Question of the Week: Do you have Irish Roots? [closed]

Question

Éirinn go Brách!

It's March! Celebrate your Irish heritage and tells us about your ancestors!

You might also stop by and visit the Irish Roots project to see how you can help.

Comments

I'm not sure but my powers ancestors from Vermont might have been but I can't get that far back without some help

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I am nearly 1/2 Irish & have been unable to get past my great grandmother.  My grandmother's family was from Miltown Malbay & my grandmother grew up in the Ennistimon Workhouse because she was illegitimate.  Six years & no further.  Too many adoptions & in my family to figure anything out.

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1/8 Irish via Skehan & Hooley from Cappawhite who immigrated to California during the gold rush.  Intermingled with Cornish miners (1/4) & English farmers (1/8) in the first half of 1900’s.  Volga Germans (1/2) were added to the family tree in the 1960’s to the family tree.

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I like to join the Irish Google Group I put in request from google groups. I like to join the Irish project. this family suppose to be from Ireland. I believe his father was from Ireland. Only reason I believe his father is from Ireland is because his one set of grandparents are German Origins. The Family is found in Lewisburg Pennsylvania. Is there anyway to find out this mans Father from Irish immigrant records or families in area ? 

http://www.searchforancestors.com/bios/pennsylvania/history_of_centre_and_clinton/callahan_charles.html

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Callahan-2158

Billie 

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I'm also trying to find out if my Powers ancestors in Vermont originally came from Ireland. How can I find out?

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The least amount of info I have in my tree is my great grandfather Mathew O'Connor. He died Aug 14 1896 in Fremont Nebraska he was 61. I don't have a date of birth or where he was born, I believe he immigrated from Ireland. His parents names were Patrick O'Connor and Agnes Fardle. That's all the info I have on them. Mathew's  wife was Ellen Martley, her ancestors came from Ireland to Nebraska via Quebec.

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Carolyn - Family Search GSRG-XDJ says he was born in Ireland about 1837.It also shows Patrick & Agnes as born/died in Ireland. Hope that helps!

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I know, I added that to Family Search. Thanks.

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I have Irish roots but unfortunately that’s where there’s a big wall as well.

I also have what they call scotch Irish as well that I have to look further into.

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My 5th great-grandfather was Richard Ellis. He was born in Dublin in 1704, his father was a native of Wales. His arrival date varies upon the source (1717, 1733, 1745) to Massachusetts. He married after he arrived in America. He might be my only Irish ancestor.

I always wondered whether I carried a recessive gene for red hair. I seem to recall one of the testing companies indicated that I do. Perhaps it was from the Irish.

Answer 1

Maternal grandparents both born in County Tyrone -- now part of Northern Ireland.

Answer 2

My mother immigrated to the US in 1920 through Elis Island along with her mother. She never became a US citizen and that entitles me to apply for UK citizenship, as I'm first generation born in the USA. Her maiden name was McHale. She passed in 2000 at the age of 96. Her father was Irish and her mom was British but she grew up in Laharden, Co. Mayo and was born in Manchester, UK.

My paternal Grandfather and Grandmother came to the states from Italy about 1898 and 1900 respectively. My grandfather directly to Boston my grandmother through Elis Island. My grandfather changed our family name from Bevilacqua to Drinkwater in 1908 and about half of the family followed suit.

Answer 3

My great great  grandfather on my fathers side was orphaned after his family came to America and was eventually adopted by a family with the last name of loomis. From the adoption records and records of the adoption home in Massachusetts our family name was originally O’donell and his family came to America during the famine era to find work. And from my mothers side she has Scottish, so both of those would explain why my 2 month sons red tint to his hair.

Answer 4

My great-great grandfather was Patrick Glennen, born Feb 7, 1821, County Meath, Ireland. My great-great grandmother was Mary Jane Shields, born 1824, also from County Meath.

After coming to the U.S. the spelling changed to Glennon over time.

Answer 5

I have Irish heritage - about 32% according to my DNA.  My ancestor may be among the earliest Irish immigrants that arrived in America. Cornelius Merry (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Merry-258)  arrived in Massachusetts in the 1650's.  He was likely "stolen" from the streets of Ireland and sold into servitude in New England.  His life was fascinating to research.  He definitely had no love for the English!  I would like to learn more about my Irish ancestors.  Can I join the Irish Roots project please? Thanks!

Comments

Hi Caryl what a story.   Welcome to the Irish Roots Project and good luck with your research.

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Thanks Maria,

Do you think Cornelius Merry should get the Irish Roots template?  I am not sure if he "qualifies".

Caryl

Answer 6

​YES, just not sure how many there are yet. I look forward to getting DNA results to find out, the way others here have done. The Irish ancestors' roots seem to be the hardest for me to find. Especially compared to all those Germans they married! Closest I know of at the moment is County Down. But the names... Milligan (must have been Milliken or similar at one time?), Quinn, Nelson, Gordon, Morrison... is Brownell Irish? One I know is Irish, but can't find the name anywhere except for the single Great-Great-Great-Grandmother who was born with it, is Muggreg. Anyone know that name? 

 

Anyway, this was a fun question. Thanks!

