The 'Irish people' (
Irish: 'Muintir na hÉireann', 'na hÉireannaigh', 'na Gaeil') are a European
ethnic group who originated in
Ireland, in north western Europe. People of Irish ethnicity outside of Ireland are common in many
western countries, particularly in
English-speaking countries.
Descent
:''For an analysis of the genetics of the Irish and their origins see
Prehistoric settlement of Great Britain and Ireland.''
During the past 9,000 years of inhabitation,
Ireland has witnessed many different peoples arrive on its shores. Legendary early arrivals included the
Nemedians, the
Fomorians, the
Firbolgs, and the
Tuatha Dé Danann, though with the exception of the Firbolgs, they are now treated as deities rather than actual human incursions.
The ancient peoples of Ireland—such as the creators of the
Ceide Fields and
Newgrange—are almost unknown. Neither their language(s?) nor terms they used to describe themselves have survived. As late as the middle centuries of the
1st millennium AD the inhabitants of Ireland did not appear to have a collective name for themselves. Ireland itself was known by a number of different names, including
Banba,
Scotia,
Fódla,
Ériu by the islanders,
Hibernia and
Scotia to the
Romans, and Ierne to the
Greeks.
Likewise, the terms for people from Ireland—all from
Roman sources—in the late
Roman era were varied. They included
Attacotti,
Scoti, and
Gael. This last word, derived from the
Welsh ''gwyddel'' (meaning raiders), was eventually adopted by the Irish for themselves. However, as a term it is on a par with
Viking, as it describes an activity (raiding, piracy) and its proponents, not their actual ethnic affiliations.
The term ''Irish'' and ''Ireland'' is derived from the
Érainn, a people who once lived in what is now central and south
Munster. Possibly their proximity to overseas trade with western
Britain,
Gaul and
Hispania led to the name of this one people to be applied to the whole island and its inhabitants.
A variety of historical ethnic groups have inhabited the island, including the
Airgialla,
Fir Ol nEchmacht,
Delbhna,
Fir Bolg,
Érainn,
Eóganachta, Mairtine,
Conmaicne,
Soghain and
Ulaid.
One legend states that the Irish were descended from
Míl Espáine (coined ''Milesius'', from ''
Latin'' "Miles Hispaniae", meaning "Soldier of
Hispania"). The character is almost certainly a mere personification of a supposed migration by a group or groups from
Hispania to Ireland, but it is supported by the fact that the
Celtiberian language is more closely related to
insular Celtic than to any other. This legend is the source of the term "
Milesian" in reference to the Irish.
If this invasion was as large as the mythology would suggest, it would account for the genetic similarity of the Northern Iberian populations and the Irish.
The
Vikings were mainly
Norwegians and despite their notorious reputation in
Irish history, did not settle in particularly large numbers nor did they significantly alter the Irish polity. The arrival of the
Normans brought
Welsh,
Flemish, Normans,
Anglo-Saxons and
Bretons, most of whom became
assimilated into
Irish culture and polity by the
15th century, particularly the
Welsh-Normans who settled into the Pale area due to the close proximity of Ireland to Wales. The late
medieval era saw Scottish
gallowglass families of mixed
Gaelic-Norse-Pict descent settle, mainly in the north; due to similarities of language and culture they too were assimilated. The
Plantations of Ireland and in particular the
Plantation of Ulster in the 17th century introduced great numbers of
Scottish,
English as well as
French Huguenots as colonists. Despite these divergent backgrounds most of their descendants consider themselves Irish—even where they are aware of such ancestry—mainly due to their lengthy presence in Ireland.
Historically, religion, politics and ethnicity became intertwined in Ireland, with
Protestants generally identifying as British and Irish and most
Roman Catholics as exclusively Irish. This is less true today, although connections between
ethnicity and
religion can still be observed - especially in
Northern Ireland. Four polls taken between 1989 and 1994 revealed that when asked to state their national identity, over 79% of Northern Ireland Protestants replied "British" or "Ulster" with 3% or less replying "Irish", while over 60% of Northern Ireland Catholics replied "Irish" with 13% or less replying "British" or "Ulster".
