Findmypast Ireland Unearths Disney's Irish Links

Findmypast Ireland Unearths Disney's Irish Links

DUBLIN, January 12, 2012/PRNewswire/ --

- Evidence showing famous cartoonist's links to Kilkenny
- Land records show the Disney family's rental of 33 acres

Walt Disney's long-rumoured Irish roots have been confirmed by Irish family history
website findmypast.ie.

The cartoonist who has brought some of the world's most famous characters, including
Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, to life, has long been rumoured to have ancestry traceable
back to Kilkenny in the South-East of Ireland. Now Dublin based website findmypast.ie have
uncovered documents clearly showing the family's links to the small parish of Rathbeagh.

Walt Disney's great-grandfather Arundel Elias Disney was born in Kilkenny c.1801. In
1832 Arundel Elias married Maria Swan who gave birth to their son Kepple Disney, Walt
Disney's grandfather, on the 2nd of November of the same year. Arundel and Maria would go
on to have 16 children, including Kepple.

In 1834 Arundel and his family reached America and eventually settled in Southwestern
Ontario, Canada. Elias Disney, Walt's father, was born to Kepple and his wife Mary
Richardson in 1859.

The documents uncovered by findmypast.ie clearly show Kepple's rental of 33 acres of
land in the parish of Rathbeagh, with further documents showing the Disney family's sale
of lands in Clone, Co.Kilkenny, possibly before their departure to America.

Cliona Weldon, General Manager of findmypast.ie, said: "People can be forgiven for not
readily identifying the cartoonist's roots as his surname doesn't have a very Irish ring
to it. Disney is derived from the Normandy French name D'Isigny and it is believed the
family is descended from Normans who came to Ireland in 1691. So you see, Disney's Irish
ancestry was not a Mickey Mouse story after all. It's amazing what you can find out about
your own family history when you delve into the records."

ABOUT findmypast.ie

Findmypast.ie is the world's most comprehensive Irish family history website,
providing easy-to-search, online access to some of the most significant Irish records that
have ever been made available. This new site is a joint venture between two experts in the
field: findmypast.co.uk, one of the leading family history websites and part of the
brightsolid family, while Eneclann is an award-winning Trinity College Campus Company
specialising in genealogical and historical research and the publication of historical
records.

Based in Dublin, findmypast.ie has a dedicated team committed to providing the best
experience possible when researching Irish family history.

Source: findmypast.ie

For further media information, please contact: Ross Weldon, findmypast.ie, Unit 1, Trinity Enterprise and Technology Campus, Pearse Street, Dublin 2, Ireland, ross.weldon@findmypast.ie, +353-1-671-0338

-------
Profile: intent