Patrick Sheehy and Bridget Foley of Lurriga

Foley is an anglicization of the Irish surname Ó Foghladha, based on the Irish word foghlaidhe, meaning "plunder" (so:  "descendant of the plunderer".)  Don't be put off by the origin.  Lots of names of Gaelic origin are based on nicknames for real or legendary ancestors, and many don't seem at all complimentary to us now (like Campbell, from cam beul, meaning "crooked mouth").  Ó Foghladha originated in South Munster, so it's not uncommon in Limerick.  It was also sometimes anglicized as Fowley.

I couldn't find any discussion in my sources of Fawllow, Foulow, or Faley, but I'd consider those all quite possible as alternate anglicizations of the same name.  If the priest or official writing down the name was not Irish-speaking, he may have had trouble hearing the name correctly, and even if Irish-speaking, may not have been sure how to spell it.  By the time when names were being anglicized, the "dh" part of the name would have gone silent (or nearly silent), or turned unto a diphthong with the surrounding vowels, especially in an ending like that, since the emphasis in the word was on the first syllable.  So, the pronunciation became FOH-luh-[h]uh" or almost just "FOH-luh".  In anglicized names, that ending often became an "ee" sound, spelled "ey" or just "y", but some listeners may have heard (or imagined or assumed) a "w" sound at the end.

I suspect that Holey may be due to a misreading of the capital letter "F" as written in a parish register, but Touloo is a stumper..

Thank you, Kevin. I felt strongly that the name differences were all a variation of the same name. I am glad to hear that you agree. The record pertaining to the name Holey can be seen here. Entry #2208, on the right hand page about 2/3rds of the way down. I believe it was mistranscribed and is actually Foley. The entry containing Touloo is here. #580, right hand page, 2nd entry from the top. If the priest failed to finish the cursive letter “F”, and the last letter is a “u” instead of an incomplete “o”, it would read “Foulou”. 

Sorry, the link I provided for Touloo was incorect. Please see this page.

I think you may be right on both counts.  While it certainly does look like Touloo, that makes no sense, so I looked to see how he makes his capital F's elsewhere.  The handwriting changes dramatically lower down on the page and in the following pages (probably a change of  priest), so I looked at several preceding ones.  He does seem to make his F's just like his T's, with a very simple cross stroke in the middle, which is actually hard to see at all in one place, so I think you've hit the nail on the head as to the first letter.  As to the ending syllable, you may be right about the last letter being intended as a ""w", but I have an additional theory, which works with or without a "w" there.

In at least two places on preceding pages he has written the surname Gallahoo.  That name is a form of Gallagher, and was more commonly anglicized as Gallahue.  In Irish, Gallagher was Ó Gallchobhair, and has become Ó Galllchúir in the modern spelling.  Although Gallagher and Gallaher are by far the most common anglicized forms, especially in Mayo and Donegal where the name originated (separately), there are more than 20 other historical spellings, and Gallahue is a form which occurred in Cork and Limerick, where the Irish form of the name had mutated to  Ó Gallchú.  Except in some places in Munster, most Irish words which are of non-foreign origin have their main stress on the first syllable, so later syllables become short and often indistinct.  That's probably how the ending of Gallchúir mutated into Gallchú, at least  as the people in that area pronounced it.

It may be that something similar happened with the pronunciation of Ó Foghladha in that area as well.  "FOH-luh-[h]uh", which became "FOH-lee" in most places, might have sounded like "FOH-loo-oo" or "FOH-loo-ow" to the priest, and that may even be more or less how the people in the area pronounced it.  That would be no less likely than having an "ee" ending, which the Irish original did not have.  The records you're looking at are from 1812, which is pretty early, and virtually everyone in that area would have been Irish-speakig at the time (many unable to speak much English), and (as I said above) not many would have known how to write down their own names (in Irish, anyway), so they went with what the priest said.  As a result, confusions of this sort happened all the time (there were actually a few other surnames written a bit oddly on the pages I looked at).  At a later stage, another priest, a landlord's agent, or a teacher (once there were National Schools for the kids to attend) might have said, "Oh, that name should be written as 'Foley'," and the family would then have deferred to his authority and started writing it that way.

Anyway, that's my theory.

Hello, Jsheehy, 

I am seeking out William Foley, b. 1812 iand d. 1881 in Erin Township, Wi, USA. He was my great-great grandfather. Our family lore is that he was born in County Kerry, which he put on his tombstone. Previously, the family thought he was from Waterford or Mayo. His tombstone says, "proud native of County Kerry" so I believe he was true to his word. Very rough research tells me he born in Ballynoneen or Listowel. He could be related to your Bridget. In fact, he named one of his children Bridget.  I can't find any records on William. He likely emigrated when he was a boy to Canada and then Wisconsin, where I now live. His father's name was likely also William. William Foley, b. 1812, married Marcella McCormick. We are not sure if they met in Ireland, Canada or the US. The Foleys may have been merchants in Ireland, particularly if they left in 1825, and weren't starving. They didn't seem to relish farming, although they were farmers in Canada and Wisconsin. Of course, the Irish were woefully unprepared for the kind of farming they did in Ireland and Wisconsin. There are large swatch of land, many cows or cattle and very cold winters. The Folesy aspired to be Realtors and in the generation after William b. 1812, his sons did become merchants and the family landed in Milwaukee about 1900 and list themselves as Realtors. Any information on how to find William and Marcella in Ireland would be a big help. Thank you. 

Sorry to interrupt your conversation I know of at least two Foley families living in Patrickswell one in Clounanna and the other on the Patrickswell -Clarina road about two miles from Patrickswell. The people who settled in Canada in the 1820's were granted 150 acres of virgin land and miles from any habitation which must have been some challenge at that time as everything had to be taken by horse and cart.

Thank you. William b. 1812 and d. in Wisconsin USA had on his tombstone the he was a proud native of Kerry Ireland. Is Patrickswell near there?

Hi There

Sorry to tell you that Patrickswell is miles away and just 5 miles from Limerick City. I have always associated Kerry with the name Foley.