Bishop George Berkeley
- or Life of Bishop Berkeley.
The Bird family - of Hoodsgrove, Co. Kilkenny.
Cashin's in Ireland - Pat Barling.
Clan Egan - Kevin Egan.
Michael Gooley / Judith Byrne - biography page at this site.
Martin Gleeson
James Grey
Hercules Langrishe
William Long
Sir Richard Shee
Paddy Trehy's Family Tree
Tynan / McCawley Family Genealogy
Michael Walsh
Edmund Walsh
Wemyss family in Ireland
Surnames of Kilkenny
A study of 1890 Irish birth registrations for the county of Kilkenny indicate Brennan as the most common surname with 2195 individuals of this name, followed by Walsh with 2016, Murphy with 1568, Ryan with 1523, Carroll with 1120, Byrne and Butler with 986 each, Maher with 941, Dunne with 896, Phelan with 805; Kelly, Neill, Power and Purcell each with 762, and Delaney and Dowling with 727 each.
Click here to see Summary Histories of selected County Kilkenny Surnames (with links to more detailed early accounts). Also see Barony Histories.
- The O Braoin ((Mac)Breen) were originally seated near the town of Knocktopher, Co. Kilkenny.
- Some of the O Braonain (Brennan) clan had their roots in northwest Co. Kilkenny.
- The Butler family, of Norman origin, were Earls and Duke of Ormond with their seat located at Kilkenny Castle.
- The O Cleirigh (Cleary), originally of Galway, later settled in places such as Kilkenny.
- The Comerford family has been in Ireland since 1210 settling first in Kilkenny and Waterford.
- The O Dubhshlaine (Delaney), originally of Laois, later migrated into Kilkenny.
- The O Dunlaing (Dowling), originally of Laois, later spread into counties like Kilkenny.
- The O Duibhir (Dwyer), originating from West Tipperary, also spread into Kilkenny.
- The Mac Giolla Phadraig (Fitzpatrick) homeland was in the ancient kingdom of Upper Ossory, in modern Laois and Kilkenny.
- The Grace family, is descended from the Cambro-Norman, Raymond le Gros, who acquired territory in Kilkenny in the late 12th century.
- The O Meachair (Maher) of Tipperary also spread into Kilkenny.
- The O Murchadha (Murphy) of Wexford later spread into Kilkenny and Carlow.
- The O Faoileain (Phelan) chiefs, of Waterford and Kilkenny, were Princes of the Decies.
- The Power(s) family of Waterford, a name of Norman origin, later spread into Kilkenny, Cork, Tipperary and Wexford.
- The O Maoilriain (Ryan) were of Limerick and Tipperary, and the O Riain (Ryan) of Carlow also settled in Kilkenny.
- The descendants of the O Seaghdha (Shea) clan of south Kerry migrated into Kilkenny as early as the 14th century.
- The Tobin family, of Norman origin, were well established in Kilkenny and Tipperary by the early 13th century.
- The Walsh family, of Welsh origin, were established in Kilkenny, among many other places in Ireland by the 13th century.
Other older family names associated with County Kilkenny include Archer,
Cantwell, MacGilpatrick, Mareschal, Montmorency, O'Bolger, O'Broe, O'Brodar,
O'Callan, O'Carroll, O'Delany, O'Donoghue, O'Doyle, O'Gloran, O'Keveny,
O'Loughnan, Roth, Shortall. Read a bit more surname history beginning at
History of Osraighe. There is also a
1640 County Kilkenny Landowner Map showing
the relative position of larger landowners prior to the land confiscations of
Cromwell.
Information about your Irish Surname
Old Irish Surnames
Irish Surname Search - from GoIreland. Find free surname histories here.
Coat of Arms
Further Heraldry Reference:
Coats of Arms in Ireland.
A List at Heraldry on the Internet.
Heraldic Hall - free Coat of Arms images.
County Kilkenny Historical Reference:
Kilkenny Past & Present.
The Kingdom of Ossory (Gaelic origins)
Medieval County Kilkenny (arrival of Anglo-Normans).
Old English Families (Anglo-Norman families).
New English Families (Protestant ascendancy).
County Kilkenny Timeline (chronologic history).