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(O)Healy,
Hely, Haly,
Heeley (with a note on McHale)
Haly of Ballyhaly, County Cork and formerly of Limerick |
Healy of County Sligo |
Heeley or Heely (location unrecorded) |
(O)Healy or Hely of Donoughmore, County Cork |
Hely-Hutchinson
of Knocklofty,
County Tipperary. |
O'Haly (location unrecorded) |
McHale of Mayo |
Hely (location unrecorded) |
Hely or Helly (location unrecorded) |
Healy, Hely, Heely, Heeley, Haly, Haley and so
on are all anglicised form of two native Gaelic-Irish names. Rarely,
if ever, found these days with their rightful "O'" prefix,
the combined strength of these names take them to number forty seven
in the list of most common surnames in Ireland with about thirteen
thousand individuals thus called.
The first sept originated in county Sligo in
the northwest. These were originally called Ó hÉlidhe,
the name being derived from the Irish word eilidh meaning
"claimant", though what was being claimed is unrecorded.
This sept had its territory territory at the foot of the Curlew
Mountains on the western shore of Lough Arrow, i.e. the corner of
County Sligo lying between Counties Mayo and Roscommon. The place
name of Ballyhely testifies to their origins. The name first appears
in the written records of the area in 1309, when the Annals of the
Four Masters record "Hugh, the son of Owen, son of Rory, son of
Hugh, son of Cathal Crovderg, King of Connaught, and worthy heir to
the monarchy of Ireland, the most hospitable and expert at arms of
all the Irish born in his time, was slain by Hugh Breifneach, the son
of Cathal O'Conor, at Coill-an-clochain, together with many of the
chiefs of his people about him. Among these were Conor Mac Dermot;
Dermot Roe, son of Teige O'Conor; Dermot, son of Cathal Carragh, Mac
Dermot; Hugh, son of Murtough, son of Teige, son of Mulrony; and
Dermot O'Healy, a princely brughaidh (farmer), the best of his time."
Numerically stronger, however, are the members
of the Munster sept, where the name was originally Ó
hÉaliaghthe or the shortened Ó hÉilaigh,
probably from the Irish ealadhach meaning (ingenious). They allied
themselves with the MacCarthys, who were overlords of the whole
district. By the end of the seventeenth century, the Cromwellians had
dispossessed them of all their lands. This name was formerly
correctly rendered as O'Healihy in English, and so it appears in the
seventeenth century records for example those reciting the transfer
of their estates to the Earl of Clancarty after the Restoration.
Though dispossessed, the O'Healihys remained on the lands and it was
one of those who, having become a Protestant, was created Earl of
Donoughmore. This title was taken from the place Donoghmore in the
barony of Muskerry, Co. Cork, which was the centre of the territory
possessed by the sept. The influential family of Hely d'Oissel of
Normandy, ranked among the nobility of France, is descended from
Peter O'Hely, a Jacobite exile.
Though these represent the two main lines of
Healy in Ireland, some of the name may have different origins.
In the Tralee and Killarney areas of Co.
Kerry. Healy is usually a synonym of Kerrisk or Kerrish, in Irish Mac
Fhiarais i.e son of Ferris, the first to be so called being the son
of one Pierce O'Healy. Woulfe thinks the eponymous ancestor was
Ferris O'Helie. In Co. Clare Mac Fhiarais is anglicized Kierse.
The O'Helys are also given as an old and
respectable family in Waterford, according to Keatings History.
O'Haly and Haly are forms of the name found
among the members of the Cork family. However there are also Halys in
Limerick who are claimed to be originally Hanley. The name Haley has
also been imported from England.
The Irish name Mac Ceile has occasionally been
rendered as Haly in English though far more usually it is McHale. Few
names are more exclusively associate with one Irish county than
MacHale of Mayo. Those of the Gaelic sept Mac Ceile were erenaghs of
Killala. By the eleventh century, in the average church, the abbot,
generally known as the "comharba" (anglicised as
"coarb" and meaning "heir"), of the saintly
founder, or, if it were not the saint's principal establishment, the
"airchinnech" (anglicised as "erenagh" and
meaning "head"), had become a lay lord, whose family held
the office and the church property from generation to generation. In
some cases, apparently, all trace of a church establisment had
disappeared, except that the incumbent claimed for his lands the
"termonn" of the ancient monastery, those privileges and
exemptions which had from old been accorded to ecclesiastical
property. But generally the coarb or eneragh maintained a priest. The
surname MacHale was also adopted by a Welsh family which settled in
the barony of Tirawley, Co. Mayo, in the thirteenth century: it
derives from the forename Howell. Being located in the same county
the descendants of these cannot now be distinguished from their
namesakes of Gaelic origin: in any case centuries of Connacht inter-marriages
have made the one just as Irish in blood as the other. Outstanding
personality of the name was that uncompromising protagonist of
Irish-Ireland, John MacHale (1791-1881), who was for forty-seven
years Archbishop of Tuam. The compiler of this feature was also
privileged to make the acquaintance of Tom McHale, Irish musician of
renown who was tragically killed in the 1970's while in his prime.
O'Hart mentions that the O'h-Ailche family,
anglicised Halley and Hally, is a branch of the O'Kennedys of Ormond,
descendants of Cormac Cas. Tuatha-Fearalt, a district in the county
of Tipperary (the exact situation of which cannot now be
ascertained), was the lordship of the family, whom O'Heerin mentions
in the following lines:
"Tuatha-Fearalt, of the fair-woods,
Is the lordship of O'Ailche;
A plain of fair fortresses, and a
spreading tribe;
The land resembling Teltown of rivulets."
From the topographical description here given,
it would appear to have been that portion of Hy-Fogharty, in
Tipperary, lying between Lyttletown, in that county, and Urlingford,
in Kilkenny. Tuatha-Fearalt signifies "the country of hardy
men;" from tuatha, "a district," or
"country," and Feara-alt, "hardy men," or
"men of sinew." Or, it may signify "the possession of
Fearalt," who may have been some remarkable progenitor of the
family under notice. Few, if any, of the name are to be met with at
this day, either in Kilkenny or Tipperary. It is worthy of note that
the celebrated astronomer, Halley, was a descendant of this family,
who were hereditary physicians in Ireland.
O'Hart also states that the O'Halys are of old
standing in the county of Galway, as appears from the Four Masters,
under A.D. 1232 - "Faghtna O'Hallgaith, Coarb of Drumacoo, and
official of Hy-Fiachrach Aidhne, who had kept an open house for
strangers, the sick, and the indigent, and also for the instruction
of the people, died." The representative of the senior branch of
the sept, in 1730, was Simon Haly, Esq., of Ballyhaly, who married
Eleanora, daughter of Teige O'Quinn, Esq., of Adare, an ancestor of
the Earl of Dunraven.
