Roots: The Lynches of Galway
The Lynch family crest, flanked by Che Guevara (left), whose father was a Lynch, at Shannon Airport, and director David Lynch (right). The Lynch family crest, flanked by Che Guevara (left), whose father was a Lynch, at Shannon Airport, and director David Lynch (right). By Olivia O’Mahony, Editorial Assistant
The name Lynch, which is ranked among the 100 most common names in Ireland, originates with several different clans, and is most frequently traced back to the anglicization of the old Irish name Ó Loinsigh, and the less-numerous Norman de Lench family. The de Lench arrived in Ireland from France during the 12th century and became the most prominent of the 14 Norman families that made up the “Tribes of Galway,” who controlled the city’s trade and maintained its status as a rare loyal outpost in the west of Ireland to the British crown. The landmark Lynch Castle, constructed in 1320, remains under the family’s o