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I've been researching my Hourican family in N.Longford with some success. I had been told many years ago of a link between our name and the name Somers - that our name derived from it.

But now I think that for some unknown reason, family members changed from Hourican to Somers and then back again. In the 1855 Griffiths valuation all of the places in and around Dunbeggan that I know were occupied by Houricans are suddenly all Somers - all the first names are the same as in a previous listing in in later listings.

I know from research completed by a genealogist that there were Houricans that predate the 1850's and yet there is not a single Hourican in the area in the 1854-5 Griffiths.

Why would this have happened? Was it expedient? How could I research this in greater detail?

Thanks in advance for anyone who takes this on....and let me know if you need more detail.
Margaret.

Researching:
Hourican, Donohue + Reilly in N.Longford, Columbkille.

Devine, Dunning + Carroll in Drum/Taghmaconnell/Ardkeenan, Co Roscommon.

I don't know how many siblings my grandfather had - his name was Bernard (known as Brian).
I found them on the 1901 census and that's how I discovered my great-grandfather was deceased. That document notes my granddad's age as 12 though I think he was born in 1885. Is this sort of inaccuracy common?

My mother remembers that her father buried his wife and brother on the same day in January 1955. He was Thomas I think.

I am seeing a lot more names than I thought I would - if he had a sibling born in 1869 the he possibly had a lot more family than even my mother imagined. She thought there were maybe two brothers and one or two sisters. If these are all his family then his eldest brother had probably left home before he was born.

I think I am going to need to find a lot more than I thought...thanks for all of this help.
mags.