Returning to the main families, the Healys
were well-represented in the priesthood. Patrick Healy (died 1579), a
Franciscan, was educated in France and Spain. He was the last Bishop
of Mayo before it was joined to the see of Tuam in Galway. A victim
of the penal legislation of the time, he was executed at Kilmallock,
County Limerick. Three centuries later, another Healy filled the
archbishopric of Tuam: this was John Healy (1841-1918). A scholarly
priest, he was a senator of the Royal and National Universities.
John Hely-Hutchinson (1724-94), a celebrated
Provost of Trinity College, Dublin, was the son of Francis Hely of
Gortmore, County Cork. In 1783, he married an heiress and assumed her
family name, Hutchinson. In the same year she was raised to the
peerage as Baroness Donoughmore of Knocklofty, County Tipperary
(Donoughmore, County Cork, was their original home). In his younger
days John Hely was described as "an obstreperous patriot",
while in later years he was "a man of unblushing venality".
A graduate in law, he was not qualified for the exalted position of
provost, but he intrigued his way into being elected. He proved a
very efficient provost, although he outraged university sentiment,
had constant disputes with the fellows and the students, and misused
his powers for the advancement of his family. Trinity owes its Modern
Language professorships to John Hely-Hutchinson. He supported Free
Trade and Catholic reforms, unusual for a man of his position at that
time. He had six sons who distinguished themselves, mostly in England.
One son, Richard Hely-Hutchinson (1756-1825),
1st Earl of Donoughmore, also championed Catholic reform in the House
of Lords. He strenuously opposed every attempt to rule Ireland by
purely coercive measures. John Hely-Hutchinson (1757-1832) was the
2nd Earl of Donoughmore and a soldier. In 1798, when the French,
commanded by General Humbert, landed in Killala Bay in County Mayo
with 15,000 men, John Hely-Hutchinson was in command of the English
at Castlebar. Alarmed by the size of Humbert's forces and their Irish
pikemen, the militia under Generals Lake and Cornwallis fled. Despite
this embarrassing debacle, dubbed by the natives "the Races of
Castlebar", Hely-Hutchinson retained his command. George IV sent
him to Saint-Omer to offer an allowance of 50,000 pounds a year to
his crazy wife, Queen Caroline. The conditions were that she
relinquish all British royal titles and never visit England again.
She refused.
The Hely-Hutchinsons built a splendid mansion,
Knocklofty, overlooking the River Suir near Clonmel, County
Tipperary. In June 1974, the Earl and Countess of Donoughmore were
abducted from their home by the IRA. They were found, unharmed,
shortly afterwards. Knocklofty has since been sold and is now a hotel.
The artistic Healys were generations apart.
Sadly, Robert Healy (1743-71) had a short life. His delightful
pastels of Squire Tom Connolly's family and horses at Castletown,
County Kildare, are his lasting memorial and have become very highly
valued. G.P.A. Healy (1813-94), although born in Boston, was the son
of a sea captain of Irish origin. He was a successful portrait
painter who studied in
Paris, where he painted Louis Philippe and
leading statesmen. On returning to America, he was commissioned to
paint three of a series of United States Presidents John Tyler, James
Knox Polk and Zachary Taylor.
Father James Healy (1824-94) was one of 23
children born in Dublin. Long the parish priest of Little Bray, he
was a most convivial man, a renowned wit whose company was sought at
the dining tables of the gentry in his Wicklow neighbourhood.
Michael Healy (1873-1941), a Dubliner, was a
stained glass artist. Richard Hayward, the Irish travel writer,
described his work in the modern Dominican Holy Cross church in
Tralee, Kerry, as "Exquisite ... carried out in the most
masterly style", and his genius as "traditional and
reflective in spirit". He executed commissions for clients in
America and New Zealand.
In the nineteenth century, from a combination
of Healys and Sullivans of Bantry, came a remarkable family. Timothy
Healy (1855-1931) was the son of Maurice Healy, a clerk. His mother's
father, a Sullivan, was a schoolteacher. Her three brothers became
Members of Parliament, as did her three sons, of which Tim Healy was
the most outstanding. They were the foundation of a political
grouping known as "the Bantry Band". While still in his
teens, Tim Healy emigrated to London where, for a while, he worked as
a railway clerk. T. D. Sullivan, his uncle, owned the Nation
newspaper and he offered young Tim the post of parliamentary
correspondent in London. Soon Tim knew all the Irish MPs at
Westminster. He was invited to accompany Parnell as his secretary
when he toured America and Canada. An audacious politician, he
developed into a fearless and gripping speaker with a prodigious
memory. He took an active part in the burning question of the day -
the Land Movement. In 1884 he was called to the Irish Bar. When his
party split over Parnell's involvement in the O'Shea divorce, he
turned against the leader and was expelled from the party. He
received support from the Church, and also a cousin from Bantry, the
powerful industrialist and newspaper proprietor, William Martin
Murphy, and soon he was back in politics. He became a member of the
English Bar and took on many cases of a political nature, including
the defence of a number of the suffragettes. His wit and eloquence
drew crowded houses. He supported Britain in the First World War, but
the events following the rising of 1916 enticed him home. He had many
opponents because he was against violence, but, following the Treaty
- despite opposition - he became first Governor-General of the Irish
Free State, a post he filled most happily from 1922 until 1927.
His brother, Maurice Healy (1887-1943), served
in the First World War with the Royal Dublin Fusiliers. An eminent
barrister in England and Ireland, he was a bon viveur and wit, and
author of popular books about wine and the law, including "The
Old Munster Circuit" and "Stay With Me Flagons".
Joseph Healy (1889-1934), son of Tim Healy,
also a barrister, served in the First World War and was with the
British Naval Division at Gallipoli. A dedicated pioneer of motor
cycling, on one occasion he rode the 320 mile round trip from Cork to
Dublin every day for a week, and another time did the same between
Dublin and Belfast, a 208 mile round trip!
Until comparatively recently, family
intermarriage seems to have been the custom. Tim Healy, for instance,
married his double first cousin, while his daughter married her
Sullivan uncle.
John Edward Healy (1872-1934) was born in
Drogheda, County Louth, and won many prizes for literature at Trinity
College, Dublin. A barrister and journalist, he edited the Irish
Times for 27 years, from 1907.
