This is a reply within a larger thread: view the whole thread

Re: Ryslink Irish origin
Whether or not the name Ryšlink started with this soldier, it's pretty widespread in the Czech Republic today as you can see at tinyurl.com/zdojocd.
vote up1vote down

Replies

There were thousands of Irish mercenaries soldiering in Europe from the 1690s to the 1790s, including in the military of Holy Roman Empire. I think Irish ancestry will be far more common in continental Europe than one might expect. The same is probably true of Scottish ancestry in the Baltic nations, where many Scots served in various armies, or became merchants and traders.
vote up1vote down