Photo Album: Family Pictures These photos were taken [80] years ago in front of my grandfather’s house on Kentucky Street in Buffalo’s well-known “Old First Ward.” This section, on the South Side of the city, is Buffalo’s little Ireland, and would relate to Leopold Bloom’s trip through the streets of Dublin. Everyone on these streets is of Irish ancestry, and it is a world … [Read more...] about The Old First Ward
Ancestry
Roots: the history of the Ruane, Rowan and Ó Ruadain families
The surname Ruane comes from the old Gaelic Ó Ruadain, meaning the descendant of the red one, originally derived from the Gaelic ruadh. The pre-medieval clan stems from Ui Maine, an ancient territory that was made up of mid-Galway and South Roscommon, and Ui FIachrach, an ancient area of Mayo, Sligo, and Southern Galway. The name, variously recorded as Rowan, Ruan, O’Rowan, … [Read more...] about Roots: the history of the Ruane, Rowan and Ó Ruadain families
Bring Them All Back Home
'Ireland Reaching Out' is a pilot project that aims to reconnect all 70 million Irish people worldwide with their ancestral homeland. The Ireland Reaching Out project is the brainchild of Mike Feerick, a Galway businessman who has his own personal experience of emigration. Feerick, who now lives near Loughrea, was born in New York and lived for many years in America. “I … [Read more...] about Bring Them All Back Home
Roots: The Gleeson Clan
The surnames Gleeson and Gleason developed from the Irish name O Glasain, which originated in East County Cork. The Gaelic prefix “O” means male descendant of, and Glasain derives from “glas,” literally meaning “green” in the sense of inexperience as opposed to the color. There are many variations of the name, including Gleason, Glisane, Glison, Glyssane, O’Gleasane and … [Read more...] about Roots: The Gleeson Clan
Photo Album: She Liked Nice Things
Family photographs from Irish America readers. In the family room of my childhood home there was a large wall covered with photographs – vintage tintypes and black-and-whites were set among school portraits of the kids and snapshots from family vacations. My grandma Agnes and I would sit in that room for hours, playing a little game: I pointed to an old picture and she … [Read more...] about Photo Album: She Liked Nice Things