lDescription Donegal Bay and Enniskillener Families: The Plantation of Ulster took place under the auspices of the British crown in the period from 1607 to about 1750, and was composed mostly of yeoman families who were re-settled to all of Ulster by various Planters who entered into contracts with the crown to bring them into Ulster. The scheme of the Plantation, as originally conceived by King James I and VI when he acceded to the English throne after the death of Queen Elizabeth I, was designed in part to suppress the Reiver families which had terrorized the Anglo-Scottish border for the preceding 600 years, and in part to subdue the native gaelic Irish already resident in Ulster, by planting the Reiver Families on lands confiscated from the former Irish landlords.

The area from Enniskillen to Donegal Bay in Ulster acquired a unique identity over many years, in part occasioned by the coordinated defense of Enniskillen (Co.Fermanagh) & Ballyshannon (on Donegal Bay) by the Anglo-Scots families on behalf of King William of Orange against King James II during the English Revolution of 1688-91. A famous British Regiment, the Royal Irish Fusilliers, or the 27th Regiment of Foot, was originally raised during the 1688-91 period,[See: http://www.armymuseums.org.uk/amot-search/default.asp?Category=AMOT&Service=Museum-Display (select 27th Regiment and see display); then go to  http://www.inniskillingsmuseum.com/] and gave the name Inniskilleners to all of the residents of the area described. Most of the Anglo-Scots families involved were yeoman planter families originally transplanted from the area of the Anglo-Scots border; and most of the families have descendants who reside in the same area presently, or who emigrated from the area to locations around the world during the past 300 years. Many descendants know only that their families came from Inniskillen (or Enniskillen), without realizing the fact that the term Inniskillen applied to the entire area stretching from Enniskillen to Donegal Bay.
 
Over the intervening years, despite religious strife and other conflicts, marriages occurred between persons of differing religions, including Church of Ireland, Presbyterians, Catholics, Methodists, and others. Orphaned children were adopted by folks of other backgrounds. "Non-parental events" occurred, by whatever means. As a result, many folks bear surnames which may be rather different than might be expected.

This project is NOT exclusive, and all persons of whatever background are invited to explore their roots. Join this project and help learn whether your DNA haplotype can be traced to this area. Requirements A Geographic Project connects individuals who believe their direct line comes from a specific location. The Dual Geographic Projects are for individuals who order an mtDNA or Y-DNA test. Either their direct maternal line (mother's mother's mother's...) or direct paternal line (father's father's father's...) originates from this area. Surnames In This Project include amongst others: Anglo-Scots_Reivers, Armstrong, Ballintra, Ballyshannon, Banagh, Bell, Bonner, Border_Reivers, Boyd, Boylagh, Bratton, Braddan, Carnhugh, Carskadden, Cassidy, Coleman, Coulter, Crawford, Creighton, Crichton, Cunningham, Devitt, Dinsmore, Donegal, Donegal Bay, Drumhome, Dudgeon, Edgar, Elliott, Enniskillen, Erne, Farrell, Fawcett, Fermanagh, Freebairn, Freeborn, Funston, Gallagher, Gibson, Ginn, Given, Gourley, Graden, Graham, Graydon, Griffith, Hamilton, Harron, Herron, Inniskillen, Inver, Irish, Johnston, Kee, Kilbarron, Killybegs, Kilpatrick, Kirkpatrick, Lamon, Lamond, Leitrim, Lenox, Leslie, Love, Lurg, Mahon, Manoe, Maynoe, McCullough, McDevitt, McGee, McKee, Morrow, Mount, Murray, Patterson, Pettigoe, Plunkett, Porteous, Quinn, Reivers, Rinn, Rynn, Scale, Scoles, Scott, Shankland, Shanklin, Sligo, Spence, Spens, Strong, Templecarne, Thompson, Tirhugh, Tyrone, Ulster, Vance, Walker, Warke, Watson, White, Wilson, Wynne.
 
Gaelic surnames include Doyle, Dunne, Gallagher, Boggan, McGuire, McSween, McDevit, Plunkett, Gildea, McBrearty, McLoughlin, Ellison, McGowan, McCallig, Carr, Brennan, Deery,  Boyle, Meehan, Clarke,  McGill, Raughter, McNeely, Glass,  Cannon, McSwyne,  O'Donnell, O'Neil,  and others.

For an analysis of the origins of certain surnames, click on the following links, respectively:
Border Reivers, generally:         http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gallgaedhil/elliott_border_reivers_dna.htm
Armstrong:         http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gallgaedhil/haplo_armstrongs.htm
Carruthers:         http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gallgaedhil/haplo_carruthers.htm
Crawford:           http://www.worldfamilies.net/surnames/c/crawford/
Cummins/Comyn/Cummings: http://www.familytreedna.com/public/cummings/
Elliott:               http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gallgaedhil/haplo_elliotts.htm
Hall:                  http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gallgaedhil/haplo_halls.htm
Harron / Heron:   http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gallgaedhil/haplo_herons.htm
Henderson:        http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gallgaedhil/haplo_hendersons.htm
Irvings/Irvine/Irwin/Erwin: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gallgaedhil/haplo_irvings.htm
Kirkpatrick/Kilpatrick:  http://www.worldfamilies.net/surnames/kirkpatrick/results
McGuire:            http://www.familytreedna.com/public/McGuire/default.aspx
Plunkett:           http://www.familytreedna.com/public/Plunkett/default.aspx?section=yresults
Reid:                        http://www.familytreedna.com/public/Reed/default.aspx?section=yresults
Rutherford:             http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gallgaedhil/haplo_rutherfords.htm    
Scott:                    http://www.familytreedna.com/public/ScottDNAproject/default.aspx?section=yresults
Shanklin/Shankland: http://shankland.name/ydnacomp.htm  
Strong/Strang/Strange:   http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~donegalstrongs/dnaresults.htm  
Vance:                 http://www.vancegenealogy.com/