Cahir Healy (1877-1970), born in Donegal,
moved to Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, when very young. Like so many
other leaders of that time, a rudimentary education was no obstacle
to his progress towards taking his place as poet, journalist and
litterateur. He was with Arthur Griffith in 1905 when he launched the
Sinn Fein party, which favoured a dual monarchy. Although he tried to
prevent partition, he sat at Westminster after the Treaty. Following
the separation of the six counties, he was Nationalist member for
South Fermanagh in the Stormont parliament. He has been described as
one of the sanest and most far-seeing leaders of Northern
nationalism. Working with the North Eastern Boundary Bureau, he tried
to get a plebiscite for Tyrone and Fermanagh. His idea was that the
border nationalists could choose whether to join the then Irish Free
State, or remain with Britain. He sat in Westminster in the 1930s and
again in the 1950s, but his political activities landed him in
Brixton prison for nearly two years. His last years as a Nationalist
Member of Parliament were darkened by the reappearance of the IRA and
its concept of physical force, of which he disapproved.
Gerard Healy (1918-63) was born in Dublin,
where he made a name as an actor at the Gate and Abbey Theatres, and
on television. He wrote two plays, Thy Dear Father (1943) and The
Black Stranger (1945), both of which drew big houses to Dublin's
Abbey Theatre. He died while playing James Joyce, the leading role in
Hugh Leonard's Stephen D. in London.
In the political upheavals in Ireland during
the nineteenth century, many patriots were banished with the convicts
to Australia. There were also emigrants from Ireland who played no
small part in ameliorating the sorry state of their fellow countrymen
who had made the long voyage in the convict ships. One of these was
Frederick Healy (1794-1856) from County Tyrone, who became a
successful farmer. In 1823 he was Principal Superintendent of
Convicts in New South Wales, where he is recorded as being an
efficient and sympathetic officer.
James Healy (1830-1900), has been described as
the first black American bishop. Actually he was only one quarter
black, his father, Michael Healy, being an Irish immigrant and his
mother a mulatto slave.
Several places in Ireland perpetuate the name
Healy. Ballyhely in Co. Sligo was the seat of the O'Healys of Lough
Arrow, already mentioned. It is curious that four such place names
(three Ballyhealys and one Healysland) are to be found in Wexford, a
county not specially associated with the septs of O'Healy, either
traditionally or by reason of present population distribution.
The ancient genealogy of
O'Healy of Cork according to O'Hart's Irish Pedigrees.
"Irish Pedigrees or the
Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation", by John O'Hart is one of
the best known Irish genealogical publications in the world. The
first edition appeared in 1876, but was followed by several
subsequent editions that added greatly to the overall size of the
work. The most quoted edition was published in New York in 1923,
twenty years after the author's death. It is worth mentioning here
that the original work did not include and heraldic (coat of arms)
information and that this was added to posthumous publications by
unscrupulous publishers, presumably to increase sales. In general,
O'Hart is a dubious source, at best, for such information.
John O'Hart was born in
Crossmolina, Co. Mayo, in 1824. He received an excellent education
with the intention of joining the priesthood. However, he instead
spent two years in the constabulary (the police), after which he was
employed by the Commissioners of National Education in Ireland from
1845, the first year of the Famine. He became an Associate in Arts at
the Queen's University, and thereafter he was an active member of
several scholarly societies. He was an avid genealogist and took a
keen interest in Irish history, despite never receiving formal
training as an historian. Politically he was an Irish nationalist,
and in religious matters, a committed Catholic. Both of these factors
permeated his work. He died in 1902 in Clontarf, Co. Dublin, at the
age of 78.
O'Hart used many sources to
compile the information that appears in his major work. His principal
sources were Gaelic genealogies, like those of O'Clery, MacFirbis and
O'Farrell. Along with the Gaelic annals, especially the Annals of the
Four Masters, O'Hart was able to 'reconstruct' the medieval and
ancient pedigree that appears here. He also used later sources, like
the works of Burke, Collins, Harris, Lodge and Ware to extend these
lineages into the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. But arguably
the most important information contained in these genealogies came
where O'Hart gathered the details directly from the families
concerned, often from private papers or family tradition.
Irish mythology records that
every family was descended from a certain Milesius of Spain who in
about 500 BC led his followers to invade and conquer Ireland. The
Christian monks who wrote these genealogies down in the 9th century,
2,500 years after Milesius, also added their own beliefs. So they
recorded that Milesius was the 36th in descent from Adam! O'Hart,
being both an ardent believer in the Gaelic myths and Christianity,
followed their example. In his Gaelic genealogies a number
representing the generation of descent from Adam precedes every
generation. O'Hart showed, probably incorrectly, that every Gaelic
family was descended from four of Milesius's family. These were his
three sons, Heber, Ir and Heremon, and his uncle Ithe. These four
were considered the 'stem' lines of the genealogies that followed.
The latest scientiific evidence suggests that while the Celts had an
overwhelming cultural influence on Ireland, the numbers of them that
invaded Ireland were not all that huge and from the genetic point of
view they are just a part of the mix that made up the Irish population.
While he undertook a great deal
of research, using the majority of available published sources, many
Gaelic scholars have superseded his work over the last 100 years. He
was not familiar with the abundant unpublished Gaelic manuscript
sources available. These have shown that many of his genealogies are
incorrect for the years prior to 1600 AD. Furthermore, O'Hart was not
a professional historian or genealogist, and had little training in
using the esoteric sources he consulted. As a consequence he
misunderstood a great deal about Gaelic society and culture, a world
which had largely disappeared from Ireland long before he put pen to
paper. He was also credulous in using the sources he did consult,
believing that the myths were fact.
In short, while the pedigree
below is interesting, it should be be read with a sceptical eye, and
the further back you go, the more sceptical your eye should become.
1. Adam
2. Seth
3. Enos
4. Cainan
5. Mahalaleel
6. Jared
7. Enoch
8. Methuselah
9. Lamech
10. Noah divided the
world amongst his three sons, begotten of his wife Titea: viz., to
Shem he gave Asia, within the Euphrates, to the Indian Ocean; to Ham
he gave Syria, Arabia, and Africa; and to Japhet, the rest of Asia
beyond the Euphrates, together with Europe to Gadea (or Cadiz).
11. Japhet was the
eldest son of Noah. He had fifteen sons, amongst whom he divided
Europe and the part of Asia which his father had allotted to him.
