Clans and Families of Ireland: The Heritage and Heraldry of Irish Clans and Families (Hardcover)

by John Grenham (Author) "Until about 12,000 B.C. Ireland, like the rest of northern Europe, was still in the grip of the Ice Age and was joined physically, with..." (more)
Key Phrases: Brian Boru, Irish Mac, Old English (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
An account of the origins of the Irish people discusses their customs, daily life, surnames, coats of arms, and clan tartans from prehistoric times to the present and includes full-color photographs.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Booksales (March 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555218873
• ISBN-13: 978-1555218874
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 9.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #338,113 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An essential guide to the origins of 200 Irish Families, September 1, 1999

By A Customer

A beautifully illustrated and well written guide to the origins of the 200 most popular surnames in Ireland.

Also included is history of the Irish race in all it's forms, this alone is worth the price of the book as it will allow anyone to form a clear understanding of Irish history, cutting away all the myths and confusions that surround the Irish and their origins.

This book is an essential read for anyone with Irish ancestry or any one with an interest in Irish History and you will find yourself dipping into it again and again.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars good and clear guide to the irish and their origins, February 28, 2000

By	"moonstealer" (Hackensack, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

i got this as a gift for my husband (a Reilly) and congratulate myself on the purchase! The historical background is EXCELLENT - enabled me to understand the different ethnic roots of the Irish and also the complexity of the Catholics vs Protestants, etc. In addition, the description of the mass exodus of the Irish to foreign lands was great, the author detailing the emotional background exquisitely. Finally, it was a lot of fun looking up the origins of Irish last names. The crests of each clan is shown in colour.

If I have a complaint, it would be that the significance of the crest of each clan was not discussed along with the origin and history of each clan. If that was included, this book would be 100% perfect, instead of 95% perfect.

1 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Found Nothing New, April 19, 2000

By A Customer

The price of this book was good - but there was nothing new in it - and it did not have 2 of my Irish lines in the book- so no help for my research.