We had a very interesting reaction to last week’s letter where I went through just some of the old Gaelic family names and their links to certain professions such as Medic, Judge, Poet and so on. I asked you to let me know if you had any of these names in your family – and…

The Irish Bard of the Hooley

Over the past weeks on this Letter, I’ve mentioned specific family surnames that were associated with old Celtic professions. Among the names mentioned we had “Ward” and “Shields”, both old Irish Bardic surnames in days gone by. These Bards underwent seven years of intensive training – and were in great demand from the Irish Chieftains…

The Stone Circles and Druids of Ireland

We’re just back from a wonderful trip to the County Down in Ulster – travelling between the Mountains of Mourne, the Linen Museums and some Castles that you may recognise from “Game of Thrones” (if you are a fan!). Just before we left for County Down, we took a trip to Drombeg Stone circle located…

Saints, Scholars and Irish Family Surnames

A few weeks back, I mentioned Thomas Cahill’s book “How the Irish Saved Civilisation” – and I know a lot of our readers have already come across it. It tells the story of how Irish monks set about preserving Greek, Roman and early Christian knowledge through their manuscripts and teaching. It’s a wonderful little book…

Shields

Surname Index

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

Y

Irish Surname Evolution.

The Irish Bard of the Hooley

The Stone Circles and Druids of Ireland

Saints, Scholars and Irish Family Surnames

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