[1] A survey in 1999 showed that 72% of Northern Ireland Protestants considered themselves "British" and 2% "Irish", with 68% of Northern Ireland Catholics considering themselves "Irish" and 9% "British".
[2]
The survey also revealed that 78% of Protestants and 48% of all respondents felt "Strongly British", while 77% of Catholics and 35% of all respondents felt "Strongly Irish". 51% of Protestants and 33% of all respondents felt "Not at all Irish", while 62% of Catholics and 28% of all respondents felt "Not at all British".
[3][4]
Surnames
:''See also:
Irish names''
It is common for some Irish surnames to be
anglicised, meaning that they were changed to sound more
Hiberno-English. This usually occurred with Irish immigrants arriving in the
United States during the 19th century and the early 20th century, and when British settlers arrived in Ireland.
It is also very common for people of
Gaelic origin to have surnames beginning with " Ó" or "
Mc" (less frequently "Mac" and occasionally shortened to just "Ma" at the beginning of the name). "O" was originally Ó which in turn came from Ua (originally hUa), which means "
grandson", or "
descendant" of a named person. For example, the descendants of
High King of Ireland Brian Boru were known as the Ua Brian (
O'Brien) clan. The prefix is most commonly written as ''O’''. Kimberly Powell explains that "[the] apostrophe that usually follows the ''O'' ... comes from a misunderstanding by English-speaking clerks in Elizabethan time, who interpreted it as a form of the word ''of.''"
[5]
"Mac" or "Mc" means "son of"; many names also begin with this. There is no basis in fact for the claim that Mac is Scottish and Mc is Irish: Mc is simply an abbreviation of Mac. However, while both Mac and Ó prefixes are Gaelic in origin, Mc is more common in
Ulster and Ó is far less common in Scotland than it is in Ireland. Some common surnames that begin with Ó are: Ó Ceallaigh (
Kelly), Ó Gallchobhair (O'
Gallagher), Ó Raghallaigh (O'Reilly), Ó Laoidheach (Lee), Ó Néill (O'Neill), Ó Briain (O'Brien), Ó Conchúir (O'Connor),
Ó hÍcidhe, Ó Laoire (O'Leary), Ó Seachnasaigh (O'Shaughnessy),Ó Greaney (O'Greaney), Ó Dónaill (O'Donnell), Ó Dubhda (O'Dowd), Ó Tuathail (O'Toole), Ó Meadhra(O'Meara), Ó Mealaigh (O'Malley), Ó hEadhra (O'Hara), Ó Bradaigh (O'Brady), and Ó Seanacháin (O'Shanahan). Some names that begin with Mac are: Mac Diarmada (
MacDermott), Mac Cárthaigh (MacCarthy), Mac Donnachadha (MacDonough), Mac Dómhnaill (MacDonnell), McElligott, Mac Coileáin (MacQuillan), Mac Aonghusa (MacGuinness, Magennis), Mac Lochlainn (MacLaughlin), Mac Uidhir (MacGuire), Mac Mathúna (MacMahon) Mac Gadhra (McGeary) and Mac Cormaic (MacCormack). However, the two are not exclusive, so, for example, MacCarthy and McCarthy are both used.
"'Fitz'" is a version of the
French word 'fils', used by the Normans, meaning ''son'', which is the equivalent to the Scandinavian way to name a person. (It must be remembered that the
Normans were ultimately descendents of
Vikings who settled in
Normandy and had thoroughly adopted French ways and language.)
