Surnames in Irish in 1911

Genealogy, Archaeology, History, Heritage & Folklore

Moderators: Clare Support, Clare Past Mod

Sduddy
Posts: 1826
Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2010 10:07 am

Re: Surnames in Irish in 1911

Post by Sduddy » Sun Mar 20, 2022 11:11 am

I think Tomás B Mac Cumhaill must be Thomas P. Cole, aged 9, in the 1901 census: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/r ... 000464381/ living at House 107.1 in Claretown (Clarecastle Village) (Clareabbey, Clare). According to the record of his birth he was born in Kerry, but his father was an R.I.C. Sergeant stationed in Ennis, and Thomas probably grew up in Co. Clare.
Birth of Thomas Cole in Ardfert, Co. Kerry, 1891, to John Cole, Ennis, Co. Clare, Sergeant R.I.C. and Eliza Dowling: https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/ ... 860855.pdf

And I think Liam C Ó Laochdha might be William Leahy whose birth was registered in Corofin in 1871: https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/ ... 211256.pdf
His baptism was recorded in Rath-Kilnaboy parish register as Gulielimus Leahy of Patritius Leahy and Brigida Doheny.
I failed to find William Leahy in 1901, but found his family living in Rafline (Rath, Clare): http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/r ... 000461134/

An t-athair Maitiú Ó hEaghráin is listed in Form B1 (House and Building Return) as Mathew Haran. I failed to find him in the 1901 census (aged about 30), so I must be content with having found the English version of the name. This would have been written by the census enumerator. Mathew/Matthew might have spelled his name as Haren:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/p ... ne/875778/

I have found nothing for Próinsias R Ó Laithimh, but I believe the name in English is Francis Lahiff/Lahive.

Now, looking back to the Clare people in Co. Galway, I find that I’ve made a mistake in my note on Pádraig Mac Giolla tSeanáin, 35, Roman Catholic Clergyman, living at House 13.2 in Esker (Kiltullagh, Galway: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/r ... 002408736/
According to MacLysaght, Mac Giolla tSeanáin is Giltenane, a variation of Gilsenan as used in Co. Clare, where it is also anglicized as Shannon. I went with the Giltenane version, but was mistaken in thinking that he was Patrick Giltinan born in Ennis in 1885 (Patrick was 25 in 1901 – not 15).
Well, I see now that he was Patrick Shannon, Theology Student, Brother in Religion, aged 25, at House 1.2 in Clonard Gardens (Falls Ward, Antrim): http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/r ... 000345933/. According to Form B1 of the census, this was a Redemptorist Monastery. Esker monastery in Co. Galway, where Patrick was living in 1911, is now a retreat centre.
Patrick was born Feb 1876 to James Shannon and Bridget Mulqueen, Carnacalla: https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/ ... 119002.pdf. He performed the ceremony at the marriage of his brother Timothy to Sarah Murphy, Nov. 1909: https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/ ... 651387.pdf.
I will edit my note on Pádraig Mac Giolla tSeanáin accordingly.

Sheila

Sduddy
Posts: 1826
Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2010 10:07 am

Re: Surnames in Irish in 1911

Post by Sduddy » Mon Mar 21, 2022 11:52 am

I amended the note on Pádraig Mac Giolla tSeanáin, and then found that I had omitted Caitlín Ua Broin, Charlemont Street, Dublin, so I have now amended my Clare people in Dublin to include her:

House 26.4 in Charlemont Street (Fitzwilliam, Dublin)
Caitlín Ua Broin, 23, Co. Clare: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/r ... 000185795/
The birth of Caitlín's daughter, Nuala O Byrne, 1910, gives mother’s name as Kathleen Kane : https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/ ... 630494.pdf
Marriage of John OByrne and Kathleen Kain, 1909: https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/ ... 643861.pdf
1901 census: Kathleen Kane, aged 13, Scholar: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/r ... 003724859/.

Kathleen’s older brother, aged 14, gives his name in Irish (Tomás Ua Catháin), which I think was unusual in 1901.

I'm attaching a new, improved list of the Irish surnames given by Clare people living in other counties in 1911. I will be happy to improve it further anytime.

