Tuesday, 16 February 2016

Which of my Surnames takes precedence Murrihy or O'Muirithe?

My English name at school was: Fergus Murrihy. While at school I was given the Irish name: Feargus O'Muirithe. Earlier in the 20th Century the spelling would probably have been: Ó Muireadhaigh. 
I don't know whether my Irish surname is a translation of the English Murrihy or the converse applies. It has recently come to my notice that the Irish sloinne O'Muirithe appears to have more than one equivalent in English e.g. Murrihy, Murray, Murry etc
I was a fan of the late Diarmuid O'Muirithe, Lexicographer and Journalist famous for his 22 year stint writing the “Words We Use” column in The Irish Times until his death in Vienna in 2014. 
I often wondered if his English name was in fact Dermot Murrihy which incidentally was my late brother's name. Unfortunately I never took the opportunity of checking this out with him.
Murrihy Family History
Sunday March 13th 2016

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