Brian Smith & Gerry Kennedy 
A Guide to Tracing your Clare Ancestors 

Clare is a western county, perhaps most famous for its scenery which includes the cliffs of Moher and the Burren. Clare families are mainly native Gaelic families, as the county was set aside for Gaelic families which were expelled from other parts of the country during the Cromwellian era. Common names in the county include Mc Mahon, Mc Namara, O’Brien, Moloney, Ryan, Kelly, Mclnerney, O’Connor, Keane, O’Halloran, Hogan, Burke, Murphy, Lynch and Walsh. It is one of the counties which experienced a high level of emigration to North America and elsewhere. Between the years 1850 and 1880 an estimated 112, 000 people emigrated from Co. Clare. This book sets out the records available for Clare, where they can be accessed, and how they can be used to best effect in tracing Clare families.