12. Magog: From whom
descended the Parthians, Bactrians, Amazons, etc.; Parthalon, the
first planter of Ireland, about three hundred years after the Flood;
and also the rest of the colonies that planted there, viz., the
Nemedians, who planted Ireland, Anno Mundi three thousand and
forty-six, or three hundred and eighteen years after the birth of
Abraham, and two thousand one hundred and fifty-three years before
Christ. The Nemedians continued in Ireland for two hundred and
seventeen years; within which time a colony of theirs went into the
northern parts of Scotland, under the conduct of their leader
Briottan Maol, from whom Britain takes its name, and not from
"Brutus," as some persons believed. From Magog were also
descended the Belgarian, Belgian, Firbolgian or Firvolgian colony
that succeeded the Nemedians, Anno Mundi, three thousand two hundred
and sixty-six, and who first erected Ireland into a Monarchy.
[According to some writers, the Fomorians invaded Ireland next after
the Nemedians.] This Belgarian of Firvolgian colony continued in
Ireland for thirty-six years, under nine of their Kings; when they
were supplanted by the Tuatha-de-Danann (which means, according to
some authorities, "the people of the god Dan," whom they
adored), who possessed Ireland for one hundred and ninety-seven
years, during the reigns of nine of their kings; and who were then
conquered by the Gaelic, Milesian, or Scotic Nation (the three names
by which the Irish people were known), Anno Mundi three thousand five
hundred. This Milesian or Scotic Irish Nation possessed and enjoyed
the Kingdom of Ireland for two thousand eight hundred and eighty-five
years, under one hundred and eighty-three Monarchs; until their
submission to King Henry the Second of England, Anno Domini one
thousand one hundred and eighty-six.
13. Boath, one of the
sons of Magog; to whom Scythia came as his lot, upon the division of
the Earth by Noah amongst his sons, and by Japhet of his part thereof
amongst his sons.
14. Phniusa
Farsaidh (or Fenius Farsa) was King of Scythia, at the time when
Ninus ruled the Assyrian Empire; and, being a wise man and desirous
to learn the languages that not long before confounded the builders
of the Tower of Babel, employed able and learned men to go among the
dispersed multitude to learn their several languages; who sometime
after returning well skilled in what they went for, Phniusa
Farsaidh erected a school in the valley of Senaar, near the city of
Æothena, in the forty-second year of the reign of Ninus;
whereupon, having continued there with his younger son Niul for
twenty years, he returned home to his kingdom, which, at his death,
he left to the oldest son Nenuall; leaving to Niul no other patrimony
than his learning and the benefit of the said school.
15. Niul, after his
father returned to Scythia, continued some time at othena,
teaching the languages and other laudable sciences, until upon report
of his great learning he was invited into Egypt by Pharaoh, the King;
who gave him the land of Campus Cyrunt, near the Red Sea to inhabit,
and his daughter Scota in marriage; from whom their posterity are
ever since called Scots; but, according to some annalists, the name
"Scots" is derived from the word Scythia. It was this Niul
that employed Gaodhal [Gael], son of Ethor, a learned and skilful
man, to compose or rather refine and adorn the language, called
Bearla Tobbai, which was common to all Niul's posterity, and
afterwards called Gaodhilg (or Gaelic), from the said Gaodhal who
composed or refined it; and for his sake also Niul called his own
eldest son "Gaodhal."
16. Gaodhal (or
Gathelus), the son of Niul, and ancestor of Clan-na-Gael, that is,
"the children or descendants of Gaodhal". In his youth this
Gaodhal was stung in the neck by a serpent, and was immediately
brought to Moses, who, laying his rod upon the wounded place,
instantly cured him; whence followed the word "Glas" to be
added to his named, as Gaodhal Glas (glas: Irish, green; Lat.
glaucus; Gr. glaukos), on account of the green scar which the word
signifies, and which, during his life, remained on his neck after the
wound was healed. And Gaodhal obtained a further blessing,
namely-that no venomous beast can live any time where his posterity
should inhabit; which is verified in Creta or Candia, Gothia or
Getulia, Ireland, etc. The Irish chroniclers affirm that from this
time Gaodhal and his posterity did paint the figures of Beasts,
Birds, etc., on their banners and shields, to distinguish their
tribes and septs, in imitation of the Israelites; and that a
"Thunderbolt" was the cognisance in their chief standard
for many generations after this Gaodhal.
17. Asruth, after his
father's death, continued in Egypt and governed his colony in peace
during his life.
18. Sruth, soon after
his father's death, was set upon by the Egyptians, on account of
their former animosities towards their predecessors for having taken
part with the Israelites against them; which animosities until then
lay raked up in the embers, and now broke out in a flame to that
degree, that after many battles and conflicts wherein most of his
colony lost their live, Sruth was forced with the few remaining to
depart the country; and, after many traverses at sea, arrived at the
Island of Creta (now called Candia), where he paid his last tribute
to nature.
19. Heber Scut (scut:
Irish, a Scot), after his father's death and a year's stay in Creta,
departed thence, leaving some of his people to inhabit the Island,
where some of their posterity likely still remain; "because the
Island breeds no venomous serpent ever since." He and his people
soon after arrived in Scythia; where his cousins, the posterity of
Nenuall (eldest son of Fenius Farsa, above mentioned), refusing to
allot a place of habitation form him and his colony, they fought many
battles wherein Heber (with the assistance of some of the natives who
were ill-affected towards their king), being always victor, he at
length forced the sovereignty from the other, and settled himself and
his colony in Scythia, who continued there for four generations.
(Hence the epithet Scut, "a Scot" or "a Scythian,"
was applied to this Heber, who was accordingly called Heber Scot.)
Heber Scot was afterwards slain in battle by Noemus the former king's son.
20. Baouman;
21 Ogaman; and
22. Tait, were each
kings of Scythia, but in constant war with the natives; so that after
Tait's death his son,
23. Agnon and his
followers betook themselves to sea, wandering and coasting upon the
Caspian Sean for several (some say seven) years in which time he died.
24. Lamhfionn and his
fleet remained at sea for some time, after his father's death,
resting and refreshing themselves upon such islands as they met with.
It was then the Cachear, their magician or Druid, foretold that there
would be no end of their peregrinations and travel until they should
arrive at the Western Island of Europe, now called Ireland, which was
the place destined for their future and lasting abode and settlement;
and that not they but their posterity after three hundred years
should arrive there. After many traverses of fortune at sea, this
little fleet with their leader arrived at last and landed at Gothia
or Geulia-more recently called Lybia, where Carthage was afterwards
built; and, soon after, Lamhfionn died there.
25. Heber Glunfionn was
born in Gothia, where he died. His posterity continued there to the
eighth generation; and were kings or chief rulers there for one
hundred and fifty years-some say three hundred years.
