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
offence to sully someone's name, and this
remains true to this day. Reputation is all-important,
the family name is to be honoured 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.
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.
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.
Influences on surnames
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'. 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. Other names
are Anglicanized versions of Irish descriptions
of character or personality: Reilly (brave),
Quinn (intelligent), Kennedy (helmeted),
and Sullivan (black eyed). Others indicate
occupations: Falconer, Smith, Cooke, Taylor,
Mason, Archer and Harper.
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.
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).
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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