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Family History,
Genealogy, etc. In association with Amazon.com |
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The
Surnames of Ireland by Edward MacLysaght
MacLysaght
is probably the foremost authority on Irish surnames this century
and was the first Chief Herald of Ireland. If you are looking for a
detailed family history, this is not the book for you. But it does
list thousands of surnames found in Ireland along with three or four
lines summarizing origin and location. It also includes many rare and
exotic sounding names which you will not find in any other book. This
book is a starting point only and the serious researcher should also
have "Irish Families" and "More Irish Families"
by the same author if looking for detailed information.
The
Surnames of Ireland |
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Irish
Families : Their Names, Arms, and Origins by Edward MacLysaght
MacLysaght
is probably the foremost authority on Irish surnames this century
and was the first Chief Herald of Ireland. "Irish Families"
is the best and most up to date reference of Irish Family surnames,
their origin, history and in many cases their coat of arms (colour
illustrations). MacLysaght corrects many of the errors that appeared
in older publications on this subject, including those of Woulfe and
O'Hart. Along with "More Irish Families" by the same
author, this is a "must have" if you are interested in
Irish surnames.
Irish
Families |
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More
Irish Families : by Edward MacLysaght
MacLysaght
is probably the foremost authority on Irish surnames this century
and was the first Chief Herald of Ireland. This is a follow up to
"Irish Families" by the same author. While the first book
list a deal of information about the most common Irish surnames, this
one picks up from where Irish Families finished and includes quite
good detail about the less common names. While "Irish
Families" includes colour plates of coats of arms, "More
Irish Families" does not. My advice - buy both!
More
Irish Families |
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Clans
and Families of Ireland : The Heritage and Heraldry of Irish Clans
and Families by John Grenham
John
Grenham is a professional genealogist as was formerly with the
Genealogical Office in Dublin. "Clans and Families of
Ireland" provides a fascinating account of the origin of the
Irish people from prehistoric times to the present, with particular
emphasis on placenames and surnames. It focuses on the 200 most
common Irish surnames and includes information on their origin,
distribution, prominent family members and coat of arms (in many
cases). The book starts with the earliest people and works it's way
to modern times through Christianity, Newcomers and Immigrants,
Emigration, Heraldry and the Clans and Families of Ireland. My view:
better illustrated but not as much detail in the text as in
MacLysaght's work.
Clans
and Families of Ireland |
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The
Little Book of Irish Clans by John Grenham
John
Grenham is a professional genealogist as was formerly with the
Genealogical Office in Dublin. This book is like a mini version of
"Clans and Families of Ireland". It includes a short
account of the origin, distribution and coat of arms of about 100 of
the commonest surnames in Ireland. My view, only buy if you are to
mean to spend the extra money on "Clans and Families of Ireland".
The
Little Book of Irish Clans |
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Tracing
Your Irish Ancestors : The Complete Guide by John Grenham
John
Grenham is a professional genealogist as was formerly with the
Genealogical Office in Dublin. Anyone who has tried to trace their
Irish ancestors will verify that this book is the most helpful
starting point available.
Tracing
Your Irish Ancestors |
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Irish
Family Histories by Ida Grehan
Ida
Grehan's background is in journalism and broadcasting. I'm not sure
where her interest in family history comes from but her lack of
formal training in the area does show through in several of her books
and I am not a great fan of her writing. However, in "Irish
Family Histories" we have an excellent addition to the
literature in the field. Concentrating on just 80 surnames, she
provides several pages of most interesting information on each. Also
included is a black and white coat of arms for each surname, but
don't expect too much from them - they are pretty basic. My view -
great, if your name is included (mine is not).
Irish
Family Histories |
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Irish
Names and Surnames by Patrick Woulfe
"Sloinnte
Gaedheal is Gall". Students of Irish History and of Irish
Families need no introduction to this work. Often quoted from and
cited by modern day experts, this volume is a classic reference
source. For too long this book has been inaccessible, available only
from used book dealers or in a few libraries scattered across the
nation. Not only are Irish families covered here, there is as well an
English-Irish dictionary of Names for Men and Women - from whence
many base Irish names for children in the modern day. The Irish
naming system and clan names are covered as well, and for those
wishing to delve further, some of the basics of the Gaelic language
are given in reference to the same. This important work, out of print
too long, is once again available.
Irish
Names and Surnames |
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The
Book of Irish Families : Great & Small by Michael C. O'Laughlin,
A. O'Neilan
I
have to say that I found this book a bit of a disappointment
especially having read the author's comment "if you were to
purchase just one book on Irish Families, I have written this work
for you". In fact if this the only book you consult on Irish
families you will be most upset. The book makes the mistake of trying
to reinvent the wheel by cataloging families from old data sources.
This has already been done, much better, by several other authors.
