The real debate, with all due respect, should be: How do you pronounce Phelan? Any Irishman from the emerald isle I've ever spoken to pronounces it (like I do) Phee-lan. It's how my ancestors (who hailed from Co. Laois) pronounced it when they reached North America before 1820. Others insist on pronouncing it Phay-lan. One dubious authority on the subject told me that the lace curtain Irish call it Phee-lan, while the shanty Irish call it Phay-lan. When I asked who the lace curtain Irish were, I was told they're people who have fruit on their table even when no one's sick. Can we have some answers, please? Charles Phelan Winnipeg Canada ----- Original Message ----- From: Kathleen Frailey Puls <kathleenpuls@home.com> To: <PHELAN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, June 09, 2000 11:28 AM Subject: Re: [PHELAN] Todays Phelans @ Ancestry.com > This could be one of the reasons for the spelling variation of the name > Phelan: > > My gg grandmother from the Radestown area of Co. Kilkenny was Catherine > PHELAN > - according to the parish records in Co. Kilkenny. Her name also > appeared on the 1925 Iowa State census as Catherine WHALEN. Here is the > best explanation from a Bill Jackman from Waterford, Ireland, that I > have heard yet as to why the two names are interchangeable: > > "Yes the names Whelan and Phelan are one and the same. The name in Irish > is > O`Faolain with a stroke over last a,which lengthens it,I`ll try and > spell > it phonetically for you,fweylawinn,so its easy to understand where > whelan > came from ( or Whalen )" > > Kathleen > Maryland > > HANDTHX82@cs.com wrote: > > > > My father's family is Whalen, Whelan, and Phelan. I am looking for persons > > who know any reason or story the Whalen/Phelans have for the name > > changes....a rift in the family, starting a new branch? Our Phelan/Whalens > > are located primarily in Fall River, Mass. In particular I am looking for > > connections to the Edward Whalen/Eleanor Roe family and beyond. Thanks for > > the variation of Whealan. Haven't seen that one yet. > > > > ==== PHELAN Mailing List ==== > > This PHELAN list is currently available for adoption! > > Interested in becoming the list manager? Go here: > > http://resources.rootsweb.com/surnames/adoptrequest.html > > > > ============================== > > Search ALL of RootsWeb's mailing lists in real time. > > RootsWeb's Personalized Mailing Lists: > > http://pml.rootsweb.com/ > > > ==== PHELAN Mailing List ==== > This PHELAN list is currently available for adoption! > Interested in becoming the list manager? Go here: > http://resources.rootsweb.com/surnames/adoptrequest.html > > > > ============================== > The RootsWeb WorldConnect Project: > Tens of millions of individuals... and counting. > http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/ > >