by Roger Nowlan, Webmaster and Nolan Clan Member

Submission of Information for the Website (May 2025 update)

Based upon my experience in managing the NolanFamilies.org website since 2006 I have observed that the submission of Nolan-related information using forms is not very popular and that submission to myself (JRogerNowlangmail.com). Despite my preference for receiving information via Email, I still have left provision for submitting information using a Form either via the “Contact Me” link on the home page or via a “Tidbit Submission” for those who become registered users of the website. At that point, I can grant permsissions to submit “Tidbits” using a form.

Nolan Book (Jan 2024 update)

The Nolan book which was published under the auspices of the Nolan Clan in the Millenium year is still available. Entitled “O Nolan – the History of a People”  by Art Kavanagh and Fr John Nolan  it is still available from Amazon.

Despite its valuable contribution to out understanding of Nolan family history, it has been my observation that it is lacking on several fronts, most notably in its coverage of the history Nolan families living outside of Leinster province and elesewhere in the world.

Around 2018, after divesting myself of the duties of Nolan Clan Newsletter editor, having served from 2004 to 2018, I decided that it was time to tackle the task of writing an updated, more comprehensive Nolan family history book, essentially following in the footsteps of Fr. John Nolan of Kirkcubbin who wrote the original manuscripts which served as the basis for the Nolan book published in the Millenium year.

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 in paper form by 2025.

Instead of focusing on the writing of a close to final copy version, I am switching my attention to writing and collecting Nolan-specific research articles until such time that I coinsider that the many deficiencies and lack of scope of the first Nolan history book have been sufficiently addressed to warrant the writing and publication in paper form of a new Nolan history book.  

Until such time I will post my research findings and those of others in the website’s “Research Articles” knowledge base. If you would like to join myself and other family researchers on this voyage of discovery I invite you to join the online NolanFamilies Research Group which I recently set up (2023) to help in this endeavour.