For the most prominent families, this publication adds nothing to the
existing knowledge base. It's attempt to include rare names is
honorable, but the amount of information provided is scant, at best.
For example, "The family of Mulvey is traditionally linked to
Co. Leitrim and it has remained so in modern times" hardly does
justice to this once great sept. The entries are also inconsistent,
for some the Irish form of the name is included and for others it is
not. I would have expected all of the old Gaelic names to have their
Irish form included. The coats of arms are a real let down, not only
are they in monochrome (colour is the essence of heraldry), but the
quality of reproduction is poor. It would have been better to leave
them out altogether. There are also quite a few errors and omissions
(though the author does admit this at the start). The book claims
Flaherty and Laverty as the same name and while this is true in terms
of their root word origin in Irish, the names are racially quite
distinct. In another case the book fails to link the two names
Haughey and Haffey. I found the book too heavily reliant on
"Keating's History", which while excellent, is far from the
only source available. Another off-putting aspect is the fact that
the names are not listed in proper alphabetical order and names
beginning with "B" crop up among the "A's" and so
on. On the plus side, the book does include a lot of information and
it is not expensive as such publications go. In short, this is not a
book for one-name researchers but should be on the shelves of all
with a general interest in Irish names.
The
Book of Irish Families |
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The
The Book of Irish Families : Great & Small is also a master
index of several other books published and in preparation. For some
families they do offer a more in depth analysis, but again, I was
dissappointed. The currently published works in the series include.
Families
of Co. Clare, Ireland
Families
of County Cork, Ireland
Families
of County Galway, Ireland
Families
of County Kerry, Ireland
Families
of County Limerick Ireland
Families
of County Dublin, Ireland
Families
of County Donegal, Ireland
Families
of Counties Kildare, Wicklow and Carlow |
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Atlas
of Irish History by Sean Duffy (Editor)
Explore
the story of Ireland, a nation and people of powerful independence,
pride, and culture. Forty-five double-page spreads frame all major
events in the islands history with authoritative but accessible text,
period art and photos, and definitive maps. From Celtic times to the
Viking Wars to Cromwell to the Great Famine, Ireland's distinctive
past comes alive on these pages. Thomas Crean, Sean Duffy, Raymond
Gillespie, James Kelly, Colm Lennon, and Brendon Smith are all noted
experts on various periods of Irish history, and Cartographer Malcolm
Swanston is renowned as a leading thematic map maker.
Atlas
of Irish History |
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Book
of Scots-Irish Family Names by Robert Bell
Robert
Bell is an acknowledged expert on Ulster surnames. This title,
published in Europe as "The Book of Ulster Surnames" is one
of my standard references and I love it!
The
Book of Scots-Irish Family Names |
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Scottish
Clan and Family Names : Their Arms, Origins and Tartans by Roddy Martine
This
is an invaluble resource for anyone looking for information relating
to the Scottish Clans. It includes colour pictures of coats of arms
and tartans for each as well as information relating to their history
and origins. The book is also liberally illustrated with excellent
colour photographs of places of significance to the names under
consideration. The introuction includes first rate information
regarding coats of arms in Scotland, tartans, the Clan system,
Scottish royalty and so on. Slightly dissappointing is the brevity of
the histories for some of the Clans, for example Macrae only merits
seventy words.
Scottish
Clan and Family Names |
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Scottish
Surnames by David Dorward
This
is a cheap and cheerful introduction to Scottish surnames. No colour,
no illustrations, except for some black and white cartoon style
drawings, but nonetheless and inexpensive place to start studying the subject.
Scottish
Surnames |
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Dictionary
of English Surnames by R. M. Wilson, Percy H. Reaney
First
was published in 1958 as "A dictionary of British
surnames". This third edition gives the meaning of over 16,000
English surnames and their variants, together with early forms and
their sources and dates. Arranged alphabetically, with a cross-reference
system for variant spellings. Another of my standard references.
Dictionary
of English Surnames |
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The
Surnames of Wales : For Family Historians and Others by John
Rowlands, Sheila Rowlands
This
is not quite as detailed in the area of family history as would suit
my needs. Still, it is a useful reference for anyone with a general
interest in Wales and its surnames. The major thrust of the work is
to map the distribution of names by area.
