About us
Rathlin Island ( Raghery , Reachlainn , Reachra , Rechru ) is an island off the coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, located about 13 miles from Scotland. Currently the year round island population is 100 or so.
The island was active during the Neolithic Period (8k to 10k years BC). Rathlin was visited by Vikings and the site of their first raid on Ireland in 795. During the 1500's the island endured several massacres, in the mid 1600's the island population grew with Scottish / Irish immigrants. The plantation era followed, with the Reverend Gauge and the Gauge family as landlords, with a peak population over 1200. Some family names have remained on the island ever since. During The Potato Famine, 1845 to 1848 nearly half of Rathlins' population left for America or England.
This project is for those who do, or may share a Y-Chromosone (Paternal Line), or mtDNA (Maternal line) lineage to Rathlin, from the mid 1600's to present. The list of Sir Names is based on historical records, with some names of those who did not procreate while on Rathlin removed. The Sir Name list also includes possible alternate spellings. If anyone has information to remove or add to the Sir Name list, please contact the project administrator.
The island was active during the Neolithic Period (8k to 10k years BC). Rathlin was visited by Vikings and the site of their first raid on Ireland in 795. During the 1500's the island endured several massacres, in the mid 1600's the island population grew with Scottish / Irish immigrants. The plantation era followed, with the Reverend Gauge and the Gauge family as landlords, with a peak population over 1200. Some family names have remained on the island ever since. During The Potato Famine, 1845 to 1848 nearly half of Rathlins' population left for America or England.
This project is for those who do, or may share a Y-Chromosone (Paternal Line), or mtDNA (Maternal line) lineage to Rathlin, from the mid 1600's to present. The list of Sir Names is based on historical records, with some names of those who did not procreate while on Rathlin removed. The Sir Name list also includes possible alternate spellings. If anyone has information to remove or add to the Sir Name list, please contact the project administrator.