New research reveals Lindsay Lohan could have ancestral links to Roscommon

Research carried out by David Lohan indicates Lindsay Lohan’s paternal great-great-grandfather was from Moher, near Strokestown in Co. Roscommon.

New genealogical research has raised the possibility that actress Lindsay Lohan has ancestral ties to the townland of Moher in Cloonfinlough civil parish, about 5km south of Strokestown in Co. Roscommon. This discovery was made by Galway-born researcher David Lohan, now based in Cork, who runs the website IrishKinship.com. David has spent more than two decades studying his own family tree and investigating the broader history of the Lohans in Ireland and around the world.

The Lohans

The Lohan surname – sometimes rendered Logan – comes from the Irish Ó Leocháin and appears in the medieval period in Meath and Westmeath, particularly in the baronies of Morgallion and Lune. Over time, the sept was pushed westwards, and by the early 20th century, the name was concentrated in parts of Co. Galway, around Ballygar and Creggs, and in Co. Roscommon.

Lindsay Lohan’s father, Michael Lohan, was born in 1960. His father, Richard E. Lohan, born in 1936/37, was widely reported in the Irish press in recent years as having been born in Glenamaddy, Co. Galway. It has since emerged that he was actually born in New York.

Richard’s parents – Lindsay’s great-grandparents – were John Patrick Lohan, a telephone installer, believed to have been born in New York around 1905 and Ellen Mulgrew. The Mulgrew surname derives from the Irish Ó Maolchraoibhe and is most commonly found in Ulster and parts of Connacht, particularly in Co. Tyrone, with smaller concentrations in Counties Derry, Down, Antrim, Armagh and Mayo.

Lindsay Lohan’s Roscommon roots

John’s parents are thought to have been Francis Lohan and Catherine Byrnes – Lindsay’s great-great-grandparents. Byrnes, from the Irish Ó Broin, is, of course, a very common surname in Ireland.

Francis Lohan was born in 1875 in Moher, Co. Roscommon, apparently the youngest of eight children. His Catholic baptism record is dated 12 May 1875, though his civil birth record gives his birth date as 10 August. He was likely born on or around 12 May, as Catholic families in Ireland at the time often baptized infants within a day or two of birth, or even on the same day.

Francis’ siblings included Jane (born 1865), Patrick (born 1867), Ellen (born 1869) and John (born 1872). In the 1860s and 1870s, three other Lohan families lived in the townland of Moher – those of Michael, Peter and Patrick – some or all of whom may have been related to Francis. This gives a sense of how common the surname was in this part of Co. Roscommon.

Like most of his siblings, Francis emigrated to America, where he worked as a motorman on New York’s street railway. He appears in two US censuses with that occupation.

Both Irish and US records list Francis’ parents as Jeremiah “Darby” Lohan (also recorded as Loaghan and Loughan) and Jane Gilleran – Lindsay’s great-great-great-grandparents. The surname Gilleran, derived from the Irish Mac Giollaráin or Mac Giolla Éanáin, is relatively rare but is most commonly associated with Co. Roscommon.

A F F I L I A T E  A D

Darby Lohan was a farmer. Darby “Loughan” appears in Griffith’s Valuation (1847–64) in the townland of Moher, where he is recorded as occupying a house, office and land with a rateable value of £12 15s. The lessor is named as Margaret Fitzgibbon. Other Loughans listed in Moher in Griffith’s Valuation are John, Patrick, Peter and Michael. John’s holding is combined with Darby’s, which may suggest that they were brothers or that John was Darby’s father.

Darby died in May 1893 in Moher of bronchitis, aged 63 according to his death record. His wife, Jane, died the following month in June, also in Moher, of heart disease. Her age is recorded as 62 on her death record. A detailed search of the local parish baptism and marriage registers could reveal more about the couple.

Given that Francis and most of his siblings emigrated to New York, David Lohan believes many Irish-American Lohans living there today may be descendants of Darby and Jane – making them distant relatives of Lindsay Lohan. The actress, born in the Bronx and raised on Long Island, explored her Irish heritage during her first-ever visit to Ireland while filming the romantic comedy Irish Wish in Dublin and Wicklow last year.

There may also be Kearneys (Ó Cearnaigh) in Lindsay’s paternal line – another common Irish surname – according to a family tree created for the actress on Geneanet. Interestingly, her first name, Lindsay, is also found as a surname in Ireland, particularly in Ulster, especially in Counties Down and Antrim. It is an alternative form of the surnames Linday or Linsay, which are likely of Scottish origin, though in some cases it may be an anglicized form of the Irish Ó Loinsigh, more commonly anglicized as Lynch.

Lindsay Lohan’s Cork roots

While David Lohan’s recent research focused on the Lohan line, the existence of Irish Catholic ancestry on Lindsay’s maternal side had already been established. Her mother, Dina, was born Sullivan, a name with strong Cork associations. Lindsay is descended from John L. Sullivan, a co-founder and executive member of the Long Island Right to Life Committee, Inc., which was active in the 1970s and 1980s. His father may also have been named John L. Sullivan.

In 2014, the Cork Genealogical Society set out to trace John L. Sullivan in the records, uncovering two possible candidates: one from Bantry, Co. Cork and another from Pouladuff in Cork city. A John L. Sullivan, a builder’s labourer, appears in the 1911 census living at 17 Spital Lands, Pouladuff, aged 17, with his mother, Hannah and five siblings: Mary, William, Catherine, Patrick and Michael, as well as his brother-in-law, nephew, nieces and cousin. Another John L. Sullivan, born in Bantry on 8 September 1891, is listed on a US registration card dated June 1917, which shows him living in New York City and working as an examiner in the financial district. Whether either of these men is Lindsay’s ancestor remains uncertain.

Get in touch with David Lohan

David Lohan continues to explore the broader history of the Lohans and welcomes contact from others with Lohan ancestry. You can email him at dave.lohan@gmail.com or visit his website at IrishKinship.com. Listen to his recent chat with PJ Coogan on Cork’s 96FM here, where he discussed his research into the Lohan family, other famous members of the Lohan clan and shared tips for those starting their genealogical journey.

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