2022

October 18, 2022 by 1 Comment

Pa Ryan's Birthplace in County ClareThe last time a Ryan stood in the low doorway of the dirt-floored byre-dwelling would have been the day before Willie Ryan passed, 7 Nov. 1967. I say the seventh instead of the eighth (the actual date of his death) because Willie was laid up with pneumonia in his kitchen, where he’d been living since the thatch roof had collapsed on the other … [Read more...] about Calling on Carrowduff

The Finnegan Clan

By Maeve Molloy and Mary Gallagher

December/ January 2021

May 28, 2021 by 19 Comments

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 giants aside, Finnegan is one of the most recognizable Irish surnames of our times. The Finnegan clan’s ties to America have only bound more tightly since the election of Joe Biden as … [Read more...] about The Finnegan Clan

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June 6, 1880

William “W.T.” Cosgrave, the first President of the Executive Council or prime minister of the Irish Free State, was born on this day in 1880. After attending the first Sinn Fein convention in 1905, Cosgrave became politically active. He joined the Irish volunteers in 1913 and took part in the Easter Rising of 1916. He was arrested for his role and chose to serve a penal sentence in Wales. After being released under a general amnesty, Cosgrave was elected to serve in the Dail Eireann. He differed with Eamon de Valera in many respects. When the Irish Free State came into being on December 6, 1922, Cosgrave was elected the first prime minister and served for ten years.

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