The Whooley name originated in West Cork, Ireland and is derived from the O'Driscoll family. The name in Irish is O'Huallaigh or (Ni Uallaigh for women) which means "The Boastfull Ones"

The main concentration of Whooleys is in West Cork (up to 50 families) and there are up to 16 families in the Greater Dublin telephone listings. Families of Whooleys are also found in New Zealand, Australia, and the USA.

The purpose of this Web Site is to gather information on the location of Whooleys and to set up a means of communication with these families. My intention is that whatever Whooley information is sent to me will be included as a separate page, and that the information is there for referencing, and sharing among the users.

 

Where are we now?

I am setting up this homepage in the hope that some Whooleys out there will spot the page while surfing the net and contact me at seanwhooley@hotmail.com  giving a brief outline of your family, such as names, parents names, town, email address, and any relevant information you might feel would help in constructing a data base. In 2000 the immediate branch of our family had a clan gathering in Skibbereen, an as yet, a second reunion still has to be planned.

To view information on Whooley families in the USA click here

To view information on Wholeys and general information on other versions click here.

Whooley Placenames

No Whooley has, as far as I know, made it to the top position in any country, but we do leave our name behind us, for one reason or another. If any readers out there know of such places, please let me know. 

So far I have identified the following far-flung names:

 

A "Whooley's Cross" in Clonakilty , Co.Cork

 

 There is a Whooleys Lagoon in Alaska.

 

The Watertown Police Dept (MA) are at 34 John "Sunny" Whooley Way

Sgt Whooley passed away approx 2 months after retiring due to cancer. There was a short unnamed street across from the Police Station which members of the department felt should be named after him. Due to politics with the Town Council they changed the name of the street where the Police Station was located instead of the intended street (which was left unnamed !