Kilroy — The Red-Haired Lad

Kilroy belongs to Roscommon, and its root is disputed. Most read it as Mac Giolla Ruaidh, ‘son of the red-haired lad’, the same original behind Gilroy and McElroy. Others prefer Mac Giolla Ráith, a different second element entirely. Both forms were current in the sixteenth century, across Roscommon, Offaly, Cavan and Down.

Two possible ancestors behind one name — a red-haired lad, or a lad called Ráith — and the record has never quite decided between them.

Irish form: Mac Giolla Ruaidh