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Byrne/Burns, etc.

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About us

The name Byrne(s) has many spelling variations and many distinct origins, that between them have caused much confusion. Many of us without verifiable paper trails have depended on oral history for our ancestral linkage, and have found this to be inaccurate.
In Ireland there were the Clan O’Byrne of Leinster, the O’Beirne sept of Roscommon, the Muinter Birne of Tyrone, the MacConboirne of Mayo, the O’Braoin/O’Breen of Westmeath, the MacBraoin/MacBreen of Kilkenny and other as yet unidentified groups whose Gaelic names have been anglicized to Byrne or Burns.
Similarly, in Scotland there were several groups of Burns and Burness—in Argyll, Kincardinshire, Ayrshire, and east Teviotdale—that may be of common origins, or completely separate. Some of these migrated directly to far lands, while many went to Ireland, Later, some of their descendants moved to America or other countries.
DNA has finally given us a tool to sort out this confusion and help us identify which of the many ancestral possibilities we each can claim. This project is limited to those whose surnames we have listed, unless administrator permission is obtained.