 History Of Irish Clans
- It is well known that the Irish are a very proud nation.
This pride is seen in many aspects of their lives - their families,
their heritage, and most importantly their name. In older times
it was a serious offense to sully someone's name, and this remains
true to this day. Reputation is all-important, the family name
is to be honored and respected. Many of Ireland's sons and daughters
who now reside far from her shores share this enduring pride
in their Clan's names.
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- The Structure of Irish Surnames
- Irish surnames are common throughout the world, particularly
in America, England and Australia. They have the peculiarity
of often having two parts, rather than one, a legacy from the
days when Gaelic was spoken throughout the land. Hereditary surnames
were not used in Ireland prior to the tenth century; surnames
were only used for a single generation. A man was known as 'son
of', mac in Gaelic, his father. Thus Turlough, son of Art, was
Turlough Mac Airt. Turlough's son Conor would be known as Conor
Mac Turlough.
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- Alternatively, if his grandfather was considered a more prominent
figure, he would be known as 'grandson of', Ó in Gaelic.
Thus Conor would be known as Conor Ó Airt, meaning Conor,
grandson of Art. The apostrophe commonly seen in Irish surnames
today is an Anglicanized version of the Gaelic accent, so that
Ó became O': Ó Baoill became O' Boyle in English.
Another common feature of Irish surnames is the prefix fitz,
as in the names Fitzgerald & Fitzpatrick. This is a legacy
from the Norman invasions of Ireland, and is a corruption of
the French fils or 'son of'. Since Mac and Fit' have the same
meaning they were interchangeable at one time.
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- Influences On Surnames
- The etymology on surnames can give you some insight into
family history. Surnames only came into common use in the 11th
Century, introduced by the Normans. They were usually from
- a location (a place or landmark),
- patronymic ("son of"),
- the name of a trade or profession, or a nickname.
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- Ireland was one of the first European countries to use fixed
hereditary surnames. Many of these names show the strong ties
and influence of the Catholic Church. The surname prefixes, Gil
and Kil, are derived from the Gaelic giolla, meaning 'follower'.
Therefore, Gilmartin was 'a follower of St. Martin'.
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- Another prefix with religious intonations is Mul, taken from
the Gaelic maol, meaning bald. This referred to the Irish monks,
whose monasteries dotted the country.
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- Other names are Anglicanized versions of Irish descriptions
of character or personality: Reilly (brave), Quinn (intelligent),
Kennedy (helmeted), and Sullivan (black eyed).
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- Others indicate occupations: Falconer, Smith, Cooke, Taylor,
Mason, Archer and Harper.
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- Further complications arose when the old Gaelic names were
transposed into English. For example Carey, derived from the
Gaelic O`Ciardha, became Carew or even Carr.
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- From the start, Ireland was influenced from a variety of
foreign invaders. Modern Irish surnames are the result of intermingling
with Nordic, Anglo-Norman, Welsh, Scots and English for over
a millennium. Many surnames are interpretations of these invaders
homelands. For example, Walsh (Wales), Cusack (Cussac), Lyons
(Lyons), and Joyce (Jose).
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- Clan and family remain the cornerstones of Irish society
today. Irish people all over the world share these values, and
encourage them in their own children. Irish identity is inextricably
linked to ancestry and heritage, the past always an undeniable
part of the present.
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