Thank you in advance. From the research I have done thus far my family originated from Newtown Limerick I believe 1826. My surname is Roberts is there a different way to write this in Irish or would it be the same. I'm trying to go further in my genealogy and seem to be stuck. Again thanks for any help

According to MacLysaght's Surnames of Ireland, the name Roberts is always of English or (usually in Ulster) Scottish origin, and he gives no Irish equivalent. He says that it is found in all parts of Ireland, but is rare in Connacht, and that in Ulster it is sometimes found as MacRoberts.

Usually, if there are one or more Gaelic-origin names which have over the years been "Anglicized" using an English name, MacLysaght will indicate that, but he doesn't do so for Roberts. However, just because the name itself is of English origin, that would not mean that all of your ancestors were English (or Scottish). There was a lot of intermarriage, and there are even Catholics in Ireland today who are descended in part from English soldiers who served under the very anti-Catholic Cromwell, but later settled down in Ireland and were absorbed into the general population.

In Scotland, Gaelic speakers will often write the name Robert as Raibeart, to fit it to Gaelic spelling/pronunciation conventions. I've never seen it myself, but it's possible that the surname MacRaibeart was used in the past (and is possibly still used in places), and that could be the source of the MacRoberts name in Ulster.

_________________
I'm not a native (or entirely fluent) speaker, so be sure to wait for confirmations/corrections, especially for tattoos.

MacRobert exists in Scotland, but is rare. It's the name of a family of Baronets up in Aberdeen, and their estate is now a charitable trust. It's also the name of the theatre at Stirling university. "Roberts" in the Anglo-Saxon genitive isn't particularly common either -- the most common form is the Norse-patterned "Robertson". The head of the Sabhal Mòr Ostaig is called "Robertson" and the Gaelic form he uses is just a Gaelicised form of that -- "Robasdan". It's an old Gaelicisation, as can be seen from the differences in the two forms. (As a curious side note, the intrusive d/t in Robertson->Robasdan, Morrison->Morasdan has been rendered back into English in names such as "Livingstone", and this means some people have names that look like town names to a casual observer.)

_________________
A language belongs to its native speakers, and when you speak it, you are a guest in their homes.
If you are not a good guest, you have no right to complain about receiving poor hospitality.

Mac Roibeáird http://www.libraryireland.com/names/mac ... beaird.php
Mac Roibeaird http://www.libraryireland.com/names/mac ... beaird.php
Roibeárd http://www.libraryireland.com/names/r/roibeard.php
Riobárd http://www.libraryireland.com/names/r/riobard.php