A few names that begin with Fitz are: FitzGerald (Mac Gearailt), FitzSimons (Mac Síomóin), FitzGibbons (Mac Giobúin),
Fitzpatrick (Mac Giolla Phádraig) and FitzHenry (Mac Anraí), most of whom descend from the initial Norman settlers. Exceptions occur in a small number of Irish families of
Gaelic origin who came to use a Norman form of their original surname - witness Mac Giolla Phádraig becoming FitzPatrick - while some assimilated so well that the Gaelic name was dropped in favor of a new, Hiberno-Norman form. Cases in this category include Mac Gilla Mo-Cholomoc of
Dublin becoming FitzDermot (after Dermot or Diarmaid Mac Gilla Mo-Cholomoc).Although Fitzpatrick is the only surname beginning with "Fitz" that is of Native Gaelic origin.
Other Norman families derived their name from places or people in Ireland. This was the case of the family of Athy (see
Tribes of Galway) who took their surname, de Athy, from the town of that name in Leinster. More common, however, was that the Normans became
'Hiberniores Hibernis ipsis' and in this process the Fitzmaurices became Mac Muiris, the Fitzsimons became Mac Síomóin and Mac an Ridire, Fitzgerald became Mac Gearailt, Bermingham became Mac Fheorais, Nangle became Mac Coisdealbha, Staunton became Mac an Mhíleadha, and so forth.
In the late
12th century and
13th century Norman,
Welsh,
English,
Flemish and
Breton peoples arrived in Ireland at the request of
Diarmait Mac Murchada,
King of Leinster, and took over parts of the island. During the next three hundred years, they intermarried with ruling
Irish clans, adopted Irish culture and the
Irish language and as the English put it "became
more Irish than the Irish themselves".
Another common Irish surname of
Norman Irish origin is the 'de' habitational prefix, meaning 'of the' and originally signifying prestige and land ownership. Many Irish surnames share this:
de Búrca (Burke),
de Brún,
de Barra,
de Stac,
de Tiúit,
de Faoite(White),
de Paor (Power), and so forth.
It should be emphasised, especially with Gaelic surnames, there may be two or more unrelated families bearing the same or similar surnames. For example, there were at least nine separate Ó Ceallaigh
septs, all unrelated. The Mac Lochlainn, Ó Mael Sechlainn, Ó Mael Sechnaill, Ó Conchobair Mac Loughlin and Mac Diarmata Mac Loughlin families, all distinct, are now all subsumed together as MacLoughlin. The full surname usually indicated which family was in question, something that has being diminished with the loss of prefixes such as Ó and Mac. In addition, in
Classical Irish when a Mac surname was followed by a name which began with a vowel, the Mac became Mag. This explains why one will still see the older spelling of Mac Aonghusa (McGuinness) as Mag Aonghusa, Mac Uidhir (Maguire) as Mag Uidhir, and so forth.
Furthermore, different branches of a family with the same surname sometimes used distinguishing epithets, which sometimes became surnames in their own right. Hence the chief of the clan Ó Cearnaigh (Kearney) was referred to as An Sionnach (Fox), which his descendants use to this day.
Similar surnames are often found in Scotland for many reasons, such as the use of a common language and mass Irish immigration to Scotland in the late 19th and early to mid-20th centuries. Also Scottish surnames are noticeable in some Catholics in Ireland, particularly in Ulster, due to intermarriage and pre-Reformation immigration.
Personal names (forenames)
Some personal names in modern Ireland are derived from traditional Irish Names, and
anglicised Irish names, although English names remain popular.
The recent years have seen a major decline in most Irish names for babies being born in the
Republic of Ireland. While in the past names such as Patrick (a name of
Roman origin), Séamus (the Irish form of James) and others were almost ubiquitous in any family, today they are among the rarer names for children and the same goes for most other Irish names, although there are a few notable exceptions. Conor remains very popular, having topped the Most Popular new names for babies list many years running. The name Jack, which is an Irish diminutive of John, James and Jacob, has grown in popularity.
Seán, also derived from the
Hebrew root John, remains one of the most popular Irish names. Male names from North America have become more popular in recent times. There are many other Anglicised Irish names which remain popular, such as Ryan, Neil and others remaining on the Names List.
Biblical names also form a large composition, such as Matthew, Philip and Paul.
