On a lark, I decided to try and figure out what my last name means, if anything. According to my bare-bones look into my little dictionary, I see that "aireach" indicates something along the lines of "watchful."

Is there any particular significance to the common appelation "taigh" at the end of family names? My basic little dictionary would seem to allude to something like "research" but this may be only a similarly spelled word that bears no relation, or it may mean something entirely different in this context - but obviously I'm clueless on this.

Can anybody advise? Many thanks!

This page associates your name with the meaning assemblyman:

http://www.magoo.com/hugh/origin2.html

quote:

Mac Garrity,

Mag Aireachtaigh. Mag Oireachtaigh,

Mag Oireachtaigh, from oireachtach - assemblyman - "member of Congress"

-(t)ach is a suffix, the genitive would be -(t)aigh

Compare:
marcach [ainmfhocal firinscneach den chéad díochlaonadh]
duine a dhéanann marcaíocht; saighdiúir ar muin capaill.

Foirmeacha
marcach - ainmfhocal marcach [ainmneach uatha]
marcaigh [ginideach uatha]
marcaigh [ainmneach iolra]
marcach [ginideach iolra]