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 Surnames – County Cork Surnames and Places

Do you have a County Cork Irish surname in your Irish family tree? Here we include ALL the County Cork surnames belonging to our readers – and lots of pictures too!

Tralee to Kilkee on the Wild Atlantic Way

Coming into the town of Tralee – the administrative capital of County Kerry – my mind always goes back to the Rose of Tralee festival. Specifically to the early 1980s and heading down to Tralee for the craic, sleeping only when necessary and wherever possible. Funny how those memories can colour your impressions of a…

Looking out on the houses, hills and coastline of the beara peninsula in Ireland on the wild atlantic way.

Beara Peninsula and Kenmare on the Wild Atlantic Way

Our first stop was in the town of Castletownbere. It’s one of Ireland’s main fishing ports and is a busy little town and the commercial hub of the Beara Peninsula. We had to stop for a quick drink at the famous McCarthy’s Bar – made famous by appearing on the cover of a book by…

Sheeps Head Peninsula and Bantry on the Wild Atlantic Way

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…