Shirley Maclaine, Iberia and the Mormons

The surname Ryan is the fourth most common name in Ireland, the 177th most common in the United States and 2,000,714th most common in Bangladesh and Uzbekistan. The name comes in many forms O'Ryan, O'Malorian, O'Riaghn, Royan (French) and Rein (German).

The name Ryan derives from many sources-Celtic, Gaelic, Norman and others. It's meaning has been interpreted as "little king" or "illustrious one", to the Welsh meaning "hero"to an ancient Irish word for water "Rian". The most agreed upon derivation is from the anglicized adaptation of O'Riain, or descendent of Rian. I tend to agree with another interpretation of ancient Irish as Righin, meaning "sluggish" or "dilatory". An accurate account if you observe my teenage children in their natural habitat, or... if you ask my wife- me Friday through Sunday. The Latin phrase used as the Ryan motto is Malo Mori Quam Foedari. "I would rather die than be disgraced" or simply "death before dishonor."

I've researched our family's history through various sources, mostly using Ancestry.com. Their digitized records of primary documents is impressive. Those Mormons in their quest for church financing and to prove a common genetic link to the 'two who started it all' have made it much easier and affordable. But I do see the philosophy in their efforts. DNA research is painting a clearer picture of how closely related we are, despite our best efforts to prove the contrary.

Recent research tracing the genetic history of Irish migration has transposed some commonly held beliefs. An interesting article by Marie McKeown sheds new light on how Ireland was populated. It was originally thought the Irish migrated from the Keltoi people of central Europe. The Greeks considered them 'barbaric', or 'not Greek'. The latest research using DNA comparisons tell a story of the island being populated in waves over centuries. The Irish share genetic similarities with the Spanish from the Basque region, Sardinia, and western Britain, mostly Scottish and Welsh. It appears that over the last 10,000 years various peoples have landed and stayed. McKeown refers her readers to this site, a very interesting and informative read. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-17124-4

I secretly hoped our family came from an ancestor or relative of royalty or someone famous. Shirley Mclaine and everyone else who believes in reincarnation or past lives seems have "been" Charlemagne or Nicholas II, or an English Lord fighting in a famous battle. How come no one is Maury Schenkle, a grocer from 1850 Schenectady, NY? Seriously.

The Ryan family story, as best I can tell from records, research, and holiday tales, is complex, tragic, heart-warming and humorous. But then, I'm sure most family histories are, except this is ours.

Below is a video about the name Ryan. A note because I read IMDB daily for trivia, Meg Ryan's surname is really Hyra. When she joined the screen actors guild, she used her grandmother's surname Ryan. So, I guess it's ok.

Comments

To America!

In the bleak Irish spring of 1880, Matthew Ryan and his wife Margaret (Caples) left their home in the area of Kilcommon, Tipperary Ireland along with their eleven (11) children ages 26 to 4. They endured a 60 mile trek by foot or by carriage or maybe a combination of both to the port of Queenstown, Cork (now called Cobh) and on March 23rd boarded the SS Helvetia, a 419 foot, tripled-masted, single-stacked clipper ship. The thirteen members of the Ryan family joined 557 other English, Irish, and Scandanavian passengers for the nearly two-week voyage across the temperamental Atlantic. The morning of April 6, 1880 was unseasonably warm in New York City. I envision my third great-grandfather, Matthew Ryan, aged 55, and his family made their way up to the main deck as the ship exited the Atlantic Ocean and slowly entered the upper bay, sailing between Staten Island and Brooklyn via the Narrows toward the Bedloe's Island, later named Liberty Isl...

The Magical Traveling Shamrock, John Wayne and our Mother.

If you travel to Ireland and you do not spend some time at the Lawcus Farm B&B and its surrounding area, then you are doing a serious disservice to an Irish experience. Now, I understand to each his own, but it should be a mandatory stop for all travelers. I know I mentioned in earlier paragraphs about this place, but we strongly believe there was a connection for our kids, for us, and for my father. The owners of the establishment are characters in themselves and put forth great effort to ensure their guests are not only treated well, but making sure your time in their country is memorable. I’ll get back to Mark, who has an uncanny resemblance to John Wayne and Ann-Marie again. Our final day in Stoneyford and the Farm started as usual with a solid breakfast. Coffees preceded a small fresh fruit cup for all, followed by homemade porridge with prunes, and granola and local honey from their abundant Jaspers. Ann-Marie take...

The Dingle

So busy, it's difficult to find time to write. We're go, go, go. and the wifi is not so good at our place. We left Galway Tuesday morning and drove a couple hours to an area of western Ireland called The Burren. It was a ridiculously foreign landscape and beautiful. Steep, sharp limestone mountains covered in scrub brush, grasses and dotted with livestock. As we drove through the emerald countryside, we saw a sign that said Birds of Prey display and Aillwee Cave. Rick Steves wrote in his travel guide that it was interesting, but not worth the fee. So, of course we decided to check it out. What the hell does he know :) Cliffs of Moher After that we stopped in Doolin and had lunch while overlooking the Atlantic. A short drive to The Cliffs of Moher. We lucked out with a sunny day. The kids attributed that to their Nana. The cliffs are worth the visit, especially if you go later (after 2pm) as we did. We drove to the S...

A Hibernian Voyage to America. Our Irish Ancestors

Search This Blog