Luis Molowny

[Bungle]

Interesting article. Found out about this guy after playing against a few Spanish lads in a game that were all mad Real fans. They all told me he must have had Irish blood. Seems to have been a bit of a legend there.

http://news-realmadrid-football.blogspot.com/2010/12/legends-luis-molowny.html

[BonnieShels]

I have never seen Moloney/Molony/Maloney/Malony spelt like that before!

[paul_oshea]

Its sounds welsh :)

[Irwin3]

No Molownys in Ireland. There are however around 150 in Spain, largely in the Canary Islands with a few in Madrid. Also literally 1 or 2 in Germany in Arnsberg.

[Charlie Darwin]

No Molownys in Ireland. There are however around 150 in Spain, largely in the Canary Islands with a few in Madrid. Also literally 1 or 2 in Germany in Arnsberg.
The origin seems to be Ireland alright: http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm?fuseaction=Go.&Surname=Molowny&UserID=

I suppose it could conceivably be Slavic either, but in Spain you'd reckon it's more likely to be Irish.

[Irwin3]

Interesting that there were only 6 Molowny households in 1847-64 in Ireland, although it makes sense as there are now none. I guess that they changed spelling, emigrated or died. Maybe the sons of these families joined Franco's forces in the 1930s. Although it would have taken a large 'band of brothers' to now have 150+ descendants in Spain, well largely the Canary Islands.

[Charlie Darwin]

Well you answered your own question there I think. The Irish have a long military history in Spain, going back to the days of Charles V and before. The spelling, though, looks very English so I'd imagine it's a family who educated their children and sent them to Dublin and at some point some of the men upped sticks and went to Spain, probably in the 19th century. In those days, it was practically unheard of for somebody to emigrate and then return to Ireland, so I'd imagine the anglicisation happened here.

[SolitudeRed]

While we are on this random topic theres a Calle de O'Donnell in Madrid which is a main thoroughfare it is named after an old Spanish General and politician who was descended from the O'Donnells who fled from Donegal in the flight of the Earls. There is also a Calle de los Irlandeses its a small sidestreet with not much on it though.


http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Calle_de_los_Irlandeses_(Madrid).jpg

[Bungle]

It might be that Luis' family were illiterate and couldn't spell their name. That seemed to happen alot at Ellis Island with Irish names like Kelly being spelled Kelley.

[Irwin3]

The spelling of their name was Ó Maoldomhnaigh. Irish was still the majority language in 1800. As the 19th century progressed Irish became a minority language (largely concentrated in the west) as the English language took over. The first Irish census was in 1821. The forms were filled in English and people had to anglicise their names. Hence the many different spellings for the same name.

[BonnieShels]

You gotta love this forum's ability to head down the tangential!

[Fixer82]

I have never seen Moloney/Molony/Maloney/Malony spelt like that before!

It could be a variation of Muldowney.
Which I think is the same in Irish as Moloney

[Fixer82]

I've just seen Irwin3's post....D'oh!

[Wangball]

While we are on this random topic theres a Calle de O'Donnell in Madrid which is a main thoroughfare it is named after an old Spanish General and politician who was descended from the O'Donnells who fled from Donegal in the flight of the Earls. There is also a Calle de los Irlandeses its a small sidestreet with not much on it though.


http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Calle_de_los_Irlandeses_(Madrid).jpg

I think thats Leopoldo O'Donnell, I 1st read about him in a book by Tim Pat Coogan called "Wherever Green is Worn". Really interesting stuff.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopoldo_O%27Donnell,_1st_Duke_of_Tetuan

[Bungle]

On the topic of Real greats, I think I read somewhere that Di Stefano had an Irish granny!! Whatever about Rooney, Gerrard and Scholes we really missed the boat on that one :cool:

[Predator]

Anyone ever hear of Luis Morán (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Mor%C3%A1n)?