Sheila
Surnames in Irish - other counties.xlsx
(49.47 KiB) Downloaded 475 times

Sduddy
Posts: 1826
Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2010 10:07 am

Re: Surnames in Irish in 1911

Post by Sduddy » Mon Apr 25, 2022 1:52 pm

Among the Clare people, who were living in Co. Cork in 1911 and who gave their names in Irish on the census form, is Pádraig Ó hÓgáin, aged 24, living in New Square, Mitchelstown DED; occupation: Oide sa Gaedhilge [Irish Teacher]; county of origin: Co an Chláir: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/r ... 002011813/. He must be Patrick Hogan, who was aged 16 in 1901 and living at home in Culleen, Killaniv DED, Co. Clare. This entry in the Dictionary of Irish Biography is for Patrick: https://www.dib.ie/biography/hogan-patrick-a4056

There is more information on him in ainm.ie: that biographical piece tells us, for instance, that the Clare Champion, writing on him at the time of his death, mentions that he walked from Kilmaley to Ennis in order to attend school; also, that it was from a next-door neighbour he learned the Irish language: https://www.ainm.ie/Bio.aspx?ID=343

Sheila

mgallery
Posts: 201
Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2012 6:27 pm

Re: Surnames in Irish in 1911

Post by mgallery » Thu Apr 28, 2022 6:28 am

Re Murray from Miltown Malbay in one of your posts above, you state that Murrihy is sometimes Murray according to McLysaght. In fact the Miltown Murrays came from Scotland and did not derive their name from Murrihy. They know the village they came from in Scotland and went back there some years ago as part of a family reunion

Sduddy
Posts: 1826
Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2010 10:07 am

Re: Surnames in Irish in 1911

Post by Sduddy » Thu Apr 28, 2022 10:01 am

Thank you for that interesting information. It confirms that I was okay opting for Murray rather than Murrihy – on that occasion at least. Thank you for your help.

Sheila

tbh
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat May 17, 2014 2:15 pm

Re: Surnames in Irish in 1911

Post by tbh » Sat May 13, 2023 2:26 pm

No 548 Uí Dúbhchaine (Rafline). Duggan or Doheny
Though this family had clearly adopted the the name Duggan by the latter part of the 19th century, it had previously been anglicised as Doheny or Dougheny (or other similar variants). Michael, the head of the family in both the 1901 and 1911 censuses, had married Ellen Lynch in 1878 and in the civil record of the marriage his name was given as Doogan. Their eldest son, Daniel, was born at Rathfline on 30th November 1879; and the statutory record similarly gives the family name as Dugan. But the entry in the baptismal registers of the parish of Rath clearly records the name of both Daniel and his father as Doheny. The earlier records relating to this family are to the same effect. Michael Duggan was the son of Daniel Doheny and Honora Howard whose names appear in that form in the Rath records. Michael Duggan's sister, Bridget, married Patrick Leahy in 1870; and both the statutory record and the Rath marriage register give her name as Doheny.
Futhermore, as one with virtually no knowledge of the Irish language, it seems to me that Doheny is a more plausible rendition of Dúbhchaine than Duggan. Wolf in "Irish Surnames" gives O’Dubhchonna for the former and O’Dubhagain for the latter.
Doheny is a very rare name in Clare. It is found in one or two townlands in Rath and appears in a handful of Inagh records. I think that the name Doughna, which is recorded in the Tithe Applotment Books for Moughna in the old civil parish of Clooney is likely to be a variant; and the name appears in the same form at least once in the Kilfarboy registers. Several individuals named Doheny (or obvious variants) appear to have emigrated to England in the 1850s and to have settled, at least temporarily, in Lancashire, where they are found in association with other individuals from West Clare.
TBH.

Sduddy
Posts: 1826
Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2010 10:07 am

