Genealogy Chat

The last two speakers are quite correct. You will realise you have a right to bear arms because the arms will be in your family 'vault' and will never be forgotten. All those people who buy wooden plaques on boats and souvenir shops bearing a name the same as yours are being totally ripped off! Maybe nice to have but please treat them the same way you may buy a thimble or a teapot! If you have ever been to any of the fascinating talks on 'Heraldry' you will realise that each part of the Coat of Arms relates to a particular person or persons within the very close family. Marriages are portrayed by the different symbols that are shown. As Reggie says just google 'Coats of Arms' and ' Heraldry' to find out more. Byrne is a very common name all over Ireland! I have seen them personally in Tipperary, Limerick, Cork, Wexford, Kerry, Kilkenny and Dublin. Have a look at the Griffiths Index to see where they all are. Janet

Sorry to pour cold water but there is no such thing as a ''family name'' coat of arms. Arms were granted to individual persons, not family names,so it is possible that there are many different arms for a particular name.

Hi Just because there is a family called Byrne who have Arms it does not mean that it is yours I'm afraid. You would need to find out whether your own family have ever had a grant of arms or whatever the technical phrase is. Sorry to be so boring! Denis

Try googling the College of Heralds.......they would deal with such matters. Reg

can any one help with this question, I read that my surname Byrne has two coat of arms both are very similar but from different parts of Ireland. does any one know why this is and how you know which is yours?? Si