| For a person delving into their Irish family tree is | | | | down as they arrived. |
| that a good thing or a bad thing? For many | | | | The United States was a fledgling country at this |
| genealogists with Irish roots it "could" be a bad | | | | time so used people of many ethnicities with their |
| thing if you believe what you may have been told | | | | own limitations with the English language to write |
| about records that do not exist. | | | | the records that we now rely on to find our |
| According to a 2006 survey there are over 35 | | | | roots. |
| million people claiming Irish decent in the United | | | | Another interesting little known Irish Names fact is |
| States, and while only second to people of | | | | in the 16th century England passed a law |
| German heritage the records available are | | | | outlawing the use of "O" or "Mc" or "Mac" before |
| somewhat sketchy according to the major | | | | Irish surnames in an attempt to "civilize the wild |
| genealogical sites. | | | | Irish", according to one researcher. |
| Here is the good news. If you are of Irish decent | | | | In 1896 this law was rescinded, and many Irish in |
| and you have not been able to pinpoint your | | | | England put those prefixes back on their names. |
| family in Ireland there may be a few reasons | | | | So when searching for your Irish roots that came |
| why. | | | | through the ports of America or England keep in |
| Name Changes: A couple of interesting facts that | | | | mind that you will want to translated those names |
| are not well known... The first being, that in Ireland | | | | and/or that they may have dropped and then |
| the surname "English" usually cannot be found in | | | | added back common Irish prefixes. |
| most written records. The surname used is | | | | Recently, an Irish records site has come online |
| GOLLGOGHLY, or some variation thereof and for | | | | that does some of this thinking for you, you don't |
| those of you who don't speak Irish, who would | | | | need to translate the name and once believed to |
| have known? | | | | be non existent records are coming online. You |
| The reason for this is the Irish translated the | | | | can find it at |
| surname "English" into the Irish translation for the | | | | These records were only previously available by |
| WORD "english", which is Gollgoghly in most of | | | | traveling to Ireland and in many cases because |
| their written records. | | | | they are church owned you could not get access |
| Here is what can be confusing, the | | | | to them. |
| GOLLGOGHLY's when coming to America in many | | | | This is an all volunteer site transcribing the |
| cases used the English NAME "English" because | | | | non-public church records of Ireland. While they do |
| many were illiterate and could not read, write or | | | | charge to view the actual transcriptions, to search |
| spell their own Irish names and saying them with | | | | is free and could possibly unlock the door to your |
| their traditional heavy accent did not help the | | | | search for family in Ireland. |
| people who were at the port of call writing them | | | | |