Off topic: chat

Is it just a rough rule of thumb to say prefix 'Mac'/Mc' is Scottish and 'O' is Irish?
The McDaniels in my tree hail from Malahide Dublin and they occur in distant branch coincidentally and from Sligo/Leitrim.

Garlinge wrote: »

Is it just a rough rule of thumb to say prefix 'Mac'/Mc' is Scottish and 'O' is Irish?

Noooooooh! That is an error most frequently made by American Irish tracing their roots. So many of them believe it. Another one is "I'm actually Scots-Irish because I'm Mc and not Mac") :o

Nqp15hhu wrote: »

I haven’t come across several of those names.. some are Scottish.

Which ones? Some have both a Scottish and Irish origin.

Mick Tator wrote: »

……. Reading your posts I infer that you are limiting your comments to names found in the northern part of Ireland (e.g. your reference to names found 'locally'). I cannot see that perspective adding much to a discussion on surnames that is general rather than specific.

Nqp15hhu wrote: »

I will continue to post.

It’s none of my business whether or not you post, but if your contributions are to add to the discussion It would be helpful if they were clearer. There is little point in taking offense when debating surname origins particularly when your posts lack clarity of post and specific detail.

Without detail, trying to separate Northern English, Northern Irish and Scottish ancestry is futile. Apart from seasonal and permanent population migrations between all those places, several identical surnames have completely different origins in different parts of this and those countries. In Ireland, Kelly is one name that comes to mind, the Kelly septs from UI Máine, (Connacht) Breagh (Leinster) and Cinel Eachach (Ulster) all have quite different origins. Another – common in Scotland, N. Ireland and N England – is Lamont.

Some Lamonts, particularly in N England are correct in claiming their name is Viking, derived from the medieval personal name Lagman which in turn is from the Old Norse Logmaðr.
Other Lamonts, particularly in Scotland correctly believe they descend from Anrothan O'Neill, who gave up his kingdom in Ireland and moved to Argyll.
From Anrothan's line came a man named Aodha Alainn O'Neil who had three sons:
1. Gillachrist, who had a son, Lachlan, who is the ancestors of the MacLachlans;
2. Neill, who is the ancestor of the MacNeills
3. Dunslebhe. who had two sons, Ewen, the ancestor of the MacEwens and Fearchar, who had a son named Lamond and it is from him that the Lamont family descend. He at one time was known as as 'Mac Laomain Mor Chomhail Uile' - The Great Mac Lamont of All Cowal.

Yet other Lamonts would by quite wrong to assert those origins, the being descended from a French Huguenot whose family name originated on the western side of the Ile-de-France.

Take your pick!

You have claimed to be expert in DNA so it should be very clear to you that ethnicity/origin is algorithm based, built on the geographic distribution of the surnames of those who have taken DNA tests. So what really is your point?

srmf5 wrote: »

The surname McBride was first found in Donegal (Irish: Dún na nGall), northwest Ireland in the province of Ulster, sometimes referred to as County Tyrconnel, where the they are descended from the son of the servant (follower, devotee) of St. Brigit, the virgin Abbess of Kildare who died 525 A.D.

McIntyre, McEntire, MacIntyre, McAteer, and McIntire are Scottish and Irish surnames derived from the Gaelic Mac an t-Saoir literally meaning "Son of the Craftsman or Mason", but more commonly cited as "son of the Carpenter." It is common in Ulster and the highlands of Scotland, found in Ireland mostly in counties Donegal, Derry, Tyrone and Sligo. A Uí Brolchainn Sept of the Uí Néill clan and a branch of the Cenel Eoghainn.

In the ancient Irish annals, the first abbot of Clonmacnoise Saint Ciarán (c. 516 – c. 549) Ciarán mac an tSaeir ("son of the carpenter"), appears to be the oldest known record of the name; was one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland.

It would be misleading to imply that Ciarán Mac an tSaeir was an early example of the McAteer surname. Surnames first came in around the 11th century. People called Mac or Ó before that were literally the son or grandson and would not pass the name on to their descendants.

On this day, 95 years ago, the 1926 census was taken. I found an interesting piece in the Irish Newspaper Archives about it.

The Irish Census

The census of the Irish Free State will be taken on next Sunday, April 18. Everything possible is being done to make this, our first census, complete and accurate. The clergy in every parish have been requested to exhort their congregations to make the census a success. All teachers in primary, secondary and other day schools have been authorized to give courses of lessons on the matter this week. Heads of labour organisations, employers’ organisations, etc., have been asked for their assistance. Large numbers of farmers, industrialists, and commercial men have been requested to advise and assist their employees and others with regard to filling up the forms. In short, everything practicable is being done to make successful this special enquiry – the largest every country has to undertake. All persons who have to fill up the census forms should, before doing so, read very carefully the memorandum of instructions (printed on pink paper) which will be handed in before Sunday next by the Civic Guard together with the census form. The pattern tables shown on the pink memorandum should receive special attention as they indicate the manner in which the form should be filled in. Great care should be taken in filling up the columns headed “Personal Occupation” – column (k) and “Employment” – column (l). The census forms will be called for by the Civic Guard after Sunday, April 18, and each head of a household will facilitate matters if he will leave with a responsible person in the house the form completed and ready to be handed to the Civic Guard.

Published in The Connacht Tribune on 17th April, 1926.

Just noticing (maybe it's not new) that GedMatch have refreshed their appearance, looks a lot more modern.
Classic look is still available, I wonder what their plans are for the future?