Quote:
Originally posted by irishpipes
They don't mean the same thing. One means "son of" and one means "grandson of." (Minor technicality.) If the last name is what kills the person's chances at success, what difference does it make what the first name is? Back when millions of Irish were coming to this country, many dropped the "O' " from their names because it branded them as Catholics and Irish (where the Mc could be Catholic or Protestant.) They didn't want the discrimination that came with that stigma BACK THEN.
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True - but in Irish genealogy classes, it's said that most O'Whatevers happened
on the boat as opposed to on the auld sod. It was a way of paying tribute to one's heritage.
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