Indulge me, please, since it's St. Patrick's Day. I have no idea if this is actually "my" Ryan coat of arms, but here you go. St. Patrick's Day brings some privilege to your Irish in-law!
To get an idea of what it is like on the other side of the ancestral tree: A while back, I bought some pins in an Irish store that are coats of arms for my various Irish surnames. I've been wearing them each day since March 1 leading up to the big day. The pin package contained interesting information on the back. I have no idea how valid any of this is but here you go: Ryan (O Riain) is descended from the Irish sept of O Maoilriain located in Co. Limerick and Tipperary in the baronies of Owenybeg, Oweny and Arra. Established in the 14th Century to the point now where Ryan is in the top ten most numerous names in Ireland. The greatest numbers of the name are in Counties Limerick and Tipperary. Name Meaning "River God".
I especially like the mental picture "River God" creates.
I actually don't know very much yet about my ancestors' homeland. I wasn't lucky enough to have recent immigrants to pass down the story so I'm destined for long and intensive research. One half of my Irish ancestors were fishermen in Gloucester Massachusetts. The Perfect Storm meant a great deal to me thinking about those ancestors lost at sea. That's on my dad's side. My mom's side is a little more varied but at least 2 Irish branches came to the United States from Canada first.
It amazes me how many people don't know that March 17 is St. Patrick's Day and how many kids do not know their heritage. You did! I did! They should.
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