Aside from Seán other male names from the
Norman-Irish tradition include Gearóid (Gerard), Piaras (Peirce), Éamonn (Edward), Liam (William) and indeed the very use of the name Pádraig (Patrick) is a Norman tradition. Prior to the Normans the
Gaeil, out of reverence to Saint Patrick, named their children Giolla Phádraig, the servant of Patrick.
Piaras is an interesting example of how both Norman and English traditions collided. Piaras is from the
Norman-French Piers which itself is derived from the Latin, Petrus. Peirce/Piers was a common name in late medieval and early modern Ireland. However, with the expansion of British rule the English name Peter, which shares the same Latin root, began to replace it. Today, the Irish version (Peadar) of the English name (Peter), tends to be more common than the Irish version (Piaras) of the older Norman name (Piers). Thus, families with
Norman surnames where Piaras has been a traditional name have broken the link to their historic tradition. An exception to this would be in the
Gaeltachtaí where, for example, Piaras would still be very common, especially in the
Corca Dhuibhne area of
County Kerry due to the legacy of
Piaras Feiritéar, where Piaras remains a very common name in the Feiritéar family. The maintenance of such traditions in personal names outside the
Gaeltachtaí would generally be a sign of more educated parents. In an analogous way to Piaras, Irish families of
patrilineal Gaelic descent sometimes use the Irish version (Séarlas) of the English name, Charles, rather than the names with a much longer vintage in their families, such as An Calvach and Cathal. Where Cathal is used it is often wrongly termed "the Irish for Charles" in a similar way to which the ancient Irish personal name, Áine, is wrongly said to be an Irish version of the English word, Anne. Rather, both
Cathal and
Áine are two ''very'' ancient Irish names with no etymological link whatsoever to the above English names.
For females, the traditional Irish names are far more popular, although their spellings are not always uniform. Names such as Mary, Ann, and Eileen which were hugely common in the past have now declined, although there was always much more variety in female names than in male. Today Aoife, Aisling, Ciara, Sinéad, and Órla are more popular as traditional Irish names, while foreign names such as Ella, Emma, Lisa, Rachel and Isabelle have become more common. Some older names have maintained their popularity, such as Sarah, Kate, Catherine and Louise.
Female names from the
Norman-Irish tradition are widespread and among the most traditional of Irish personal names. In a similar way to the name Pádraig (Patrick), in the pre-Norman tradition Máire did not exist but rather Maol Muire, devotee of the virgin Mary, was the normal Irish usage. Other common Irish female names of
Norman origin (with their anglicised form) are Caitríona (Catherine, Katrina), Síle (Sheila), Caitlín (Kathleen), Cáit (Kate), Sinéad (Jane, Janet etc) and Siobhán (Joan, Jane etc) But also, Siobhán can be spelt Siubhán, which, translated into English, can mean Hannah, but Siubhán can be translated into English as Joan, or Jane, alongside Siobhán. ʡ
English names such as Victoria, Elizabeth, and Rebecca, while never hugely popular have also seen a decline in popularity, while some Irish names such as Bridget, Una and Maureen have dropped off the list altogether.
There can be major differentiations between regions. A personal name can still often indicate where a person, more precisely a man, is from. This is accounted for chiefly in the sainthood cults which have been traditional throughout the island. For instance,
Fionnbharr is more common in Cork,
Finnian in Meath and
Donegal,
Fionán in Kerry, and so forth, where these particular saints are institutionalised in local tradition. Seaghan remains the
Ulster Irish spelling of
Seán, though Séan, with the fada over the E, is also common. Páidí is more common in the
Kerry Gaeltacht than elsewhere, and so forth.
Jarlath is the patron saint of
Tuam and the name is thus quite common in that region. As in the Feiritéar family above, the first name can also often indicate a family tradition as well as place.
See
Irish names
Recent history
In the Republic of Ireland about 86.82%
[9] of the population are Roman Catholic. In
Northern Ireland about 53.1% of the population are
Protestant (21.1% Presbyterian, 15.5% Church of Ireland, 3.6% Methodist, 6.1% Other Christian) whilst a large minority are
Roman Catholic at approximately 43.8%, as of 2001.
