In this article, we look at Irish Surnames – their origins and evolution. See if you can find the Irish surnames in your family tree in one of the sections below.

Irish Civil Records – and the Origins of One Irish Grandmother

One of the best things about Irish family history research is the availability of so many Irish records online and for free. One of the most useful sets are the civil records which were centralised by the Irish administration starting in the middle 1800s. The Irish Civil Records. A centralised Civil registration system for marriages…

An Irish Placename Travels Abroad to the City of Baltimore.

If you were to pull out a map of your area this moment and have a look, how many places would you spot named after Irish villages, towns and counties? As you may have noticed, anywhere that the Irish – and other nationalities settled in numbers – they also brought along the names of their…

The Warrior Galloglass Surnames of Ireland

Many Irish surnames derive from a group of warriors who arrived in Ireland as mercenaries from the 13th century onwards. They were called the “galloglass”. A few weeks back, I received the following mail from Brenda Mills – one of our regular readers: I would love to know more about the McCoy’s and where they came…

A Roadtrip Around 16 Counties of Ireland – Part 4

When we look at Irish surnames today, it’s easy to get confused when we see names that appear to have several different spellings, some look very English or Scottish – how could they be Irish you ask – while other names appear to randomly have an “O” or “Mac” in front of them. Before We…