I was asked about Irish naming patterns after posting a note about Scottish naming patterns and so referred the question to a friend who's an expert Irish researcher with years of experience in Ireland & N Ireland. Here's her reply for those who are interested. Karen "Although occasionally individual families had naming patterns of their own, the Irish generally do not. Of course, an exception is the Scots Irish of the North who frequently follow the naming customs of their Scottish ancestors." Carol Burdick Davidson, Irish researcher