The
Surnames of Wales |
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Hispanic
Surnames and Family History by Lyman De Platt, Lymyan D. Platt
Hispanic
Surnames and Family History
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A
Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from the Kingdom of Poland by
Alexander Beider
A
Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Poland
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A
Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from the Russian Empire by Alexander Beider
A
Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Russia
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Jewish
Surnames in Prague : 15th - 18th Centuries by Alexander Beider
Jewish
Surnames in Prague |
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Our
Italian Surnames by Joseph G. Fucilla
Our
Italian Surnames covers every fact of Italian names and naming
practices. It is here we discover, for example, that bussolari is
Italian for compass, orsini means bear, and passalacqua stands for
butterfly. In addition to sections on given names and the evolution
of Italian surnames, the book contains chapters devoted to pet names,
botanical names, geographical names, bird names, insect names,
occupational names, and more. Our Italian Surnames is written for a
popular audience, and each chapter of the book is a separate and
informative unit in itself. Complete with a list of sources and an
index of more than 7,500 names, Our Italian Surnames is a monument to
the late Professor Fucilla's lifelong interest in the language and
names of Italia.
Our
Italian Surnames |
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Polish
Surnames: Origins and Meanings by William F. Hoffman
Designed
to give non-Polish speakers insight into how Polish surnames
originated, what they mean, and how other languages influenced them.
It focuses on the general history of Polish surnames and the
etymological roots from which they are derived. Gives basic
derivations for some 30,000 common Polish surnames. Includes the
history of surname development, suffixes common in Polish names,
categories into which names can be classified, names of Polish Jews,
and the relationship of Polish surnames to Czech, German, Lithuanian
and Ukrainian.
Polish
Surnames |
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Polish
Roots/Korzenie Polskie by Rosemary A. Chorzempa
Rosemarie
Chorzempa explains family history research for Polish descendants,
with emphasis on Polish family, Polish history, and Polish research,
both in North America and Europe. She clearly and concisely explains
origins, customs and names (with English translations), and where and
how to go for more information, in civil, church, and historical
records. If you are interested in learning more about your Polish
ancestry, buy this book!
Polish
Roots |
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A
Dictionary of Surnames by Patrick Hanks, Flavia Hodges
A
survey of nearly 70,000 common surnames and many other rarer ones in
the English speaking world that are of European derivation, including
names of North and South America, Australasia, Southern Africa and
other parts of the world where surnames are of European origin. Each
entry gives information about the language or region in which the
surname originated and the derivation or original meaning; lists any
variant diminutives, and other derivative names, as well as cognate
names in other languages; notes pecularities of regional
distribution; and briefly, family history about early bearers.
A
Dictionary of Surnames |
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Banished
Babies : The Secret History of Ireland's Baby Export by Mike Milotte
A
few years ago a researcher in the Irish National Archives discovered
a cache of documents relating to the adoption of Irish children by US
families in the 1940's and 50's. The book makes harrowing reading,
but if you are Irish born and adopted in the US at that time, it is
essential reading.
Banished
Babies |
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How
the Irish Saved Civilization : The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic
Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe by Thomas Cahill
In
this delightful and illuminating look into a crucial but
little-known "hinge" of history, Thomas Cahill takes us to
the "island of saints and scholars," the Ireland of St.
Patrick and the Book of Kells. Here, far from the barbarian
despoliation of the continent, monks and scribes laboriously,
lovingly, even playfully preserved the West's written treasury. When
stability returned in Europe, these Irish scholars were instrumental
in spreading learning, becoming not only the conservators of
civilization, but also the shapers of the medieval mind, putting
their unique stamp on Western culture.
How
the Irish Saved Civilization |
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Atlas
of the Irish Rural Landscape by F. H. A. Aalen, Kevin Whelan, Mathew Stout.
Don't
be put off by the title. This is much, much more than an atlas. The
book explores almost everything Irish thought the natural and
man-made landscape. When asked to recommend one book about Ireland -
this is the one!
Atlas
of the Irish Rural Landscape |
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Dog
Heraldry; The Official Collection of Canine Coats-Of-Arms by Mia Martin
Dog
lovers everywhere will be amused and entertained by this collection
of unique dog coats-of-arms, spanning the history of 150 breeds of
dogs. Martin uses traditional heraldic devices in the coats-of-arms
to exemplify each dog's historical and current talents. A
lighthearted tribute to the canine family. 75 full-color
illustrations. Don't expect all the conventions of heraldry to be followed.
Dog
Heraldry |
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 Heir
Apparently
by Veronica Dolan
($20.23 from Amazon.Com). In Veronica's own words ...
I'm
a Geoghegan clan member who has written a murder mystery whose
heroine is a genealogist. Here's the scoop on the book. "Heir
Apparently" is set in 1995 Colorado, USA, and involves a bizarre
videotaped will left by a murdered practical joker who seems to have
the last laugh from the grave. The will demands that eight apparent
heirs complete four increasingly difficult (and unpleasant)
assignments in order to inherit all or part of a $240 million
estate.. The plot involves multiple murders, greed, missing persons,
social climbers, a decades-old infanticide, vows of secrecy and
revenge. The good guys win in the end, of course. "Heir
Apparently" sounds grisly but it's really is a very genteel
mystery. And I'm a very genteel grandmother of 72 years.
Heir
Apparently |
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