26 Agnan Fionn;
27. Febric Glas;
28. Nenuall;
29. Nuadhad;
30. Alladh;
31. Arcadh; and
32. Deag: of these
nothing remarkable is mentioned, but that they lived and died kings
in Gothia or Getulia.
33. Brath was born in
Gothia. Remembering the Druid's prediction, and his people having
considerably multiplied during their abode in Geulia, he departed
thence with a numerous fleet to seek out the country destined for
their final settlement, by the prophecy of Cachear, the Druid above
mentioned; and, after some time, he landed upon the coast of Spain,
and by strong hand settled himself and his colony in Galicia, in the
north of that country.
34. Breoghan (or Brigus)
was king of Galicia, Andalusia, Murcia, Castile, and Portugal-all of
which he conquered. He built Breoghan's Tower or Brigantia in
Galicia, and the city of Brigantia or Braganza in Portugal-called
after him; and the kingdom of Castile was then also called after him
Brigia. It is considered that "Castile" itself was so
called from the figure of a castle which Brigus bore for his Arms on
his banner. Brigus sent a colony into Britain, who settled in that
territory now known as the counties of York, Lancaster, Durham,
Westmoreland, and Cumberland, and, after him were called Brigantes;
whose posterity gave formidable opposition to the Romans, at the time
of the Roman invasion of Britain.
35. Bilé; was
king of those countries after his father's death; and his son Galamh
[galav] or Milesius succeeded him. This Bilé had a brother
named Ithe.
36. Milesius, in his
youth and in his father's life-time, went into Scythia, where he was
kindly received by the king of that country, who gave him his
daughter in marriage, and appointed him General of his forces. In
this capacity Milesius defeated the king's enemies, gained much fame,
and the love of all the king's subjects. His growing greatness and
popularity excited against him the jealousy of the king; who, fearing
the worst, resolved on privately dispatching Milesius our of the way,
for, openly, he dare not attempt it. Admonished of the king's
intentions in his regard, Milesius slew him; and thereupon quitted
Scythia and retired into Egypt with a fleet of sixty sail. Pharaoh
Nectonibus, then king of Egypt, being informed of his arrival and of
his great valour, wisdom, and conduct in arms, made him General of
all his forces against the king of Ethiopia then invading his
country. Here, as in Scythia, Milesius was victorious; he forced the
enemy to submit to the conqueror's own terms of peace. By these
exploits Milesius found great favour with Pharaoh, who gave him,
being then a widower, his daughter Scota in marriage; and kept him
eight years afterwards in Egypt. During the sojourn of Milesius in
Egypt, he employed the most ingenious and able persons among his
people to be instructed in the several trades, arts, and sciences
used in Egypt; in order to have them taught to the rest of his people
on his return to Spain. [The original name of Milesius of Spain was
"Galamh" (gall: Irish, a stranger; amh, a negative affix),
which means, no stranger: meaning that he was no stranger in Egypt,
where he was called "Milethea Spaine," which was afterwards
contracted to "Miló Spaine" (meaning the Spanish
Hero), and finally to "Milesiius" (mileadh: Irish, a hero;
Lat. miles, a soldier).] At length Milesius took leave of his
father-in-law, and steered towards Spain; where he arrived to the
great joy and comfort of his people; who were much harassed by the
rebellion of the natives and by the intrusion of other foreign
nations that forced in after his father's death, and during his own
long absence from Spain. With these and those he often met; and, in
fifty-four battles, victoriously fought, he routed, destroyed, and
totally extirpated them out of the country, which he settled in peace
and quietness. In his reign a great dearth and famine occurred in
Spain, of twenty-six years' continuance, occasioned, as well by
reason of the former troubles which hindered the people from
cultivating, and manuring the ground, as for want of rain to moisten
the earth - but Milesius superstitiously believed the famine to have
fallen upon him and his people as a judgment and punishment from
their gods, for their negligence in seeking out the country destined
for their final abode, so long before foretold by Cachear their Druid
or magician, as already mentioned - the time limited by the prophecy
for the accomplishment thereof being now nearly, if not fully,
expired. To expiate his fault and to comply with the will of his
gods, Milesius, with the general approbation of his people, sent his
uncle Ithe, with his son Lughaidh [Luy], and one hundred and fifty
stout men to bring them an account of those western islands; who,
accordingly, arriving at the island since then called Ireland, and
landing in that part of it now called Munster, left his son with
fifty of his men to guard the ship, and with the rest travelled about
the island. Informed, among other things, that the three sons of
Cearmad, called Mac-Cuill, MacCeacht, and MacGreine, did then and for
thirty years before rule and govern the island, each for one year, in
his turn; and that the country was called after the names of their
three queens - Eire, Fodhla, and Banbha, respectively: one year
called "Eire," the next "Fodhla," and the next
"Banbha," as their husbands reigned in their regular turns;
by which names the island is ever since indifferently called, but
most commonly "Eire," because that MacCuill, the husband of
Eire, ruled and governed the country in his turn the year that the
Clan-na-Milé (or the sons of Milesius) arrived in and
conquered Ireland. And being further informed that the three brothers
were then at their palace at Aileach Neid, in the north part of the
country, engaged in the settlement of some disputes concerning their
family jewels, Ithe directed his course thither; sending orders to
his son to sail about with his ship and the rest of his men, and meet
him there. When Ithe arrived where the (Danann) brothers were, be was
honourably received and entertained by them; and, finding him to be a
mail of great wisdom. and knowledge, they referred their disputes to
him for decision. That decision having met their entire satisfaction,
Ithe exhorted them to mutual love, peace, and forbearance; adding
much in praise of their delightful, pleasant, and fruitful country;
and then took his leave, to return to his ship, and go back to Spain.