After Ireland became subdued by England in 1603 the English – under
James I of England (reigned 1603 – 1625) who was also James VI of Scotland (1566 – 1625),
Lord Protector,
Oliver Cromwell (term 1653 – 1658),
William III of England who was also William II of Scotland (reigned 1689 – 1702) and their successors – began the settling of
English in
Leinster (the
English Pale), and later Protestant English and Scottish
colonists into Ireland, where they settled most heavily in the northern
province of
Ulster. However, while there is evidence (linguistic, surname, and genetic) that the English in the earlier settlements in Leinster, especially those in the lower classes who never really gave up Catholicism, disappeared into the broader Irish population, the staunchly
Presbyterian Scots in Ulster did not intermarry heavily or
integrate with the native Irish like the Normans did centuries earlier.
Tens of thousands of native Irish were displaced during the 17th century Plantations of Ireland from parts of
Ulster, and were replaced by English and Scottish planters. Only in the major part of Ulster did the plantations prove long-lived; the other three provinces (
Connacht,
Leinster, and
Munster) remained heavily Catholic, and eventually, the Protestant populations of those three provinces would decrease drastically as a result of the political developments in the early 20th century in
Ireland.
It is predominately religion, history and political differences (
Irish nationalism versus British
unionism) that divide the two communities, as many of the
Scots-Irish settlers are in part of
Celtic origin themselves and therefore related to their Irish Catholic neighbours.
Conversely, some Irish people would have at least some degree of English or Scottish (
gallowglass families from the Highlands) ancestry.
In 1921, with the formation of the
Irish Free State, six counties in the northeast remained in the
United Kingdom as
Northern Ireland.
"Ulster-Irish" surnames tend to differ based on which community families originate from. Ulster Protestants tend to have either
English or
Scottish surnames while Catholics tend to have Irish surnames, although this is not always the case. There are many Catholics in Northern Ireland with surnames such as Emerson, Whitson, Livingstone, Hardy, Tennyson, MacDonald (however this surname is also common with Highland Roman Catholics in Scotland), Dunbar, Groves, Legge, Scott, Gray, Page, Stewart, Rowntree, Henderson, et al; almost certainly due to intermarriage. According to
Lecky, conversions also occurred to a lesser extent, which were mostly class-based; Catholics sometimes become Protestant to keep their lands and titles or to gain advantages, while some Protestants who were from the lower classes or who had fallen on hard times would become Catholic.
Irish diaspora
Main articles: Irish diaspora
The 'Irish diaspora' consists of
Irish emigrants and their descendants in
countries such as the
United States,
Great Britain,
Canada,
Australia,
New Zealand,
South Africa and nations of the
Caribbean such as
Barbados. These countries, known as the
Anglosphere, all have large minorities of Irish descent, who in addition form the core of the Catholic Church in those countries. The
diaspora contains over 80 million people; it is believed that roughly one third of the
Presidents of the United States of America had at least some Irish descent, while
Charles Carroll of Carrollton (whose Irish born grandfather Daniel had left Britain to escape Catholic persecution) was the sole
Catholic signatory of the
American Declaration of Independence.
[10]
There are also large
Irish communities in some mainland
European countries, notably in
France and
Germany, as well as
Brazil,
Argentina and
Chile.
Irish in the
Americas number around 45 million. They are the second largest self-reported ethnic group in the United States, after
German Americans. It's also one of the largest self-reported ethnic group in Canada, Irish Canadians number around 3 million. Also, large numbers of Irish people emigrated to
Argentina in the 18th and 19th centuries. Irish-Argentinians number over 500,000. Some famous Argentinians of Irish descendent include
Che Guevara, ex-president
Edelmiro Farrell and national hero
William Brown.
