Research at Irish Origenes has revealed that about 15% of Irish surnames are exclusive to a single location within Ireland. Since Irish surnames are often a genealogical record of one’s ancestor (Mac’/O’ = son of/grandson of) it means that each of those unique Irish surnames had a single founding male ancestor, the first for example to take (for example) the ‘Brophy’ surname. That Brophy-Adam lived in a specific part of Ireland, and today science has revealed that 50% of males named Brophy will be directly descended from that Brophy founding ancestor (Brophy-Adam). In addition, Ireland is rich in placenames that are associate with surnames. The entire island is divided into about 64,000 'townlands' which are Ireland smallest geographical unit of land division. Most of those townlands predate the arrival of the Normans in Ireland in 1169AD, and many are named after the clans or families that lived there. For example, the ‘Brophy’ surname is exclusive to County Laois in the Irish midlands and farmers named Brophy still farm the lands surrounding the townland of ‘Ballybrophy’ (Brophy’s town). So even without DNA test results one can link one’s ancestors back to a specific Irish location (all Brophys will have an ancestral papertrail that will ultimately lead back to Ballybrophy). Simply search the Irish Origenes Surnames database to identify where your Irish surname originated click here. You can then explore that area as it appears on the Irish Origenes Maps, FREE to view click here.

For those with Scots Irish or Anglo-Irish origins then your ancestors arrived in tight knit family groups that left parts of Southern and Western Scotland or Northern England to settle throughout Ireland (as illustrated on the first ever Plantation Surnames of Ireland map click here). Research at Irish, Scottish, and English Origenes has revealed that the Plantation surnames in each area of Ireland mirror those of their Scottish or English origin. To identify the ultimate Scottish origin of your Scots Irish ancestors all Irish Origenes requires is your ancestral surname and an earliest known location within Ireland. This is beautifully illustrated in an Irish Origenes examination of the Scots Irish 'Hemphills’ of Cookstown in County Tyrone in Ulster in Northern Ireland. You can read the Scots Irish Hemphill Surname study by clicking here. If you have an earliest known location for your Scots Irish ancestors but want to discover their ultimate Scottish origin, then email tyronebowes@gmail.com or contact Irish Origenes for a FREE consultation click here.

Commercial DNA testing is still an immensely powerful research tool, and I would always encourage people to participate in commercial ancestral testing. If you want to find out about a suitable DNA test for you or want a FREE consultation on your DNA test results, then email me tyronebowes@gmail.com or contact Irish Origenes click here. There is no deep dark secret to Irish Origenes analytical technique, many DNA Case Studies are free to view online (click here) and all the Origenes maps are FREE to browse online click here. What will your surname or your DNA reveal?

He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches (Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw,1903)