Family Trees

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Ancestry of a Tinseltown Trail blazer

Maureen O’Hara, one of the most successful Irish women in Hollywood, was born Maureen Fitzsimons, at Ranelagh, on the 17th August 1920

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Family Tree of Composer Frederick May

This year 2021 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of composer Frederick May in Dublin. Historyeye looks into his family tree

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The Irish Family Tree of P.L. Travers

P.L. Travers was a direct descendant of an earlier writer, Samuel “Premium” Madden, (1686-1765) a pioneer of the science fiction genre

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Charles Laughton's grandfather came from Ardee

The Hunchback of Notre Dame actor had Irish grandparents on his mother’s side. They were Luke Conlon (Louth) and Mary McAllister (Antrim).

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Brendan Behan's Paternal Ancestors

Writer Brendan Behan (born on this day 98 years ago) was nothing if not a proud Dubliner. He was particularly proud that the Behans had...

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Marion Davies and her old Irish Roots

A quick glance at the surnames in Marion Davies’s family tree shows that the major ancestral influence was Ireland.

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Echoes of Shakespeare: the surprising ancestry of Richard Harris

When it came to his ancestry, there was so much more to Richard Harris than just Limerick or even Ireland.

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Historyeye | Harry Clarke's Yorkshire ancestors

Irish stained glass artist Harry Clarke had Yorkshire ancestry. His father Joshua was born in Leeds in 1859 to Godfrey Clark & Fanny Naylor

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E.M. Forster's Dublin Ancestors

The writer of A Room with a View and Howard’s End had Irish ancestry through his father, Edward Morgan Llewellyn Forster.

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Diana Rigg's Lancashire roots

Diana Rigg maintained that Yorkshire shaped her character greatly. But records show that Rigg's ancestors had ancient Lancashishire roots.

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Family tree of Irish philanthropist Elizabeth O'Kelly

Elizabeth O'Kelly (née Sykes) left 30 million euros to several Irish charities in her will. Historyeye charts her family background.