Neale clan, from Ireland - would they be Protestant?

Question

with this spelling of what derives from O'Neill and Niall?

Answer 1

Their first names should give you basic clues.

Men called Samuel, William etc. are 'more' likely to have been Protestant than men called Seamus, Patrick Joseph etc.

Likewise women called Mary are 'more' likely to have been Catholic.

This isn't a hard and fast rule, but if certain names keep recurring within the family, it is more likely than not.

Answer 2

As hyper says, it's hard to say. You could try the Republic's National Census Online - in the 1916 census people gave their religion:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/

If it is a Protestant name, chances are it is Church of Ireland - you could contact the RCB of the Church of Ireland for more information:

http://www.ireland.anglican.org/index.ph...

If it's a Catholic name, then it could be anywhere. Many documents were destroyed in the 1916 Rising when Dublin's Custom House was shelled by the British.

Happy hunting!

Answer 3

Maybe, maybe not. The name sounds Gaelic but many Catholic landowners converted to Anglicanism so it's almost impossible to say.