One important Irish group in the history of the Americas are the "Patricios", or
Saint Patrick's Battalion, a group of European Catholic immigrants, mostly Irish, who left the American side during the Mexican-American War and joined the Mexican Army. Although many of them were caught and executed by the American government, some escaped and remained in Mexico. The battalion is commemorated in Mexico on Saint Patricks's day and on
September 12, the anniversary of the first executions.
Notable Irish people
Main articles: List of Irish people
★
Aidan of Lindisfarne,
Bishop of
Lindisfarne, died
651
★
Brian Boru - King of
Munster and
High King of Ireland, killed
1014
★
Saint Brigid of Ireland -
Goddess and
Saint
★
Feidlimid mac Cremthanin, King of
Munster,
820-
846
★
Diarmait mac Cerbaill, last Pagan
King of Tara, died
565
★
Dicuil -
Geographer, fl. 8th/9th century
★
Flann Sinna, King of Mide and High King; c.
847-
916
★
Johannes Scotus Eriugena, philosopher, died
877
★
Máel Sechnaill mac Maíl Ruanaid,
Irish High King, died
862
★
Niall of the Nine Hostages - Irish king and
pirate, died c.
450/
455
★
Marianus Scotus,
chronicler, died c.
1083
★
Bertie Ahern - Irish
Taoiseach since
1997
★
James Archer (Jesuit) - founder of Irish
seminaries,
1550-
1620
★
Francis Bacon (painter) - Artist,
1909-
1992
★
Francis Beaufort,
hydrographer,
1774-
1857
★
George Berkeley -
Idealist Philosopher
★
Robert Boyle -
Chemist,
1627-
1691
★
Pierce Brosnan -
actor, played
James Bond 1994-
2005
★
James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde - statesman and soldier, died
1688
★
Gay Byrne - presenter of the Late Late Show (
1962-
1999)
★
Patrick Clancy - Member of the
Clancy Brothers
★
Bob Carlos Clarke -
erotic photographer,
1950-
2006
★
Darren Clarke -
professional golfer
★
Michael Collins (Irish Leader)- IRA
★
David Connolly - professional footballer, born
1977
★
Kieron Connolly - novelist, born
1961
★
Michael Corcoran- Soldier of the
Fighting 69th
★
Tom Crean -
Antarctic explorer,
1877-
1938
★
Ninette de Valois -
ballerina and founder of the
Royal Ballet, died
2001
★
Enya - country's second most successful musical act, born
1961
★
Colin Farrell -
actor, born
1976
★
Mike Farrell -
actor
★
Paddy Finucane -
Battle of Britain flying ace,
1920-
1942
★
Bono - [singer U2]
★
George FitzGerald -
physicist
★
Michael Flatley -
dancer and
choreographist
★
Rory Gallagher -
rock and
blues musician
★
Bob Geldof -
singer,
activist and
entrepreneur, born
1954
★
Brendan Gleeson -
actor
★
Augusta, Lady Gregory -
playwright, co-founder of
Abbey Theatre, died
1932
★
Veronica Guerin -
journalist, murdered
1996
★
Arthur Guinness -
brewer and founder of the
Guinness dynasty
★
William Rowan Hamilton -
mathematician and
scientist
★
James Hoban - designer of the
White House, died
1831
★
John Joseph Hughes - first Archbishop of New York
★
John Hume -
Politician,
Nobel Laureate, born 1937
★
Neil Jordan -
film director
★
James Joyce -
novelist
★
Dolores Keane, folk singer, born 1953
★
Roy Keane -
footballer
★
Geoffrey Keating (Seathrún Céitinn) -
literary historian, died
1643
★
John F. Kennedy - 35th President of the United States
★
Caitlín R. Kiernan, fantasy/science fiction writer, born
1964
★
Francis Ledwidge -
poet and political activist, killed in action
1917
★
Danny La Rue -
female impersonator
★
Dónal Lunny -
folk musician, born
1945
★
Phil Lynott -
singer-songwriter and
rock star, died
1986
★
Mary McAleese -
President of Ireland since
1997
★
Dubhaltach MacFhirbhisigh -
historian and
genealogist, murdered
1671
★
Dermot MacMurrough - King of
Leinster, died
1171
★
Alexander McDonnell - World
Chess Champion
★
Eamonn McCann, political activist, born
1943
★
Thomas Francis Meagher- soldier of the
Fighting 69th
★
Jonathan Rhys Meyers -
actor, born
1977
★
Spike Milligan - comedian, actor and writer
★
Finian Maynard -
Windsurfing champion
★
Paddy Moloney - composer and founder of
The Chieftains
★
Van Morrison -
singer/songwriter and
musician born
1945
★
Cillian Murphy -
actor, born
1976
★
Liam Neeson -
actor, born
1952
★
Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill,
poet, died c.
