I hear from Kealys around the world and the questions are all about the name itself or about someone's particular family tree. I recently had a nice exchange with Philip Kealy, a Kealy from the old country. Philip signed the guestbook on Kealy.com to confirm the Gaelic spelling of Kealy as 'O'Cadhla' saying, "I was know as Pilib O'Cadhla in Irish class." I followed up with Philip to clarify a couple things for those Kealys like myself, that are not from Ireland, about the pronunciation of O'Cadhla and Kealy. In particular, I had heard that Irish language pronunciation for Kealy is KAY-lee. Philip clarified that, "The Irish pronounciation of O'Cadhla is O-Kai-la (there may be local dialect differances,but I haven't heard them) and Kealy has always been Kee-lee" Alex Kealey added another contribution about the Kealy name in the guestbook saying he had heard O'Cadhla was "derived from a viking name." According to Irish Baby Name, it means 'handsome.'

So that's a little more about the Kealy name. If you have anything to add to the record, please sign the guestbook or email.

Philip also has his own genealogical dead end. He knows his father, Dermot Logue Kealy, was born in Donegal in 1900 and according to the 1911 census he had 2 sisters Bernadette and Oonagh (Sam.) And he also had "some relations at Hacketstown , just outside Dublin, but lost contact in my early years." But that's where it ends for him, he doesn't know which parish to look for the birth records in. I feel his pain, we found the parish for my great-grandfather's birth records but because of a fire over 120 years ago, there were no records.

Are you a grandchild of a Bernadette or Ooonagh (Sam) Kealy? Then Philip is your 2nd cousin. If you can help him make a Kealy connection, please contact him. His email is listed with his guestbook entry from May 6, 2010. (I can't link directly to it because the pagination will change as new entries are added.)

Thanks to 'Pilib' for contributing his homeland knowledge of the Kealy name.

On February 13, 2010, my grandmother, Lucille McCauley Keenen, known to her friends as Mickey and her family as Mia, turned 90. I put together the above slideshow to celebrate the event. Mia continues to be sharp as a tack and said it was the "best party she had ever attended."

Thanks for everyone's contributions including all those who travelled long distances to be there. It all made for the special day we wanted for her.

It was great to see so much family together as once and to show Jack he comes from wonderful, large, and attractive family :-)

I will add slideshow and video of the party itself once I've gathered and compiled everyone's photos and videos.

During the summer, my 1st cousin once removed, Janet Marks, sent me some old photos she received from her first cousin Rosemary Egan Orlando who I am also once removed from. Following so far?

The photos, which span the early 1900s to some time in the 1930s, are a treasure to have. Thanks, Janet and Rosemary!!! I'm been remiss in not getting them up sooner but better late... Enjoy.

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"As we were flying at 32000 feet from Toronto,Ontario,Canada, I could not help but wonder about the lives of our forefathers who left Ireland in the first quarter of the nineteenth century under very difficult times and circumstances what with famine, religious persecution,the fight for independence and the like. My sister Marilyn and I were making our first flight back to the land of Jeremiah {Darby}Kealey who was born in 1792 in Queen's County.{Now Laois County} We both were quite excited about our holiday and especially taking a day to travel through Laois County and search for Darby's people and places...."

Read the rest of Basil's full Journey in Genealogy

Late Update: "It is almost certain that my grandfather Jeremiah "Darby" Kealey was born in Ballyhenry Townland, Bourney Parish, County of Tipperary, Ireland. From a contact I made on my trip to the Clog area last June and my non-comfort with my forefather being from the Laois County I was directed to the North Tipperary Genealogy Centre where my investigation of Birth/Baptism records indicated Jeremiah was born in Co.Tipperary in 1794. I appreciate all the help you gave me with my story being allowed to be told on your Website and request any information from contacts familiar with Jeremiah or his father Daniel Kealy from the Ballyhenry area,Co Tipperary be sent to basil.kealeyATsympatico.ca"

With as many cousins asI have in their 20s and 30s, I have new little cousins (1st cousins once removed) being born ALL the time. Here are some of the other recent births we are celebrating in the family.

Starting in July 2005, my sister, Courtney, was reporting for Fox News in Baghdad.

As of Sept. 2009, she is based out of Jerusaleam

Go to Courtney's Page