No sooner was he gone than the brothers; began to reflect on the high
commendations which Ithe gave of the Island; and, suspecting his
design of bringing others to invade it, resolved to prevent them, and
therefore pursued him with a strong party, overtook him, fought and
routed his men and wounded himself to death (before his son or the
rest of his men left on ship-board could come to his rescue) at a
place called, from that fight and his name, Magh Ithe or "The
plain of Ithe" (an extensive plain in the barony of Raphoe,
county Donegal); whence his son, having found him in that condition,
brought his dead and mangled body back into Spain, and there exposed
it to public view, thereby to excite his friends and relations to
avenge his murder. [Note: that all the invaders and planters of
Ireland, namely, Parthalonians, Neimhedh, the Firbolgs,
Tuatha-de-Danann, and Clan-na-Milé, where originally
Scythians, of the line of Japbet, who had the language called
Bearla-Tobbai or Gaoidhilg [Gaelic] common amongst them all; and
consequently not to be wondered at, that Ithe and the
Tuatha-de-Danann understood one another without an Interpreter - both
speaking the same language, though perhaps with some difference in
the accent]. The exposing of the dead body of Ithe had the desired
effect; for, thereupon, Milesius made great preparations in order to
invade Ireland - as well to avenge his uncle's death, as also in
obedience to the will of his gods, signified by the prophecy of
Cachear, aforesaid. But, before he could effect that object, he died,
leaving the care, and charge of that expedition upon his eight
legitimate sons by his two wives before mentioned. Milesius was a
very valiant champion, a great warrior, and fortunate and prosperous
in all his undertakings: witness his name of "Milesius,"
given him from the many battles (some say a thousand, which the word
"Milé" signifies in Irish as well as in Latin) which
he victoriously fought and won, as well in Spain, as in all the other
countries and kingdoms be traversed in his younger days. The eight
brothers were neither forgetful nor negligent in the execution of
their father's command; but, soon after his death, with a numerous
fleet well manned and equipped, set forth from Breoghan's Tower or
Brigantia (now Corunna) in Galicia, in Spain, and sailed prosperously
to the coasts of Ireland or lnis-Fail, where they met many
difficulties and various chances before they could land: occasioned
by the diabolical arts, sorceries, and enchantments used by the
Tuatha-de-Danann, to obstruct their landing; for, by their magic art,
they enchanted the island so as to appear to the Milesians or
Clan-na-Milé in the form of a Hog, and no way to come at it
(whence the island, among the many other names it had before, was
called "Muc-Inis or "The Hog Island"); and withal
raised so great a storm, that the Milesian fleet was thereby totally
dispersed and many of them cast away, wherein five of the eight
brothers, sons of Milesius, lost their lives. That part of the fleet
commanded by Heber, Heremon, and Amergin (the three surviving,
brothers), and Heber Donn, son of Ir (one of the brothers lost in the
storm), overcame all opposition, landed safe, fought and routed the
three Tuatha-de Danann Kings at Slieve-Mis, and thence pursued and
overtook them at Tailten, where another bloody battle was fought;
wherein the three (Tuatha-de-Danann) Kings and their Queens were
slain, and their army utterly routed and destroyed: so that they
could never after give any opposition to the Clan-na-Milé in
their new conquest; who, having thus sufficiently avenged the death
of their great uncle Ithe, gained the possession of the country
foretold them by Cachear, some ages past, as already mentioned. Heber
and Heremon, the chief leading men remaining of the eight brothers,
sons of Milesius aforesaid, divided the kingdom between them
(allotting a proportion of land to their brother Amergin, who was
their Arch-priest, Druid, or magician; and to their nephew Heber
Donn, and to the rest of their chief commanders), and became jointly
the first of one hundred and eighty-three Kings or sole Monarchs of
the Gaelic, Milesian, or Scottish Race, that ruled and governed
Ireland, successively, for two thousand eight hundred and eighty-five
years from the first year of their reign), Anno Mundi three thousand
five hundred, to their submission to the Crown of England in the
person of King Henry the Second; who, being also of the Milesian Race
by Maude, his mother, was lineally descended from Fergus Mór
MacEarca, first King of Scotland, who was descended from the said
Heremon - so that the succession may be truly said to continue in the
Milesian Blood from before Christ one thousand six hundred and
ninety-nine years down to the present time. Heber and Heremon reigned
jointly one year only, when, upon a difference between their
ambitious wives, they quarrelled and fought a battle at Ardeath or
Geshill (Geashill, near Tullamore in the King's County), where Heber
was slain by Heremon; and, soon after, Amergin, who claimed an equal
share in the government, was, in another battle fought between them,
likewise slain by Heremon. Thus, Heremon became sole Monarch, and
made a new division of the land amongst his comrades and friends,
viz.: the south part, now called Munster, he gave to his brother
Heber's four sons, Er, Orba, Feron, and Fergna; the north part, now
Ulster, he gave to Ir's only son Heber Donn; the east part or
Coigeadh, Galian, now called Leinster, be gave to
Criomthann-sciath-bheil, one of his commanders; and the west part,
now called Connaught, Heremon gave to Un-Mac-Oigge, another of his
commanders; allotting a part of Munster to Lughaidh (the son of Ithe,
the first Milesian discoverer of Ireland), amongst his brother
Heber's sons. From these three brothers, Heber, Ir, and Heremon
(Amergin dying without issue), are descended all the Milesian Irish
of Ireland and Scotland, viz.: from Heber, the eldest brother, the
provincial Kings of Munster (of whom thirty-eight were sole Monarchs
of Ireland), and most of the nobility and gentry of Munster, and many
noble families in Scotland, are descended. From Ir, the second
brother, all the provincial Kings of Ulster (of whom twenty-six were
sole Monarchs of Ireland), and all the ancient nobility and gentry of
Ulster, and many noble families in Leinster, Munster, and Connaught,
derive their pedigrees; and, in Scotland, the Clan-na-Rory - the
descendants of an eminent man, named Ruadhri or Roderick, who was
Monarch of Ireland for seventy years (viz., from Before Christ 288 to
218). From Heremon, the youngest of the three brothers, were
descended one hundred and fourteen sole Monarchs of Ireland: the
provincial Kings and Hermonian nobility and gentry of Leinster,
Connaught, Meath, Orgiall, Tirowen, Tirconnell, and Clan-na-boy; the
Kings of Dalriada; all the Kings of Scotland from Fergus Mór
MacEarea, down to the Stuarts; and the Kings and Queens of England
from Henry the Second down to tile present time. The issue of Ithe is
not accounted among the Milesian Irish or Clan-na-Milé, as not
being descended from Milesius, but from his uncle Ithe; of whose
posterity there were also some Monarchs of Ireland (see Roll of the
Irish Monarchs, infra), and many provincial or half provincial Kings
of Munster: that country upon its first division being allocated to
the sons of Heber and to Lughaidh, son of Ithe, whose posterity
continued there accordingly. This invasion, conquest, or plantation
of Ireland by the Milesian or Scottish Nation took place in the Year
of the World three thousand Ova hundred, or the next year after
Solomon began the foundation of the Temple of Jerusalem, and one
thousand six hundred and ninety-nine years before the Nativity of our
Saviour Jesus Christ; which, according to the Irish computation of
Time, occurred Anno Mundi five thousand one hundred and ninety-nine:
therein agreeing with the Septuagint, Roman Martyrologies, Eusebius,
Orosius, and other ancient authors; which computation the ancient
Irish chroniclers exactly observed in their Books of the Reigns of
the Monarchs of Ireland, and other Antiquities of that Kingdom ; out
of which the Roll of the Monarchs of Ireland, from the beginning of
the Milesian Monarchy to their submission to King Henry the Second of
England, a Prince of their own Blood, is exactly collected. [As the
Milesian invasion of Ireland took place the next year after the
laying of the foundation of the Temple of Jerusalem by Solomon, King
of Israel, we may infer that Solomon was contemporary with Milesius
of Spain; and that the Pharaoh King of Egypt, who (1 Kings iii. 1,)
gave his daughter in marriage to Solomon, was the Pharaoh who
conferred on Milesius of Spain the hand of another daughter Scota.]
