PHOTOS - The scariest demons from Celtic myth slideshow

PHOTOS -  Guess who's incognito Irish!

The term 'Black Irish' has commonly been in circulation among Irish emigrants and their descendants for centuries. As a subject of historical discussion the subject is almost never referred to in Ireland. There are a number of different claims as to the origin of the term, none of which are possible to prove or disprove.

IrishCentral brings you the low down on the top 100 most common Irish surnames with a little explanation of where these names come from. 

SEE PHOTOS: Redheads through history

A pint of plain, a glass of “Uisce Beatha” or just a place to rest your weary bones and soak up the atmosphere -- there's nothing quite like an old-fashioned Irish pub, and the older the better.

For years I dreamed of finding an Irish rogue to ask for my hand in marriage and take me back to the homeland. We would settle down, somewhere in the west perhaps, build a mansion and our red-haired and freckled children would roam free in the Irish countryside. My life in the U.S. would become a distant memory as I lived out my plan of embracing my Irish heritage.

This St. Patrick's Day remember this list when some asks "Are you Irish?"

Irish women have evolved through the decades into an independent, intelligent and ambitious race. We are a force to be reckoned with.

Irish Derivation

Couples will be offered the chance to see if they will produce redhead children. The DNA test, which will be available at the “Who Do You Think You Are?” exhibition in London, will show the depth of ancestry that can be read from a simple saliva swab.

St. Brigid is the female equivalent of St. Patrick in Ireland, but there are no parades in her honor, and apart from the St. Brigid's Cross, her name is hardly known.

Irish immigrants, who fled the famine and arrived on US shores, were exceptional savers, according to the most recent issue of the Journal of American History.

This could be the first year that a Kerry Rose becomes the Rose of Tralee and the search is now underway to find the next Kerry Rose.

PHOTOS - a slideshow of old photographs from the Mount Street Club Farm

John Ruddy, one of the 57 Irish laborers who died during the cholera outbreak in 1832, will be returned to Donegal to be buried in his homeland.

The 9th Annual CelticFest Vancouver, March 9–17 delivers its best celebration of Celtic music, dance and culture to date, with a jam-packed schedule of more than 70 free and ticketed concerts and events over nine days. The festival is thrilled to again call the downtown Vancouver Entertainment District home, but is excited to be branching out again this year with a special FREE kick-off celebration event on March 9 at The Village on False Creek called Celts on the Creek.

The absence of cameras in 1845 and the lack of shocking artifacts as are found in Holocaust museums could have hindered Quinnipiac University’s chances of creating a successful Irish potato famine museum.

Ancient skeletal remains uncovered by road workers near Terryland Castle in Galway earlier this month may have been 17th-century soldiers in Oliver Cromwell's army.

Megan Smolenyak is the expert genealogist behind such discoveries as Barack Obama’s Irish roots and the true identity of Annie Moore, the first immigrant to pass through Ellis Island. With ancestral links to Cork, Kerry, Longford and Antrim, Smolenyak is always happy to discover “surprise Irish” in her research, though her work goes far beyond traditional genealogy. We had the chance to talk to her about her most famous findings, the other aspects of her work and the best way for us amateur genealogists to begin to trace our roots. 

Dunhill, Co. Waterford and the surrounding area is set to be a hive of activity this summer as the far flung branches of the Power Clan are set to reunite for a 5-day Bank Holiday Weekend of fun filled and interesting events.

In a box, in the archives of the National University of Ireland Galway, lie a bundle of yellowed letters dating from 1935 to 1936 about a mysterious Galway man who sailed with Columbus on his first voyage to the west in 1492.

For Americans who have an Irish grandparent getting an Irish passport is still fairly easy. But first, you'll need to get citizenship

“There is no official reopening date for Liberty Island” are the forbidding words written on the National Park Service website. Liberty and Ellis Islands are still being restored after the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy and show no definite signs of being reopened to the public. According to NBC, the Statue of Liberty welcomed 3.7 million visitors last year and will lose out on millions of dollars because of the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy.

