Do you have Irish ancestry in your blood and are you interested in finding out more about that side of your family tree?

There are several reasons that make it difficult to do family history research in Ireland. One of these is name changes and spelling variations. Irish names and spellings can be inconsistent and change over time, making it difficult to find records for specific individuals.

Their names may have been spelt differently in different records or they may have changed their names altogether, anglicising them for instance.

Phonetic changes

Names were often changed phonetically, disregarding the Irish spelling. An example might be O’Brien for O’Brianin or O’Donaghue for O’Donnachadha. Other anglicised versions of Irish names include Coffey or Cowie for O’Cobhtaigdh.

The anglicised version over time can also contract, so someone whose great-grandparents were O’Mulryan might end up as simply ‘Ryan.

When English became the predominant language in Ireland, translations of Irish names occurred  – supposed literal translations that were, in most cases, incorrect. Some examples of these are Mac Conraoi to King or Mac Seain to Johnson.

UK politicians

Incidentally, you’ve probably noticed two of the translations mentioned here are the surnames of two UK politicians—and yes, Boris Johnson and Thérèse Coffey have Irish heritage.

Rare names
Surnames that are comparatively rare, such as Blawick or Blowick from the Irish O’Blathmhaic, were often confounded with other surnames in the same locality, so that Blawick ended up as Blake, and O’Breen from the Irish O’Braoin ended up as O’Brien.

But while we may consider the practise of translating Irish names as something the British in the 18^th, 19^th and 20^th centuries, the practise predates this time, starting with Irish scholars writing in Latin in the Middle Ages.

Lack of records

Other reasons that make tracing Irish ancestry a challenge is the lack of records. Many of the early records were destroyed during the Irish Civil War, and many other records were lost over time due to poor record-keeping.

Additionally, many Irish people did not keep written records of their family history, so there may simply be no records available to search.

Religious divisions can compound the difficulties as well, as different religions often kept separate records, and many records were destroyed during periods of conflicts between the groups.

Finally, because so many Irish people emigrated to other countries, particularly the United States, Canada, and Australia, records end up spread across multiple countries and continents.

Finders Ireland’s researchers are skilled in the practice of tracing Irish family trees. If you would like to find out more about how we can help you with yours, please contact the office on +353 (0)1 567694 or email: [email protected]