The name Trehy originates almost exclusively from the south of Ireland in counties Limerick, Tipperary, Cork, and Kilkenny. A variant of the name, Trihy/Trihey is found mainly in the Waterford and Cork border areas. Other variants of the name, including Trahy, Trahey, Treahy exist in these counties as well, but records suggest that these are more the result of incorrect registration rather than actually different names or family lines. I have seen, for example, in many cases, a child registered as a Trehy to one couple, and a year or two later, the same couples next child is registered as a Trahey. This is true also of many census returns I have come across. It is also a fact that many Trehy emigrants, to the USA in particular, have had their names changed on official immigration records, either due to incorrect spelling of names by official recorders, or, in many cases, due to the lack of literacy skills on the part of the emigrants themselves.

I myself was born in Kilkenny in 1952 to Richard Trehy (1902-1981) and Margaret Hogan (1924-1966). I have just recently traced my (Trehy) ancestors back a further generation to Edmund Trehy (1765-1825) and Catherine Nolan (1770-1840).  All of my ancestors have their roots in Kilkenny. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Trehy's were notable and highly respected bootmakers in Kilkenny. This tradition was carried out by my father and uncles, and their fathers and uncles until the mid 1900's and can be confirmed by various census returns for the era. However, the arrival of the boot factory in Kilkenny in the 1930's led to the demise of the trade generally. Not to be outdone, some of my siblings carried on the trade by working part time for the boot factory assembling the now famous Mocassin shoes from home. It was a useful source of pocket money at the time.

At the turn of the 19th/20th century, I understand, the Trehys had a number of stores in the John Street area of the city, which included a shoe repair shop, a pub, and butchers shop. I believe there is a photo of these shops somewhere in circulation, but I have been unable to locate it.

Over the turn of the 19th/20th century many of my family left Kilkenny for 'greener pastures' in Dublin, the USA, and the UK. After the depression in 1929 in the USA, a number of them returned to Ireland. However those that stayed have certainly multiplied and I have made contact with many of them. By all accounts they have all made a success of their lives, and are involved in teaching, movie making, and the legal profession. We even have Trehys involved in the music industry, both classical and modern. You can click here to find links to a sample few of these.