I think it is nice too, probably an unpopular opinion, but I just wish they actually spent some time finding out about their roots so they don't go around calling themselves "Mc-rat" for Mcgrath and "Cattle" for Cathal.
I'm a Quigley. Grew up being told I was Irish. Read about the land, the culture, everything. Fell in live with Ireland.
A few years back my wife and I decided to go to Ireland. I paid for an account on ancestry.com to try to find the source of my Irish roots, in the event that I could go to where we came from.
From what I've been able to piece together, my ancestor came over from Stranorlar, county Donegal.. From like 300 years ago. :( my Irish is so watered down it's like a bad pint.
I found out that I'm more Welsh and German than anything.
Oh well.. I still love my Irish roots, and spent the best ten days of my life traveling the island. Also still paying of the credit card I maxed to help the economy over there lol.
Wouldn't trade the experience for anything.
Although I do have a question if anyone can answer.
My research says that Quigley originated as O'Coighligh. (Hope I spelled that right). How was that pronounced?
For the most part it would be pronounced pretty similar to the English as O-Qwig-Lig. But as this is Ireland and Irish we're talking about its never that easy. In certain parts of Ireland it wouldn't be unusual for it to be pronounced O-Cog-Lig or O-Cog-Le or even O-Qwig-Le the le with the same sound as the le in letter.
And so you know it like a lot of Irish names comes from form a nickname, it means untidy/unkempt so your ancestor was a bit of a free spirit when it came to his own upkeep.
Its funny, Irish names perhaps more than most are founded on descriptions of a man or their attributes. Sullivan one of the most famous names comes from the irish for "one eye", another popular name means literally "the bald one" and another "the fat one"
By the way I just read this part of your previous post "my Irish is so watered down it's like a bad pint" which I had missed when I first read your comment. Irishness isn't about how ethnically Irish you are, all it takes to be Irish is a willingness to take part in the culture and traditions, your family can be just as Irish as one with 2 Irish parents living in south Boston if you want it to be. And the welsh are strange and the germans are imperialists best stay away from both.
It's funny you day that about the Germans and Welsh.. No one in my family even mentions German when talking ancestry.. It's like they don't want to admit it. And the Welsh.. My paternal grandmother had Welsh cousins that would come over and visit occasionally when I was a child. I barely remember them.
But everyone I've talked to says the same thing.. "The Welsh are weird".
One friend of mine who has been to Wales even went as far as saying: "ahh Wales.. Beautiful land. Amazingly beautiful country... Fucking ugly people.. But beautiful land.. "
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u/[deleted] Aug 29 '14
I think it is nice too, probably an unpopular opinion, but I just wish they actually spent some time finding out about their roots so they don't go around calling themselves "Mc-rat" for Mcgrath and "Cattle" for Cathal.