Quirke is an Irish

Irish people

The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

 family name which has spread throughout the English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

-speaking world.

Origins

The name is most common in County Tipperary and County Limerick

County Limerick

It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...

. It is believed that the name was given to a small clan when they fought bravely with Olchobar

Ólchobar mac Cináeda

Ólchobar mac Cináeda was King of Munster from 847 until his death. He may be the "king of the Irish" who sent an embassy to Frankish Emperor Charles the Bald announcing a series of victories over Vikings in Ireland in 848.-Origins:...

, the king of Cashel

Cashel, County Tipperary

Cashel is a town in South Tipperary in Ireland. Its population was 2936 at the 2006 census. The town gives its name to the ecclesiastical province of Cashel. Additionally, the cathedra of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly was originally in the town prior to the English Reformation....

, against the Vikings at Cork

Cork (city)

Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...

.

The name "Quirke" is an Anglicized form of the Irish name of "Cuirc," which comes from the Irish language

Irish language

Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...

 'croí', meaning 'heart' or 'bravery'. Before the Norman invasion of Ireland

Norman Invasion of Ireland

The Norman invasion of Ireland was a two-stage process, which began on 1 May 1169 when a force of loosely associated Norman knights landed near Bannow, County Wexford...

 in 1169, the Quirke clan ruled over a considerable territory in the barony of Clanwilliam in the southwest of County Tipperary

County Tipperary

County Tipperary is a county of Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster and is named after the town of Tipperary. The area of the county does not have a single local authority; local government is split between two authorities. In North Tipperary, part of the Mid-West Region, local...

, known as Maigh Cuirc, the plain of the Quirkes.

Due to the specific incidences of the name in Ireland, there is no evidence which supports claims that the name is related either to a similar Manx name or the Scottish name 'Kirk'.

Various spellings:

Quirk, O'Quirk, O'Quirke

Related names:

Quick

Oates: arising from a mistaken Anglicisation of the Irish 'coirce', meaning 'oats.'Oates could be realated as some close families in SW Ireland had the Oates or Quirke within the same blood relatives.

Notable Individuals with the surname Quirke

• Pauline Quirke
  Pauline Quirke
  Pauline Perpetua Quirke is a British actress. She is best known for her role as Sharon in the comedy series Birds of a Feather, alongside her lifelong friend and frequent acting partner Linda Robson...
  
   - is an English
  English people
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   actress
• Micheál Quirke
  Micheál Quirke
  Micheál Quirke is an Irish sportsperson. He plays Gaelic football with his local club Kerins O'Rahilly's and has been a member of the Kerry senior inter-county team since 2003.- Playing career :...
  
   - is an Irish Gaelic football
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• Kieron Quirke
  Kieron Quirke
  Kieron Quirke is an English writer, journalist, musician and theatre critic residing in Los Angeles, California.-Early life:Quirke was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham and the Junior Royal Academy of Music where he won the Dame Ruth Railton Prize in 1997.Quirke attended Merton College,...
  
   - writer residing in Los Angeles
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  , California
  California
  California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
  
  
• John Quirke
  John Quirke
  John Quirke was a South Australian parliamentarian, representing the state seat of Playford from 1989 to 1997, until his resignation to replace Dominic Foreman as a Senator, until his own resignation in 2000.-References:*...
  
  - a South Australian parliamentarian.