Milesius of Spain bore three Lions in his shield and standard, for
the following reasons; namely, that, in his travels in his younger
days into foreign countries, passing through Africa, he, by his
cunning and valour, killed in one morning three Lions; and that, in
memory of so noble and valiant an exploit, he always after bore three
Lions on his shield, which his two surviving sons Heber and Heremon,
and his grandson Heber Donn, son of Ir, after their conquest of
Ireland, divided amongst them, as well as they did the country: each
of them. bearing a Lion in his shield and banner, but of different
colours; which the Chiefs of their posterity continue to this day:
some with additions and differences; others plain and entire as they
had it from their ancestors.
37. Ir: his son. This
Prince was one of the chief leaders of the expedition undertaken for
the conquest of Erinn, but was doomed never to set foot on the
"Sacred Isle;" a violent storm scattered the fleet as it
was coasting round the island in search of a landing place, the
vessel commanded by him was separated from the rest of the fleet and
driven upon the island since called Scellig-Mhicheal, off the Kerry
coast, where it split on a rock and sank with all on board, B.C. 1700.
38. Heber Donn: his son;
born in Spain; was granted by Heber and Heremon the possession of the
northern part of Ireland, now called Ulster.
39. Hebric: his son; was
killed in a domestic quarrel.
40. Artra: his youngest
son; succeeded in the government of Uladh or Ulster; his elder
brothers, Cearmna and Sobhrach, put forth their claims to sovereign
authority, gave battle to the Monarch Eochaidh, whom they slew and
then mounted his throne; they were at length slain: Sobhrach at Dun
Sobhrach, or "Dunseverick," in the county of Antrim, by
Eochaidh Meann; and Cearmna (in a sanguinary battle fought near Dun
Cearmna, now called the Old Head at Kinsale, in the county of Cork,
where he had his residence), by his successor Eochaidh Faobhar-glas,
grandson of Heber Fionn, B.C. 1492.
41. Artrach: son of Artra.
42. Sedna: his son; slew
Rotheacta, son of Maoin, of the race of Heremon, Monarch of Ireland,
and, mounting his throne, became the 23rd Monarch. It was during his
reign that the Dubhloingeas or "pirates of the black fleet"
came to plunder the royal palace of Cruachan in Roscommon, and the
King was slain, in an encounter with those plunderers, by his own son
and successor, who mistook his father for a pirate chief whom he had
slain and whose helmet he wore.
43. Fiacha Fionn
Scothach, the 24th Monarch: son of Sedna; so called from the
abundance of white flowers with which every plain in Erinn abounded
during his reign; was born in the palace of Rath-Cruachan, B.C. 1402;
and slain, B.C. 1332, in the 20th year of his reign, by Munmoin, of
the Line of Heber.
44. Eochaidh (2): his
son; better known as Ollamh Fodhla, i.e., "Ollamh, or chief poet
of Fodhla" (or Ireland); began his reign, A.M. 3882, B.C. 1317
(according to the received computation of the Septuagint, making A.D.
1 agree with A.M. 5199). This Eochaidh was the 27th Monarch of
Ireland, and reigned 40 years. It was this Monarch who first
instituted the Feis Teamhrach (or "Parliament of Tara"),
which met about the time called "Samhuin" (or 1st of
November) for making laws, reforming general abuses, revising
antiquities, genealogies, and chronicles, and purging them from all
corruption and falsehood that might have been foisted into them since
the last meeting. This Triennial Convention was the first Parliament
of which we have any record on the face of the globe; and was
strictly observed from its first institution to A.D. 1172; and, even
as late as A.D. 1258, we read in our native Annals of an Irish
Parliament, at or near Newry. It was this Monarch who built Mur
Ollamhan at Teamhair (which means "Ollamh's fort at Tara");
he also appointed a chieftain over every cantred and a brughaidh over
every townland.
According to some
chroniclers, "Ulster" was first called Uladh, from Ollamh
Fodhla. His posterity maintained themselves in the Monarchy of
Ireland for 250 years, without any of the two other septs of Heber
and Heremon intercepting them. He died at an advanced age, A.M. 3922,
at his own Mur (or house) at Tara, leaving five sons, viz.: 1.
Slanoll; 2. Finachta Fionnsneachta (or Elim); 3. Gead Ollghothach,
and 4. Fiacha, who were successively Monarchs of Ireland; and 5. Cairbre.
45. Cairbre: son of
Ollamh Fodhla; King of Uladh; d. in the 22nd year of the reign of his
brother Fiacha.
46. Labhradh: his son;
governed Ulster during the long reign of his cousin Oiliol, son of Slanoll.
47. Bratha: his son; was
slain by Breasrigh, a prince of the Heberian race, in the 12th year
of the reign of Nuadhas Fionn-Fail.
48. Fionn: his son;
fought against the Monarch Eochaidh Apach at Tara, defeated him, and
became the 42nd Monarch; but after a reign of 22 years was slain by
Seidnae Innaraidh, his successor.
49. Siorlamh: his son;
so called from the extraordinary length of his hands (Lat.
"longimanus," or longhanded); slew the Monarch Lughaidh
Iardhonn, and assumed the sovereignty of the kingdom, which he held
for 16 years, at the expiration of which, in B.C. 855, he was slain
by Eochaidh Uarceas, son of the former King.
