With St. Patrick’s Day coming right up, I couldn’t have guessed what the most common Irish name is. Turns out it’s Murphy, according to the 1890 Matheson report.

Kelly is No. 2, O’Sullivan is third, O’Reilly is 11th, Kennedy is 16th, Murray is 18th, McLoughlin is 21st, Sweeney is 51st, Flanagan is 69th, Higgins is 83rd and Hogan is 91st.

I linked to this site by visiting The Irish Ancestral Research Association at www.tiare.ie. Then I clicked on Family and Clan Associations and found the 100 Most Common Irish Names.

The list includes each name’s Gaelic equivalent and its meaning. For example, Murray was o’Muireadhaigh, meaning lord or master.

Another category is Irish Residents Indexed by County. Clicking on the province of Connaught, I found that this area includes the counties of Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo.

Clicking on Roscommon Genealogy, I found that a portion of the 1901 census of Ireland is online. The counties of Leitrim and Roscommon are complete, and other counties are partially done. Entering this Web site, which has had more than 573,000 hits since 1996, I searched the surname Murray.

In the townland Tulley Commons, parish Aglish, barony Carra, county Mayo, were Patrick Murray, 50, a farmer; and Mary, 41; William, 18; Margaret, 15; Peter, 14; and Maria, 8. Of course, you also can search by using a full name rather than just a surname.

For other links to Irish resources, check the Maine Irish Heritage Center at http://maineirish.com and click on Links. One of those I found was Irish marriages, in this case those listed in the index to marriages in Walker’s Hibernian Magazine 1771-1812, by Henry Farrar, London, 1890.

Have you been waiting for the opportunity to pick the brain of someone who’s actually gone to Ireland to work on their family tree?

Don’t miss “Researching Ancestral Roots in Ireland,” a talk by Dick Brown at the Penobscot County Genealogical Society meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 16, in the Lecture Hall at Bangor Public Library.

Brown lives in Dover-Foxcroft and has been chief executive officer of the Charlotte White Center for 25 years. He also has researched his father’s wartime experience in the 446th Bombardment Group, including being shot down over the Rhine River.

Dr. Gary Fessler will bring along his bagpipes.

I love finding out about Web sites and sharing that information with readers. Check out the Pittsfield Historical Society, www.rootsweb.com/~mephs/index/html.

Kathy M. Palmer is in the process of putting the Pittsfield cemetery records online. Already, you’ll find:

. Carr Cemetery.

. Tilton Corner Cemetery.

. Village Cemetery (partial).

. Weymouth Cemetery.

. Wilson Cemetery.

I checked out the Tilton Corner Cemetery and found lots of Pattens, among numerous other families. Entries are in alphabetical order and include relationship to others buried in the cemetery, when known. In some cases, inscriptions are included. Palmer already has received a response from a researcher who lives in Texas and was thrilled to find Pittsfield cemetery inscriptions available online.

The historical society operates the Depot House Museum at 8 Central St. It’s open 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays, and in April will add Monday and Wednesday hours.

The winter meeting time is 1 p.m. the third Saturday of the month. Come April, the meeting will move to 7 p.m. the third Thursday. You may write Pittsfield Historical Society at P.O. Box 181, Pittsfield 04967. Membership is just $5.

We welcome information on historical societies and Web sites.

Here’s a project that is dear to my heart. There is now a committee to erect an honor roll for all the veterans of the town of Hampden from WWI,WWII, Korea, Vietnam and later conflicts.

The effort is spearheaded by the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Hampden.

Hampden residents and businesses are asked to help make this project a reality. I’m sure they also would welcome contributions from former Hampden residents and others interested in seeing the honor roll built near the municipal building on Western Avenue.

Donations are tax-deductible and may be sent to Hampden VFW Post 4633, P.O. Box 555, Hampden 04444.

The Washington County Genealogical Society will meet at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 19, at Peavey Memorial Library in Eastport. For information, contact Frances Raye, 853-6630; Valdine Atwood, 255-4432, or Connie Ferguson, 726-9690. This group has numerous members who are great resources if you have ancestry in this area.

Send genealogy queries to Family Ties, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402; or send queries by e-mail, familyti

@bangordailynews.net.