180 years after his apparent murder, one of Duffy’s Cut victims, John Ruddy’s, remains are to be moved from the suburban Philadelphia all the way to his home county of Donegal in Ireland to be laid to rest.

On Thursday evening President Barack Obama issued a proclamation officially announcing the launch of Irish-American Heritage Month, 2013. With ancestral roots in Moneygall, County Offaly, Obama referred to Ireland’s tradition of immigration to the United States, their contribution and inspiration.

Family researchers have an uncovered a link between Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton and Irish-British singer Chris de Burgh, who is most famous for his hit ‘Lady in Red.’

A great crowd gathered in Cable O' Learys, in Ballinskelligs, to hear that two Irish Americans, Ann Smith and Michele Maggi Miller, would be flown home to County Kerry to mark the season of events taking place for The Gathering. The cousins, both New Yorkers, won the competition to be flown back.

Interested in the history of the Irish coming to America? Look no further than The Tenement Museum in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, which tells us the story of an Irish family immigrating to the United States.

As online kick-off to the St. Patrick's Day season, the re-imagined Irish history and heritage website the Wild Geese goes live Saturday, March 9 at 9 a.m. at www.TheNewWildGeese.com with a seven-hour digital launch party, featuring contests, prizes, online panels and an open invitation to connect, chat and collaborate with others around the world who cherish the epic history of the Irish worldwide.

As the month of Irishness is upon us, take a look at how Irish the United States really is. The latest US Census Bureau report for Irish Americans reveals the strong Irish presence in the states. 

Britain’s Queen in waiting Kate Middleton is related to Irish warrior Brian Boru – and singer Chris de Burgh.

Intestate estates have become increasingly frequent in recent years. People who die without leaving wills unintentionally leave problems for family members to cope with. Generally, the Public Administrator seizes the assets and conserves them until all family members have been identified and their kinship proven.
 
So, what do you do when you find yourself in this situation? How do you go about meeting the requirements of the Surrogate Court? The first step is to find an attorney who is a specialist in trust and estates and has experience in kinship hearings. Not every lawyer is equipped to navigate the long and often frustrating process of reclaiming an estate from the Public Administrator. Find one you trust and provide as much information as possible.
 
You will also need the services of a probate genealogist who will assist with the research and obtain the documentation in the format which is admissible in court. In many cases, the genealogist will be called to testify at a kinship hearing to identify the rightful heirs.     
 
So, what do you do first? Since family history has become a popular activity, you may be in a position to start the research yourself or find a knowledgeable family member to assist you. Start at home with family papers. The following documents will be relevant to your research:
Birth/baptismal, marriage and death certificates, memorial or mortuary cards, obituaries, cemetery records, naturalization papers, address books, and even Christmas cards which may include the names and addresses of the senders.
 
If you are internet savvy, you can search for Census returns in America and Ireland. The 1920 and 1930 Census of the United States are available and now, the 1940 has been released. The 1901 and 1911 Irish Census are available on line at: www.nationalarchives.ie .
 
Assemble as much information as you can. Interview your elderly relations who knew the family here and back home in Ireland. Be careful not to build up any false expectations in the people you interview. The possibility of inheritance can create tensions within the family so use discretion and tact with your relatives!
 
You can begin to construct a family tree yourself or engage the services of a probate genealogist to prepare your case. The more you can do yourself, the lower the fee the genealogist will have to charge the estate. The most successful cases are those in which the family and the genealogist work together to present the most comprehensive documentation possible.
 
Documents submitted from outside Ireland require an apostille or authentication stamp to make them acceptable in court. The apostille for Irish documents is issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin under the terms of the Hague Convention (1961). There is a charge, payable in Euro, for each apostille.
 
