Earlier this week we had the start of Lent – which remains quite a big deal in Ireland. This was a time of year that affected our shared Irish ancestors in many ways. It was a lean time in the larder as the food from the previous harvests thinned out. It was also a time…

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Have you ever had a nickname? In your family – or with your friends – or maybe in school? I remember many of my teachers by their nicknames. There was “Small Tobacco”, “Seán Fada” (long John), “Birdie” and so on. That’s what we’ll chat about this week – the relationship between the Irish surnames in…

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Earlier this week we had the start of Lent – which remains quite a big deal in Ireland. This was a time of year that affected our shared Irish ancestors in many ways. It was a lean time in the larder as the food from the previous harvests thinned out. It was also a time…

Read More