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Archiver > DNA-R1B1C7 > 2007-06 > 1181878861
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Subject: Re: [DNA-R1B1C7] Introduction
Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2007 23:41:01 EDT
I just ran across this statement on a Donegal website.
"The 19th Century emigration from Donegal to Scotland gave the emigrants and
migrants some feelings of inferiority since they were regarded as
"undesirable, often ignorant and superstitious" (otherwise "Gaelic speaking and
Catholic") d R. de Brus Trotter described them thus saying "having improved their
social standing, from motives of gentility they modified the spelling of their
names in order to conceal their origin". He gives some examples; MacDonnell
changed to "Dodds", O'Carroll to "Charles", McSweeney to "Swan", McDuffy to
"Duff". The Donegal emigrants were not alone in this as it occurred under war
conditions when other Europeans felt obliged to disguise their Polish and
German origins by altering their surnames to something "English-sounding". It is
sad to say that the same occurred in Donegal when adoption of anglicised
versions of newcomers' names was frequent at several stages of history. It is
remarkable how truly recognisable surnames of great antiquity have been
preserved by the many Donegal families who stayed at home."
_http://indigo.ie/~donances/new_web/surnames.html_
(http://indigo.ie/~donances/new_web/surnames.html)
These are some pretty radical name changes. I wonder if this might
explain some of the Scottish surname matches to R11b1c7. There is a book I've
seen called the Irish in Scotland but it didn't particularly dwell on a Donegal
migration.
John
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