Edward Maclysaght's "The Surnames of Ireland"

[Deer243]

I'm thinking about buying the 6th edition of this book and was wondering if it's any good or are there better ones out there?

[dermo]

I think it is an excellent book and quite comprehensive as far as the number of entries is concerned.  Entries are generally relatively brief, however.  His "Irish Families" and "More Irish Families" have more extensive entries but, as far as I recall, the number of individual surnames included is smaller than in "The Surnames of Ireland".  The "Families" books are no longer in print, I believe, so you would have to look for second hand copies.  For what it's worth, I would recommend purchasing "Surnames".  The only other such book I am aware of is "Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall" by Rev. Patrick Woulfe.  It was published in 1923 but I think it is available on DVD from Eneclann.

[Deer243]

Thanks for the advice that's very helpful. At the moment I've found two second hand copies, one is "The Surnames of Ireland" and the other is "Irish Families". The surname I'm mainly interested in looking up (Dillon) is fairly common as are the other ones I'd be interested in. You said that "Irish Families" covers fewer surnames but with more detail, do you know if that means that the more common surnames get more coverage or if it was the more unusual ones that he focused on instead?

[dermo]

I don't have a copy of "Irish Families" to hand but from recollection it covers the common surnames for the most part. "More Irish Families" has some less common ones as far as I can recall. "Surnames" has all kinds. "Irish Families" also has coats of arms. If you can afford it, I would recommend buying the two books. I'm pretty sure "Surnames" is currently in print as a paperback. You could check Amazon on the price to see if it's cheaper than the secondhand one you've found.