Jana and All I believe you are correct about the spelling variations. I was brought up in Ireland and about 20 years ago spent a lot of time researching Church records in County Wexford. Even to an amateur it was fairly obvious that until around 1880-1890 a signficant number of Marriage Certs were signed by the particants "X, His/Her mark",. I suspect the form actually recorded varied according to the literacy of the priest concerned and the local accents ( in some Irish counties the middle "W" tends to be elongated to "owa" I tracked one relative (Eliza Kirwan) through three different spellings between 1850 and 1930 - Kerwin, Kerovane and Kirwan. Only at the end of her life did her signature appear other than as an "x". In passing, concerning the Irish form of the name , my memory is that when I started school my name in Irish was : / . ./ O' Ciardubain The dots over the "C" and "b" were referred to as "buailte" (pronounced booiltje). The dash over the "a" ws a seimhiu (pronounced shayvoo). Later (presumably because buailte's don't appear on typewriters, the buailte was changed to a "h" and the spelling of my name became:- / / O' Chiardubhain My mmeory may be t fault, howver. David Kirwan (Bermuda) >From kirwin-l-request@rootsweb.com Mon Feb 15 21:59:51 1999 >Received: (from slist@localhost) > by bl-30.rootsweb.com (8.8.5/8.8.5) id VAA08822; > Mon, 15 Feb 1999 21:58:07 -0800 (PST) >Resent-Date: Mon, 15 Feb 1999 21:58:07 -0800 (PST) >Message-ID: <36C90821.51874AF8@slip.net> >Date: Mon, 15 Feb 1999 21:54:42 -0800 >From: Jana Black <janab@slip.net> >Reply-To: janab@slip.net >X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.04 [en] (Win95; I) >MIME-Version: 1.0 >Old-To: Kirvan <kirvans@river.it.gvsu.edu> >Old-CC: KIRWIN-L@rootsweb.com >References: <36C8D557.284A@river.it.gvsu.edu> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit >Subject: [KIRWIN-L] Origins of our name.... >Resent-Message-ID: <"EEK12.A.dGC.ojQy2"@bl-30.rootsweb.com> >Resent-From: KIRWIN-L@rootsweb.com >X-Mailing-List: <KIRWIN-L@rootsweb.com> archive/latest/170 >X-Loop: KIRWIN-L@rootsweb.com >To: KIRWIN-L@rootsweb.com >Precedence: list >Errors-To: KIRWIN-L-request@rootsweb.com >Resent-Sender: KIRWIN-L-request@rootsweb.com > >Hi all, > >I think this is a terrific thread especially since we have had quite a few >new subscribers lately who may not know the basics about our name. > >I found this posted to a website which is no longer free ;[ over a year ago. >It seems to have a good summary: > >(O) Kirwan > >The Kirwans - the O is never used with the name these days - are best known >as one of the "Tribes of Galway"; they are second only to the Lynches as a >leading family of that city. Like the Darcys and unlike the other twekve >"tribes" they are of Gaelic origin. They are first recorded in hiostory as >ernaghs in Co. Louth, and were noit connected with Galway until the 15th >century. In Irish, the name is O Ciardubhain, the sept being of hte race >Heremon. Early formas in English are Kerovan, Kyrvan and O'Quirivan, wehence >the Co. Clare place-name Craggykerrivane........." > >...... the article then goes on about the easily traced Kirwan/ins (none of >ours!); Most Rev. Francis Kirwan, John Kirwan, Richard (builder of Cregg >Castle http://indigo.ie/~creggcas/ now run by very nice folks, Pat and Ann >Marie Broderick, purveyors of fine original music and affordable rooms!) >Walter Blake Kirwan and Owen Kirwan, who was hanged. > >New list members, please do not be shy! Post your lines, your walls whatever >you have, and "oldsters", time to repost - who knows, the very connection you >need may be sitting out there like you just waiting! We are up to 65 Kirwin >researchers....... > >Jana Black >Listowner, > >Kirvan wrote: > >> Tom, I have one more spelling for you. I have traced my family tree back >> to the late 1700's with the derivitive of the Kirwan name spelled >> "KIRVAN". I'm quite sure this came from the more common spelling of >> Kirwan. My family origins have been traced to a John Kirvan from Galway >> , Ireland. You will find Kirvans in the US, Canada, Austrialia, and >> Great Britian. >> >> ==== KIRWIN Mailing List ==== >> TO POST A MESSAGE: email KIRWIN-L@rootsweb.com >> Tell us about yourself, your research, your brick walls! Tell us the lies >> you heard and anything else to help us really understand the KIRWIN mind! > > > > >==== KIRWIN Mailing List ==== >TO UNSUBSCRIBE: we hope you won't BUT we won't take it personally either! >email KIRWIN-L-request@rootsweb.com and write in only the word >UNSUBSCRIBE in the message body. No subject necessary..... > > ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com