Mac, Gaelic for "son", is the most common element of Scottish and Irish surnames. In both countries, Mc is always an abbreviation of Mac.…

A.D. 2014 has been a magnificent year for The Wild Geese Irish Social Network.  As this year draws to a close, we thought it would be interesting to compile the most popular articles and videos from the community.  Depending on how new you are to The Wild Geese…

Part 3 of 3 of the Series 'We Will Probably Land Christmas Day’: At War in the Atlantic, 1942 

This…

William Paterson (December 24, 1745 – September 9, 1806) was born in County Antrim to William Paterson and Unknown named mother. (How about it, Ireland – who is she?) He immigrated to the U.S. at the age of two, and entered the College of New Jersey (now Princeton…

On a Picture of a Black Centaur by Edmund Dulac

by W.B. Yeats

Your hooves have stamped at the black margins of the wood,

Even where horrible green parrots call and swing.

My works are all stamped down in the sultry mud.

I knew that horse-play, knew it for a murderous thing.

What wholesome sun has ripened is wholesome…

Na Mná / The Women

Ó am go ham, feicimid sna hAnnála tagairt do mhná céile agus d'iníonacha na cléire oidhreachtúla, mar sna samplaí thíos.

From time to…

This beloved carol, believed to be originally of Welsh origin, had already been around for quite a while when Mozart used it for a piano duet in the 18th century. You can read more about its interesting history in …

Are you planning a trip to Ireland, and do you hope to carry out some family history research during your visit?  If you happen to have an Irish born ancestor who emigrated to the United States, and are planning a visit to Ireland in the near future and hope to do some family…

What is the difference between a cemetery and a graveyard? Graveyards are in the "yards" of churches.  The use of tombstones may go back to the belief that ghosts could be weighed down. 

The difference between Union and…

As mentioned in Part 1, our ecclesiastical families married and had children.…

Newry and Mourne Museum helps the Magee family find their Irish roots

In late July, Raymond Magee from Denver, Colorado contacted Newry and Mourne Museum via Facebook enquiring…

In recent years, newspapers have become an increasingly useful source for genealogical research. This is due to the massive digitization projects that have been undertaken, making it easier to conduct broad searches for specific references to surnames and place…

James McHenry (November 16, 1753 – May 3, 1816) was born into a Scots-Irish family in Ballymena, County Antrim, Ireland in 1753.   Sent at age 17 to North America McHenry lived with a family friend in Philadelphia before deciding to finish his preparatory…

Are you descended from any of Ireland's hundreds of hereditary ecclesiastical families?  Many of us can point to our warrior and royal ancestors.  But how many of us know about our ecclesiastical ancestors?  

That's right.  Our ecclesiastical…

George Michael Cohan was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and producer. Assumed by many to be Jewish because of his last name, which was really Keohane! Known in the decade before World…

Ken and Antonette Kaufman came on a Wild West Irish Tours special "Emigrant Trail Ancestry Tour" to find his family roots. Here is his story:

As long as I can remember, I have had a desire…

Sergeant Major Daniel Joseph Daly was born 11 November, 1873 in Glen Cove, New York to  Daniel John Daly and Ellen Donovan -- presumably both were born somewhere in Ireland?

Daly was twice awarded the Congressional Medal of…

A game of hurling in Mercedes, Argentina (1917)

A frequently asked…