Family Genealogies and Pedegrees From the very beginning, ancestors were built into the Irish literary language. Most persons mentioned in the early histories of Ireland, have been given the form of a lineage, pedegree, or family grouping, in the telling of their very name itself. For instance, the Ui Nail [Ee Neil] from 'the champiion', or O'Neil grandson of Neil, or descendants of Nail, or the sept clan tribe of O'Neil. O'Neil relatives, son of Neil, of the Neil's. The O'Neil's. Mac Neal son of Neal. etc., etc. A notable person might be listed with several generations: Cormac MacCarty MacDonal MacLeary O'Neil. In other words, Cormac son of Carthy, son of Donal, a descendant of the Neil family. Or, Cormac O'Neil, son of Carty O'Neil, son of Donal O'Neil, whose ancestor at some time, before surnames were perpetuated, was a fellow called Neil. All his descendants would be O'Neil, or descendants of Neil. This group as a whole might be consider Ui Neil, the O'Neils, of the Neils, the relatives or in-laws of Neil. Thus Sean Butler might be a Ui Neil. He may be a son of Cara O'Neil and Brian Butler. Thus he is both descended from O'Neil and Butler. He is Ui Neil, an O'Neil, a McCara, and a Butler. If he was a Iron Worker, he might also be called Sean Gowan (Smith), or Gowan O'Brian ! As Eugene O'Curry interestingly proposes: "The geneologist makes a distiction between a genealogy and a pedegree." A Genealogy begins with one person of distant time, and relates all his descendants. A Pedegree begins with one person, perhaps oneself, and follows one or several lines to a specific person in history. >=welcome>about>help> back(to"start")>FamilyLines>continue

Most Common Surnames in Ireland (#) Murphy Kelly O'Sullivan Walsh Smith O'Brien Byrne Ryan O'Connor O'Neill O'Reilly Doyle McCarthy Gallagher O'Doherty Kennedy Lynch Murray Quinn Moore