50. Argeadmar (or
Argethamar): his son; ascended the Throne of Ireland, B.C. 777, and
was the 58th Monarch; after a reign of 30 years, was slain by Duach
Ladhrach. He left four sons: - 1. Fiontan, whose son, Ciombaoth, was
the 63rd Monarch; 2. Diomain, whose son, Dithorba, became the 62nd
Monarch; 3. Badhum, who was father of Aodh Ruadh, the 61st Monarch,
who was drowned at Eas Ruadh (or Assaroe), now Ballyshannon, in the
county of Donegal, and grandfather of Macha Mongruadh, or "Macha
of the Golden Tresses," the 64th Monarch, and the only queen
Ireland ever has had, who laid the foundation of the Royal Palace of
Emania, in the county of Armagh, where her consort Cimbath, died of
the plague; the fourth son of Argeadmar was Fomhar.
51. Fomhar: son of
Argeadmar; died during the reign of Cimbath.
52. Dubh: his son; was
King of Ulster.
53. Ros: his son.
54. Srubh: his son.
55. Indereach: his son.
56. Glas: his son.
57. Carbre (or Cathair):
his son.
58. Feabhardhile: his son.
59. Fomhar (2): his son.
60. Dubh (2): his son.
61. Sithrich: his son.
62. Ruadhri (or Rory)
Mór: his son; was the 86th Monarch; died B.C. 218. From him
the "Clan-na-Rory" were so called. He left, amongst other
children - 1. Bresal Bodhiobha, and 2. Congall Clareineach, who were
respectively the 88th and the 90th Monarchs; 3. Conragh, the father
of the 105th Monarch Eiliomh; 4. Fachna Fathach, the 92nd Monarch,
who, by his wife Neasa was father of Conor; 5. Ros Ruadh, who by his
wife Roigh, the father of the celebrated Fergus Mór; and 6.
Cionga, the ancestor of the heroic Conal Cearnach, from whom are
descended O'Moore, MacGuinness, M'Gowan, and several other powerful
families in Ulster and Conacht.
63. Ros Ruadh: son of
Rory Mór; m. Roigh, dau. of an Ulster Prince.
64. Fergus Mór:
his son; commonly called "Fergus MacRoy" or "Fergus
MacRoich," from Roigh, his mother, who was of the sept of Ithe;
was King of Ulster for three (some say seven) years, and then forced
from the sovereignty by his cousin, Conor MacNeasa, where-upon he
retired into Conacht, where he was received by Maedhbh (Maev) Queen
of that Province, and by her husband Oilioll Mór, and,
sustained by them, was in continual war with Conor MacNeasa during
their lives.
Maedhbh was the daughter
of Eochy Feidlioch, the 93rd Monarch, who gave her in marriage to his
favourite Tinne, son of Conragh, son of Ruadhri Mór (No. 62 on
this stem), with the Province of Conacht as a dowry. This prince was
slain at Tara by Monire, a Lagenian prince, in a personal quarrel;
and Maedhbh soon after married Oilioll (who was much older than she
was), the son of Ros Ruadh by Matha Muireasg, a Lagenian princess.
Oiliol was far advanced in years when Fergus Mór sought
shelter beneath his roof at Rath-Craughan, in Roscommon, and the
Queen Maedhbh, being young, strayed from virtue's path, proved with
child by Fergus, and was delivered of three male children at a birth.
The names of these princes were: - 1. Ciar [Kiar], a quo Ciarruighe
Luachra, Ciarruighe Chuirc, Ciarruighe Aoi, and Ciarruighe Coinmean;
2. Corc, a quo Corc Modhruadh (or Corcumroe); and 3. Conmac, a quo
Conmaicne-Mara (now Connemara), Conmaicne Cuile Tolaigh (now the
barony of Kilmaine, co. Mayo), Conmaicne Magh Rein (the present co.
Longford, and the southern half of the co. Leitrim), Conmaicne Cinel
Dubhain (now the barony of Dunmore, co. Galway).
According to the native
genealogists these three sons of Fergus and Maedhbh ought to stand in
the following order - 1. Conmac; 2. Ciar; and 3. Corc.
Fergus Mór was
slain by an officer belonging to the court of Oiliol Mór, as
he was bathing in a pond near the royal residence, and he was
interred at Magh Aoi.
The other children of
Fergus Mór were: - 1. Dallan, 2. Anluim, 3. Conri, 4. Aongus
Fionn, 5. Oiliol, 6. Firceighid, 7. Uiter, 8. Finfailig, 9.
Firtleachta, and 10. Binne.
65. Asadhmun: his son.
Had three half brothers - 1. Conmac, 2. Ciar, 3. Corc.
66. Ailsach: son of Asadhmun.
67. Oineach: his son.
68. Eoghan: his son.
69. Delbhna: his son.
70. Fiodhcuirce: his son.
71. Eachamun: his son.
72. Alt: his son.
73. Athre: his son.
74. Eachadun: his son.
75. Orbsinmhar: his son.
76. Modhart: his son.
77. Saul: his son.
78. Meascu: his son.
79. Ullamh: his son.
80. Measa: son of Ullamn.
81. Cuilean: his son.
82. Cunath: his son.
83. Mearcus: his son.
84. Arad: his son.
85. Iomchadh: his son.
86. Cathair: his son.
87. Luchd: his son.
88. Adhlann: his son.
89. Luchd: his son.
90. Luchdreach: his son.
91. Maoltoirnd: his son.
92. Bath: his son.
93. Elhe
("ele:" Irish, a bier, a litter): his son; a quo O'h-Eilighe.
94. Feargus: his son.
95. Felim: his son.
96. Coibhdealach: his son.
97. Conrach: his son.
98. Conmhach: his son.
99. Conn O'Healy: his son.
Some Irish Genealogists deduce the descent of
the "O'Healy" family from Cosgrach, son of Lorcan, King of
Thomond, who was grandfather of Brian Boroimhe [Boru] and who was the
175th Monarch of Ireland; others deduce it from the "O'Haly"
family, which is an anglicised form of the Irish O'h-Algaich
("algach": Irish, noble), while "Haly" pedigrees,
respectively), the two genealogies are quite distinct, and the two
families not at all descended from the same stock as
"O'Healy;" for it is the "O'Haly" family that is
descended from Cosgrach, son of Lorcan and the "O'Hally"
family is descended from Donchuan, brother of Brian Boru, while the
"O'Healy" family is descended from Fergus Mór.
Others again say that the O'Healys of Donoughmore are a branch of the
"MacCarthy Mór" family, Princes of Desmond; but we
are unable to trace that connection. It is worthy of remark, however,
that the Arms assigned by Keating to the "O'Healy" family,
namely - Azure a fesse between three stags heads erased in chief
argent and a demi lion ramp. in base Or., are borne by the Helys,
Earls of Donoughmore: which goes to show that their name was formerly "O'Healy."
For further information try the Healy Family Network