FARRELL-L Archives

From: Tim Morrissey <>
Subject: Name Game
Date: Sat, 09 Oct 1999 14:10:29 -0400

I recently made this discovery about names in Ireland. Now it may have
applications to other names and places and it may not but what the hell.

The MORRISSEYS from Killea, Gaultier Barony, County Waterford c.1820.
So I'm in Killea last summer and I'm talking to this old lady who lives
down the road from the RC Church and its adjacent cemetery. I have just
been there looking for MORRISSEYs. I found one monument that said
"...MORRIS, and his son ROBERT MORRISSEY". So I asked the old lady since
Robert had died like in 1972 and I figured she would remember him,
about the difference in names bewtween the father and son. She tells me
this: "Anybody with MORRIS in their name from Killea for the last 200
years is related. They spelled it anyway they wanted to and nobody gave
much of a damn." No wonder my great grandfather spelled it MORRISEY,
one of his brothers spelled it MORISEY, another spelled it MORESY and
the other spelled it the RIGHT WAY, MORRISSEY. Of course in the 1860
census that block about "can't read or write" was checked for all of
them. And so it goes.
Slainte,
Tim

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• Name Game by Tim Morrissey <>