1800
★
David Norris (campaigner), Senator and Civil Rights Activist, born
1944
★
Graham Norton - TV personality and actor
★
Dáibhí Ó Bruadair - Bardic poet, died
1698
★
Turlough O'Carolan - Irish
harpist and
composer,
1670-
1738
★
Feargus O'Connor - Irish
Chartist leader,
1796-
1855
★
C. Y. O'Connor -
engineer (
1843–
1902)
★
Daniel O'Connell -
barrister and Irish
emancipator
★
Máirtín Ó Direáin -
Irish language poet
★
Seán Óg Ó hAilpín - captain of the
Cork hurling team
★
Maureen O'Hara- Dublin born Actress and celebrated Hollywood beauty
★
Grace O'Malley - Irish chieftain and
pirate, c.
1530-c.
1603
★
Nollaig Ó Muraíle -
genealogist and
historian
★
Martin O'Neill - Footballer and Manager
★
John O'Riley - founder of
Saint Patrick's Battalion,
1805-
1850
★
Gilbert O'Sullivan - Pop singer/songwriter/pianist, born
1946
★
Sonia O'Sullivan - Olympic athlethe, born
1969
★
Peter O'Toole - Eight-time
Oscar award nominee
★
Damien Rice - musician, born
1973
★
Adi Roche -
humanitarian
★
Mary Robinson- seventh Irish president, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
★
Ernest Shackleton -
Antarctic explorer, died
1922
★
Jim Sheridan,
film director, born
1949
★
Steve Staunton - Football Manager
★
Bram Stoker -
theatre manager and author of
Dracula, died
1912
★
Lorcan Ua Tuathail -
Archbishop of Dublin, died
1180
★
Oscar Wilde -
Playwright,
poet,
wit, died
1900
★
WB Yeats - Poet, died
1939
See also
★
Black Irish
★
Early history of Ireland
★
History of Ireland
★
Irish Americans
★
Irish Argentine
★
Irish Australian
★
Irish Canadian
★
Irish Newfoundlanders
★
Irish community in Britain
★
Irish diaspora
★
The Ireland Funds
★
Irish Mexicans
★
Kingdom of Ireland
★
List of Ireland-related topics
★
List of Irish-Americans
★
List of Irish people
★
Northern Ireland
★
Republic of Ireland
★
Scots-Irish American
★
Ulster-Scots
★
Genetic history of Europe
Notes
References
1. in, Social Attitudes in Northern Ireland: The Fifth Report
2. Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey
3. Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey
4. Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey
5. Kimberly Powell, Common Surnames of Ireland, About.com accessed 09/03/07 11:03 (UCT)
11. Lehmann, Winfred P., 1997. 'Early Celtic among the Indo-European Dialects'. Zeitschrift für Celtische Philologie 49-50. 440-454.
12.
[11]
External links
★
Irish surname origins
★
Y-chromosome variation and Irish origins (PDF File) (
Nature, March 2000)
★
The Longue Durée of Genetic Ancestry: Multiple Genetic Marker Systems and Celtic Origins on the Atlantic Facade of Europe October 2004
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Irish ancestors on Ireland.com
★ Genetic study that links the Irish to Basques
[12]
★
Origins of the Irish
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