Notary public fees in the United States are a very reasonable $3 per documents. U.S. Notaries are very easy to find in banks and lawyer’s offices.  This is not the case in Ireland. Notaries public are only solicitors and in most counties they are few and far between. In County Cavan, for instance, there are only 4 notaries whose signatures and seals can be apostilled for the United States. Because they are such an elite group, they charge significantly more than American notaries. The fee per document averages between Euro 50 and Euro 75 and if travel is required, it can be much more. Although the term “notary public” is used in both the USA and Ireland the fee structure is very, very different.      
 
So, if it all sounding likes a bit too much hassle, don’t be discouraged. Each year huge sums of money are deemed “unclaimed funds” and revert to the state coffers. An industry of “heir finders” has grown up providing service to unknown heirs. As in all businesses, some are better than others. Most firms work on a no- win, no- fee basis.  If they succeed in proving your kinship, they take a percentage of the net funds recovered. Percentages vary between 10% and 40% depending on the complexity or size of the estate.
 
How can you tell the good firms from the cowboys? Check the reputation of any firm that approaches you. Firms that have been in business for many years are justly proud of their good reputations. Heir locating has become extremely competitive in recent years. You and your family may be approached by several firms. Choose the best deal in terms of fee and services provided. Be wary of any fees that appear to be very “reasonable”. Some firms offering 8%-10% fail to complete the case so you will receive nothing if they abandon your claim. Better to receive 75% or 80% of an estate that is actually completed within a reasonable amount of time.
 
Once you choose a company to represent you, provide as much family data as you can and then, be patient. The average claim takes between 2 to 3 years but can take longer if complications arise. Remember that both sides of the family have to be accounted for, not just yours. You may know nothing about the other side of the decedent’s family. This is exactly why you need to rely on a genealogist to research and prepare both family trees. 
 
Patience is a virtue and very necessary when dealing with intestate estates. With 23 years’ experience in this field, I have encountered countless cases of “inheritance fatigue”; people just get tired of waiting. Potential heirs, particularly elderly ones, can become impatient and frustrated and the process becomes an irritating experience. My advice would be to try to forget about it and be grateful for the check when it comes, whenever that might be!
 
* Eileen M. Ó Dúill, CG, Research Director, HeirsIreland
 
Certified Genealogist and CG are service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists®,
used under license by the Board's associates after periodic evaluation.
 
HeirsIreland is a probate genealogy firm based in Dublin, Ireland. With 23 years’ experience in over 800 estates, it provides comprehensive kinship research, expert testimony and documentation services. In addition to staff in Dublin, we have contacts with a network of genealogists throughout the United States, Great Britain and Europe.

Irish bakery Irwins have been in partnership with top Irish chef, Paul Rankin, for 11 years but this year they have come together to promote a special app called “What’s your Paddy Proof?”

When the hunt began for the late Mary Broderick’s nearest relatives, no one imagined that genealogists would find clusters of cousins, who never knew each other, living within miles of each other in Massachusetts.

Click here for IrishCentral's St. Patrick's Day section

Click here for IrishCentral's St. Patrick's Day section

Frank McClean spent his life traveling and experimenting with aviation. His early flights in Egypt helped pave the way for commercial flights in the 1930’s.

They say you can never go home. Even so, while Ireland’s Minister for Tourism tries to lure the secretive Irish out of their silence, we diaspora hope against all odds to be found, to be brought into the fold, home.

Background: Kanalley is an online journalist who works at the Huffington Post. He travelled to Ireland last year to research his Irish ancestry. He lives in Brooklyn.

Irish baby names are hugely popular, and not just with us normal plebs, but with the Hollywood elite in LA and across the pond in Europe. Of course despite the fact that the most popular baby names of Irish origin are Kaitlyn, Aidan and Liam (usual names) the Hollywood stars had to go for something different.

Vice President Joe Biden will visit Ireland this year, he told Irish leader Enda Kenny at a St.Patrick’s week breakfast yesterday at the vice presidential residence.

Elvis Presley fans have received a late St Patrick’s Day surprise – the King was Irish according to new claim.