# Genealogy Lane Scope

Date created: 2026-09-05

Related issue: [#9](https://github.com/corkonian/oluanaigh/issues/9)

This note defines the responsible scope for future O'Luanaigh / Looney genealogy work. It completes the planning boundary for issue `#9`; it does not begin personal family-line research.

## Scope Decision

Genealogy remains a later research lane. The public v0 microsite should continue to focus on source-backed surname history, documented places, folklore records, notable bearers, and publication-ready source notes.

Future genealogy work should proceed in two clearly separated tracks:

1. General surname distribution research: public, source-led work using historical record sets to understand where relevant surname forms appear.
2. Personal family-line research: private work using user-provided family details, permissions, and record evidence to test a specific family line.

Do not blend these tracks. A public surname cluster, a notable bearer, a Dúchas collector, or a crest-like image is not evidence of descent unless a documented family chain connects them.

## Target Record Sets

Use these record sets for future genealogy work, starting with general distribution before personal lineage.

| Record set | Scope | Use | Public handling |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1901 Census of Ireland | All counties; household-level records | Map surname variants by county, district, townland, household, occupation, and language fields where available | Suitable for public distribution summaries if cited carefully and limited to deceased/historical records |
| 1911 Census of Ireland | All counties; household-level records | Compare variant distribution with 1901 and identify persistent local clusters | Suitable for public distribution summaries with the same cautions as 1901 |
| Griffith's Valuation | Mid-19th-century occupiers and holdings | Identify earlier local clusters for Looney/O'Looney/Lowney/Loney and related spellings | Suitable for public location evidence, not proof of family descent by itself |
| Civil registration records | Births, marriages, and deaths | Build documented family chains after a target person/place is known | Private-by-default when tied to the user's family line |
| Catholic parish registers | Baptism, marriage, and burial entries | Extend family chains before civil registration where records survive | Private-by-default for user-family work; public only as aggregated or non-sensitive historical context |
| Church of Ireland and other parish registers | Baptism, marriage, and burial entries | Check non-Catholic lines or mixed record contexts | Same private/public boundary as Catholic parish registers |
| Tithe Applotment Books | Early 19th-century occupiers | Test earlier surname presence by parish/townland | Public as distribution leads; not descent proof alone |
| Estate papers and rental records | Estate-specific tenant records | Follow families between valuations, leases, rentals, and local holdings | Use only after identifying a relevant estate or townland |
| Registry of Deeds | Memorials of deeds, leases, marriage settlements | Track property and family relationships where surname families held or leased property | Public only with careful transcription and citation; specialist review useful |
| Wills, administrations, and calendars | Probate records and summaries | Confirm kinship, residence, occupation, and property where records survive | Public for historical persons; private-by-default for user-family linkage |
| Emigration, passenger, naturalization, and overseas census records | Diaspora paths | Connect Irish localities to United States, Canada, Britain, Australia, Argentina, or other diaspora destinations | Use as leads until tied back to Irish records |
| Cemetery, newspaper, and local-history records | Local commemorative and obituary evidence | Fill gaps and triangulate dates, kinship, and place | Treat as secondary unless supported by civil/parish/probate records |

## Variant Spellings To Search

Preserve exact spellings from each source. Search variants separately and record the source, place, date, and record type attached to each occurrence.

### Core O'Luanaigh / Looney Track

- `Ó Luanaigh`
- `O'Luanaigh`
- `O Luanaigh`
- `Looney`
- `O'Looney`
- `O Looney`
- `Lowney`
- `O Lowny`
- `Lowny`
- `Loony`

### Overlap / Comparison Track

- `Loney`
- `Lunney`
- `Lunny`
- `Luny`
- `Ó Luinigh`
- `O Luinigh`
- `Ó Lunaigh`
- `O Lunaigh`

### Low-Confidence Search Leads

- `Lynn`
- `O'Lunny`
- `O Lunny`
- obvious transcription variants returned by a record platform, if the original image supports them

Do not normalize these forms into one surname identity. `Ó Luanaigh`, `Ó Luinigh`, and `Ó Lunaigh` must remain separate unless a specific source or record justifies linking them.

## Counties And Places To Search

### First Priority: Public Surname Distribution

Search these counties first for the general surname-distribution lane:

- Cork
- Clare
- Kerry
- Limerick

Rationale: Cork and Clare are the strongest current geography for `Ó Luanaigh`; Kerry and Limerick are secondary Munster distribution leads that need direct record checks.

