Whichever of the three is the closest in meaning, it is a fact that the name is the third most common Surname in Ireland. It may be found in all parts of the world, most notably in North America and the United Kingdom, and coupled with the difficulties caused by the destruction of many Irish Records in 1922, this can cause real problems in tracing family origins back any real distance in time.

In common with many Irish families in the mid nineteenth century, my forebears felt the need, most probably as a result of the Potato Famine, to uproot and move to new pastures, in search of a better life. It so happened in my case, that they travelled a short distance eastwards across the Irish Sea, coming to a halt in Manchester, and probably to relatives who had already settled there, thereby unwittingly setting the scene for at least the next four generations of our branch of the family.

The Detective work involved in tracing back as far as I have was relatively easy, but in 1824 with the birth of my great, great grandfather Patrick Sullivan, the trail runs cold, and I have no further leads. It is my hope in writing this Website, that there is someone who may eventually discover it who may be able to provide a link to help me bridge that seemingly insurmountable hurdle. It is my hope also that of all the Sullivans worldwide, some may come along and recognise a link with their own heritage. If this small site can offer any help with their research then it will have been worth doing.