☘️ The Ancestral Home for 31.5 Million Irish-Americans
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American.irish
⚓ County Waterford · Operational Era: 1750–1920
← All 8 Departure Ports

Port of Waterford (Waterford Quays)

The maritime threshold where ancestral generations boarded vessels for the perilous transatlantic journey across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States.

Volume & Scope 220,000+ Emigrants
Feeder Hinterland 4 Irish Counties
Key American Terminals Newfoundland · New York, NY · Philadelphia, PA

Historical Significance & Maritime Operations

The Port of Waterford, located along the deep River Suir near its confluence with the Barrow and Nore, held one of the oldest transatlantic connections in Irish history, originating in eighteenth-century fisheries with Newfoundland.

In the nineteenth century, Waterford Quays was an active center for emigrant vessels carrying families from Kilkenny, Tipperary, and Waterford to Philadelphia and New York.

Clans Departing from Port of Waterford (Waterford Quays)

19 Family Names

Families originating in the hinterland counties served directly by the passenger lines of Port of Waterford (Waterford Quays).

Clan Heritage Co. Kilkenny

Brennan

Ó Braonáin
Meaning: "Droplet or Sorrow"
"Sub hoc signo vinces"
Origin & Hubs →
Clan Heritage Co. Wexford

Doyle

Ó Dubhghaill
Meaning: "Dark Foreigner (Norse Viking)"
"Fortitudine vincit"
Origin & Hubs →
Clan Heritage Co. Waterford

Foley

Ó Foghlú
Meaning: "Plunderer or Rover"
"Ut prosim"
Origin & Hubs →
Clan Heritage Co. Tipperary

Hogan

Ó hÓgáin
Meaning: "Youthful"
"Fuimus"
Origin & Hubs →
Clan Heritage Co. Wexford

Kennedy

Ó Cinnéide
Meaning: "Helmet-headed or Ugly Head"
"Avise la fin (Consider the End)"
Origin & Hubs →
Clan Heritage Co. Wexford

MacMorrough

Mac Murchadha
Meaning: "Son of the Sea-Battler"
"Fortis in armis"
Origin & Hubs →
Clan Heritage Co. Tipperary

McGrath

Mac Craith
Meaning: "Son of Grace"
"Salus in fide"
Origin & Hubs →
Clan Heritage Co. Cork

Murphy

Ó Murchadha
Meaning: "Sea-battler or Sea-warrior"
"Fortis et hospitalis (Brave and Hospitable)"
Origin & Hubs →
Clan Heritage Co. Wexford

O'Doran

Ó Deoráin
Meaning: "The Exile or Pilgrim"
"Spes mea in Deo"
Origin & Hubs →
Clan Heritage Co. Tipperary

O'Dwyer

Ó Dubhuir
Meaning: "Dark Chieftain"
"Virtus sola nobilitat"
Origin & Hubs →
Clan Heritage Co. Tipperary

O'Fogarty

Ó Fógartaigh
Meaning: "Proclaimed or Banished One"
"In utroque fidelis"
Origin & Hubs →
Clan Heritage Co. Kilkenny

O'Holohan

Ó hUallacháin
Meaning: "Proud or Noble"
"Pro Deo et patria"
Origin & Hubs →
Clan Heritage Co. Wexford

O'Kinsella

Cinnsealach
Meaning: "Dominant or Supreme"
"Deo et regi fidelis"
Origin & Hubs →
Clan Heritage Co. Tipperary

O'Meara

Ó Meadhra
Meaning: "Merry or Mirthful"
"Opus reipublicae decus"
Origin & Hubs →
Clan Heritage Co. Waterford

O'Morrissey

Ó Muirgheasa
Meaning: "Choice of the Sea"
"Virtute et labore"
Origin & Hubs →
Clan Heritage Co. Tipperary

O'Mulcahy

Ó Maolchathaigh
Meaning: "Devotee of Battle"
"Virtute et prudentia"
Origin & Hubs →

Feeder Counties Served

Emigrants from these counties commonly journeyed to Port of Waterford (Waterford Quays) to board transatlantic vessels:

Primary Transatlantic Terminals

  • ⚓ Newfoundland
  • ⚓ New York, NY
  • ⚓ Philadelphia, PA

Port Archives & Maritime Records