Re: Fake Irish?
in reply to a message by Alena
I'm Irish on my father's side (although branches of this tree go back as far as 1826 in the US). The names of my various great, great great grandmothers etc are Catherine, Ann, Mary, Jane, Sarah. My grandmother was Hazel Bridget. The great and great-greats grandfathers etc. are Francis, Stephen, Matthew, George, Henry, Dominick. I have tons of genealogy from my father's side.
However, I assume that the culture was significantly anglicized by the 17/1800s and I even read that at one point it was against the law to name your child a gaelic name. I enjoy the resurgence of the "truly Irish" names but often find them hard to pronounce and spell. I do not, however, like the practice of naming girls with Irish surnames (Riley, Kennedy, et al). I don't even like it for boys unless it is a family name.
However, I assume that the culture was significantly anglicized by the 17/1800s and I even read that at one point it was against the law to name your child a gaelic name. I enjoy the resurgence of the "truly Irish" names but often find them hard to pronounce and spell. I do not, however, like the practice of naming girls with Irish surnames (Riley, Kennedy, et al). I don't even like it for boys unless it is a family name.