 

Answer 7

Do I have Irish ancestors, do I indeed! On my side of the family:

Lawless Patrick born c 1834 Galway, father believe to be Patrick also, married in Ireland ?? to Mary Kate Killay b. c1838 Galway. Patrick & Mary arrived in South Australia in 1858. Patrick was recorded on shipping records as being a farm servant. His 16 yrs old sister Ann or Mary also came with Patrick. Patrick and Mary had ten children all born in South Australia. Patrick and Mary farmed at Normanville and Finnes Vale, South Australia. Family notice in Register ( SA Newspaper) on 30 Jan 1908 requested that Galway papers please copy. This lead me to believe that he still had family in Ireland.

Nothing further is know re Patrick's wife Mary Ann Killay, she died in 1900 in South Australia.

Mavity Ann Jane  b. c 1839 Fermanagh, Ireland, ( From shipping record), arrived South Australia in 1855, 16 yrs old. Married 1856, 4 months after arrival in SA to William Hamlyn birth date and place unknown. Ann Jane and William had nine children. Ann Jane died in 1870 age 31yrs and William died the following year 1871, leaving nine orphans behind. William was a school teacher.

Ann and William are one of my many irish brick walls that I would love to knock down so to speak. 

 

Hickey John b. 1839 Kilmene, Co Cork, Ireland; m:1869 in Kent, England to Catherine Hurley b c 1843 Hairech ( looks like?) Co.Cork Ireland. John and Catherine had a daughter Mary Ann born in Erith, Kent in 1870. John and Catherine had five children born in England, John and family arrived in South Australia in 1877, they went on to have six more children all born SA. John is said to have been a policeman and a stevedore. John Hickey helped to form the Workers' Association ( later the Waterside Workers' Federation) and his name was inscribed on the Labour Monument at Black Diamond Corner in Port Adelaide. John died in 1927 and Catherine in 1921 both in SA.

Answer 8

AYYYEEE ! Tis TRUE !   Faith & Begorrah !   Me Irish Roots  (DNA 27% !!) include Thompsons, Henleys, Blakeneys of County Limerick indeed!!  and obligatory SMITHs  & Scores More of the Auld Country people !  Slainte'!!

Answer 9

My wife and I both have Irish roots, starting around 3-4x great grandparents. These include: Barton (Kerry); Conway; Corrigan (Tipperary); Fitzgerald (Laois, Kerry); Hore (Wexford); Kennedy (Limerick); McCabe (Limerick); Naghten (Galway, Roscommon, Offaly); O'Sullivan; Tarleton (Offaly).

Not many of these have profiles yet...sounds like a good project to begin on St Patrick's Day!

Answer 10

Yes, my great great grandmother was Isabella Kearney [Kearney-969], her siblings and parents came from County Tyrone Northern Ireland about 1855 settling in Will County, Illinois.

Answer 11

I can finally say YES I have Irish roots .. I had no idea i was irish .. researching the family tree verified .As a child i was always told i looked irish ,my reply was no i am english and welsh ... My fathers grandmother Mary WINDLE was pure irish.... Her family is from LIMERICK ,.....

Answer 12

I had no idea that I had any Irish in my background until I started my family tree. I found that I have Dohertys from Cork, Murphys and Wallaces from Clare, and the rest from Limerick and Tipperary -  Quins, Slavins, Loughnanes, Ryans, Wrights, Meaneys, and more. It turns out that I'm almost half Irish when you add them all up! It was a bit of a surprise, I never thought twice about the famine but have now become very disappointed with my English half for oppressing my Irish half so they were forced to emigrate to Australia!

Answer 13

My 3X Great-grandparents, John MacFarlane (1815-1907) and Mary Reid (1827-1919), were both from Ireland.  Not sure of exact location for John, but Mary was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Me, two siblings, and three of my sons all have Irish in their DNA.

Answer 14

Aye! Me mother is 3/4 Irish. GAFFNEY, EARNER, HACKETT, SMITH, CUNNINGHAM, MARTIN, MULLEN, CAREY, DUFFY, TOBIN, WALSH, BURKE, LEE, GOLDEN, HOLLAND...are some of my Irish surnames. The SMITHs are supposed to be from Galway. The only ones I have actually located in Ireland are the MARTINs in Carrickedmond, County Longford.

Answer 15

My 6th great-grandfather and grandmother were John and McKague of County Cavan!  They immigrated to Ontario, Canada.  I have heard I have more but so far they are the only ones I have successfully traced back!

Answer 16

Yes on my both sides of my family I have Irish but I have more Irish on my dad's side then my moms from Northern Ireland mostly

Answer 17

Yes I do on my mother's side. Her Father was a Dunn

Answer 18

According to my DNA I do!

Answer 19

My grandmother, Diana J.Kane came over from Belfast in the early 1920's.  Her oldest sister came over first and other the sisters came over one-at-a-time and worked to send money home, so the next one could come over. The naturalization papers have been lost and I can't find them online, so I don't know exactly what year she came over.

Answer 20

Yes, both sides. My mother's-father's father was Thomas F. Foley. b. Canada in the 1840's. And there it ends. He married Jeannette Hall, also b. Canada, who listed herself in censuses as bothfrom Ireland and from Scotland. Not sure of her origins. Their parents probably came over on the coffin ships.  That's all I know.

My maternal great-grandmother (mother's mother's mother's)  was an Eyanson, an Irish name. I have not tried to trace this.