Around 2018, after divesting myself of the duties of Nolan Clan Newsletter editor (2004-2018), I decided to tackle the task of writing an updated, more comprehensive Nolan family history book following in the footsteps of Fr. John Nolan of Kirkcubbin who wrote the original manuscripts which were the basis for the Nolan book “O Nolan – the History of a People” completed by Art Kavanagh and published in the millenium year under the auspices of the Nolan Clan. 

In the new book I hope to:

• shed light on the ancient origins of all known Nolan families (O Nuallain, O hUllachain, Nolan, Nowland, Noland, Nolins,  Knollin, Naulin,  …)

• provide an improved understanding of the forces and historical events which drove many Nolan families to immigrate

• provide an improved understanding of the forces and historical events which drove many Nolan families to immigrate

• document the story of many early Nolans who left Ireland and resettled in other parts of the world.

Somewhat humbled by advancing age, new information sources (e.g. old books now online, DNA), new publication practices (e.g. Wikipedia) and the growing realization that collectively we are just beginning to scratch the surface in terms of understanding the early family roots of many Nolan lines spread around the globe, I have decided to alter my initial plans for the writing of an updated Nolan family history book by 2025.

Instead of focusing on the writing of a close to final copy version, I am switching my foattention to writing and collecting Nolan-specific research articles until such time that the many deficiencies and lack of scope identified in the first Nolan history book have been sufficiently addressed to warrant the writing and publication of a new Nolan history book.  Until such time I will post my research findings and those of others will be documented in this website’s “Research Articles” knowledge base.

If you would like to join myself and other family researchers in this voyage of discovery I invite you to join the online NolanFamilies Research Group which I have set up within the last year.

The end goal is still to eventually have both online and printable versions of an updated and more comprehensive Nolan family history book … but only after our family history has been sufficiently researched (as reflected by the number of published “Research Articles” in the Knowledge Base) to warrant doing so. Following is a tentative cover design for the new book.

Roger Nowlan, Webmaster
and Nolan Clan Member