Re: Surnames in Irish in 1911

Post by Sduddy » Sun May 14, 2023 9:12 am

Yes, I made a mistake – I assumed the surname given in 1901 (Duggan) was the English for Uí Dúbhchaine. I should have suspected that Uí Dúbhchaine was not the Irish for Duggan – as you say, it sounds nothing like Duggan. But there was no way I could have guessed it was Doheny, so thank you for that interesting information. I wonder was it the rarity of the name in that locality that put the family under pressure to conform to something more familiar. Maybe the change was caused by listing of it in Griffith’s Valuation as Doogan (Daniel Doogan, Rafline, Lot 4: 60 acres plus house, leased from Marquis of Conyngham), but would a leaseholder have been aware of how his surname was spelled in Griffith’s ?
McLysaght says,“Doheny Ó Dubhchonna is a sept of the Corca Laoidhe. It spread to East Munster where the name has been made to look English by changing it to Dawney”. Duggan is Ó Dubhagáin, as you point out. Anyway, it is wonderful that the original name was honoured in the 1911 census.
I will try to replace the last attachment (Surnames in Irish – 1911(4)) with an amended one, which will show “Doheny” instead of “Duggan”(at the moment I am trying, but failing to make that replacement). Doheny will be in red to signify an amendment.
I have amended my note on the name and have referred to your explanation. Thank you very much for taking the trouble to make that posting.

Sheila

matthewmacnamara
Posts: 139
Joined: Mon Mar 28, 2011 6:38 pm

Re: Surnames in Irish in 1911

Post by matthewmacnamara » Sat May 20, 2023 3:25 pm

Dear Sheila,

The data that you have provided is so valuable. Especially the written Irish clarifications.
I don't think that the schools at that point had disseminated much knowledge of
written Irish.

Matthew Mac Namara

matthewmacnamara
Posts: 139
Joined: Mon Mar 28, 2011 6:38 pm

Re: Surnames in Irish in 1911

Post by matthewmacnamara » Tue Sep 05, 2023 2:53 pm

This use of Irish emerging in the public sphere shows the impact of the Gaelic League.
I wonder if anyone has knowledge of the establishment of League branches in Clare
in earlier years.

Sduddy
Posts: 1826
Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2010 10:07 am

Re: Surnames in Irish in 1911

Post by Sduddy » Wed Sep 06, 2023 10:05 am

Hi Matthew

I never thought about the founding of branches of Conradh na Gaeilge (Gaelic League) in Co. Clare until I read your post this morning. I’m sure this subject has been written about, but I haven’t found anything online. Conradh na Gaeilge was founded in 1893, By 1897 there were 43 branches countrywide. By 1904 there were 600 branches – see Wikipedia piece and scroll down to “Early Campaigns”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conradh_na_Gaeilge. That figure would lead one to imagine that there must have been several branches in Clare by 1904, but this site, “An Clár as Gaeilge”, says that the Ennis branch was established in 1913, which seems very late. There were older branches in West Clare, particularly in Miltown Malbay: https://anclarasgaeilge.net/conradh-na-gaeilge-2

Conradh na Gaeilge archives were deposited in Galway University Library in 2018. There are 600 boxes!: https://www.universityofgalway.ie/about ... alway.html. Hopefully, this has already led to some research and that we will get the answer to your question sometime soon. I watched these short videos made at the time of the presentation, but none of the speakers allude to the early years. It surprised me to hear Dr. John Walsh (of the Irish Dept) say that there is, as yet, no complete academic history of Conradh na Gaeilge. Cuan Ó Seireadáin (curator, Conradh na Gaeilge) says that there are items of interest from Aran Islands to Mexico, from Connemara to California, and gives special mention to a photograph of Tomás Bán Ó Conceanainn, holding sombrero and gun, taken somewhere in Mexico in the mid 1890s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAJVwOnzV0I
Dr. John Walsh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQGVHgT_gxs
Cuan Ó Seireadáin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8QY8yHGJ5o
* Wikipedia piece on Tomás Bán Ó Conceanainn: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomás_Bán_Ó_Conceanainn

The following does not address your question, Matthew, but may be of interest: One of the founders of Conragh na Gaeilge in 1893 was Mártan Ó Ceallaigh (Martin Kelly), 1860-1906, a native Irish speaker from the townland of Ballygriffy, Dysert parish. See this piece from ainm.ie: https://www.ainm.ie/Bio.aspx?ID=314. There is a plaque in his honour in Ruan village: https://readingthesigns.weebly.com/blog ... na-gaeilge.
He is mentioned in this piece, “The Teanga Ten: founders of The Gaelic League: http://www.gaeilge.org/teangaten.html.
Paddy Casey, a contributor to this forum, tells us that Martin Kelly was a pupil of Hugh Brady in Ruan: http://www.ourlibrary.ca/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=677

Going back to your question, Matthew, I really think it deserves a thread of its own. I, for one, would be interested in any replies.

Sheila

Post Reply