### Second Priority: Comparison Track

Search these counties separately for the `Ó Luinigh` / Ulster comparison lane:

- Donegal, especially Raphoe context
- Tyrone, especially Muintir Loney / Muinter Loony context
- Fermanagh

Rationale: current sources point to a distinct Ulster `Ó Luinigh` track with overlapping English forms. This lane is useful for avoiding mistaken merges.

### Cluster Leads For Direct Checks

Use these places as direct verification leads, not as final conclusions:

- Ennistymon, Co. Clare
- Macroom, Co. Cork
- Millstreet, Co. Cork
- Kilcullen DED, Co. Cork
- Annagh DED, Co. Clare
- Magherareagh DED, Co. Clare

For every cluster, build a table with surname spelling, year, record set, county, civil parish, DED, townland or street, household or occupier name, and source URL/reference.

## Public Surname Research Vs Personal Family-Line Research

### Public / General Research May Include

- Aggregate counts by variant, county, district, parish, or townland.
- Historical deceased-person records when needed to explain distribution.
- Source-backed statements about where surname forms appear.
- Record-set methodology and uncertainty notes.
- Maps or tables that avoid implying a single origin for all variants.
- Named historical figures already documented in public sources, such as Brian Ó Luanaigh / Brian O'Looney.

### Public / General Research Must Not Include

- Living-person details.
- User-family names, dates, addresses, photographs, correspondence, or private documents.
- A claim that the user's family descends from a public historical person without a documented chain.
- A claim that all Looney/O'Looney/Lowney/Loney/Lunney families share one origin.
- A claim that a crest, shield, or arms belongs to all bearers of the surname.
- Unsourced family trees copied from commercial platforms.

### Personal Family-Line Research Requires

- Explicit user request to start personal genealogy.
- Permission to use any family-provided names, dates, locations, documents, or photographs.
- Agreement on what may remain private, what may be stored in the repo, and what may ever be published.
- A private working location if living-person or sensitive family details are involved.
- Source citations for every asserted parent-child, spouse, residence, migration, or identity link.

## Personal Details Needed Before Starting User-Family Genealogy

Do not ask for or store these details until the user explicitly starts personal family-line work.

Minimum useful starting details:

- Full name of the earliest known deceased direct ancestor in the Looney/O'Looney/Lowney/Loney/Lunney line.
- Approximate birth, marriage, death, or migration dates for that person.
- Known country, county, parish, townland, city, or neighborhood.
- Known spouse, parents, siblings, or children, limited to what is needed for record identification.
- Religion or church affiliation, if known and relevant to parish-register searching.
- Emigration destination, ship, port, naturalization, or census details, if the known line is outside Ireland.
- Existing family documents, certificates, photographs, letters, inscriptions, or oral-history notes, with permission boundaries.

Privacy boundaries:

- Avoid living-person data unless absolutely necessary.
- Do not publish living-person data.
- Do not commit sensitive personal documents or family details to the public repository.
- Record uncertainty and conflicting evidence rather than forcing a lineage.

## Recommended Research Sequence

1. Build a general distribution table from 1901 and 1911 census searches for the core and comparison variants.
2. Compare census clusters against Griffith's Valuation and Tithe Applotment Books.
3. Separate Cork/Clare/Kerry/Limerick Munster findings from Donegal/Tyrone/Fermanagh Ulster findings.
4. Identify which clusters have enough continuity to justify parish-register or civil-record follow-up.
5. Only after the user starts personal genealogy, match the user's earliest known ancestor against the public distribution work.
6. Keep public microsite copy focused on aggregate evidence and documented historical context unless specific family-line publication permission is granted.

## Ready Definition For Future Genealogy Work

A future genealogy finding is ready to move into a public research note only when it has:

- exact source citation or archive reference;
- exact surname spelling as recorded;
- date or record year;
- county and smaller place unit where available;
- confidence level from `research/source-quality-rubric.md`;
- clear statement of what the record proves and what it does not prove;
- no living-person or private-family disclosure risk.

## Outcome

Issue `#9` is complete when this scope is committed and linked from the issue. The genealogy lane remains deferred, but it now has a responsible starting framework.