| Gallagher Ó Gallchobhair | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parent house | Northern Uí Néill |
| Country | Kingdom of Tyrconnell |
| Founder | Gallchobhar mac Rorcain |
| Titles |
|
| Cadet branches | Cannon O'Muldorey |
TheGallagher (Irish:Ó Gallchobhair) family ofCounty Donegal, formerly one of the leading clans ofCenél Conaill, and therefore of allUlster, originated in the 10th century as a derivative of their progenitorGallchobhar mac Rorcain, senior-most descendant ofConall Gulban, son ofNiall Mór Noigíallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages).[1][2][3] The O'Gallaghers held theHigh Kingship of Ireland during the early medieval period.[1] They also held the rank of hereditaryMarshal of theKingdom of Tyrconnell, ruled by their kinsmen theO'Donnells, from the 14th until the early 17th century.[4]
| Male | Daughter | Wife(Long) | Wife(Short) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ó Gallchobhair | Ní Ghallchobhair | Bean Uí Ghallchobhair | Uí Ghallchobhair |
| Ó Gallachóir | Ní Ghallachóir | Bean Uí Ghallachóir | Uí Ghallachóir |
Conall Gulban, son ofNiall Noígiallach, founded the kingdom ofTír Chonaill (Tyrconnell) in the 5th century. It comprises much of what is nowCounty Donegal, and several surrounding areas. The following is a pruned and truncated version of theConall Gulban family tree with Conall Gulban's brothersEógan, toLóegaire, also displayed. For clarity's sake the number of Conall Gulban's sons, grandsons and great-grandsons are not listed. Gallchobar is descended fromMael Coba brother ofDomnall mac Áedo.[5]
Genetic analysis of GallagherY chromosomehaplogroups can trace back their origin to a single medieval, 5th-century individual, lending credence to the legend ofNiall Noígiallach.[2]
The prefix Mac means 'son of' and the now more popular Ua (later Ó') means 'grandson of, or, of the generations of'.[6]
Niall Noígiallach, died c. A.D.455. | |________________________________________________________________________________ | | | | | | | | | | | | Conall GulbanEógan CairpreFiachaConall CremthainneLóegaire | | | | | | | | | | | | |Cenél nEógain |Cenél Fiachach |Cenél Lóegaire | | | |Cenél Cairpre / \ | / \ | / \ |Clann CholmáinSíl nÁedo Sláine |Cenél Conaill ofIn Fochla | |_________________________________________________ | | Fergus Cennfota | |_________________________________________________ | | Sétna | |_________________________________________________ | | | | |Ainmuire mac Sétnai, d. 569 Lugaid Rí/King of Ireland | |Cenél Lugdach |__________________________________________________ | |Áed (mac Ainmuirech), d.598 | |__________________________________________________________ | | | | | | | |Domnall, d.642 Conall Cu,Mael Coba, d.615, Cumuscach, d.597 | | |_____________ | | | | | | |CellachConall Cael | | both died658 &654 | | | ~ | | | Gallchobar | (Clann Ua Gallchobair) | |___________________________________________________________ | |Óengus, died650 | |Further Cenél Conaill.
The O'Gallagherclan hails from theIrish baronies of Tír Aodha/Tír Hugh ("land of Hugh") andRaphoe, in the east ofCounty Donegal, Ireland, in which Ballybeit and Ballynaglack served as seats of their power.[7] They were anciently chiefs ofCenél Aedha (the descendants ofÁed mac Ainmuireach) and of the largerCenél Conaill.
One modern and thereforeapocryphal origin story is that the original person, being a courageous and charitable person, went to the assistance of the crew of the first Viking ship to arrive off the Irish coast and whose ship was wrecked off the coast of County Donegal, where he was the local chieftain. He having first saved them and then cared for them, they eventually returned to their homeland, only to return soon after with the first raiding party. Hence it is argued he was given the name ("Gall" means stranger or foreigner in modern Irish and the ending "cubhair" and "cobhair" which for the purpose of this story is said to be derived from "cabhair" in modern Irish meaning help or helper). Whatever the derivation of his name (see reference to O' Clery's Glossary above giving the derivation as Gal+acobhar 'ambition of valour'), Gallchobhar was the one given the role of founding father of the clan at the advent of surname use in Ireland in around the 10th century.[8] The earliest recorded incidence of the name in a fragment of a manuscript presently in the Royal Library of Brussels is "Gallchubhair".[9] A similarly earlier mention occurs in theAnnals of the Four Masters, where it is recorded that Mael Cobo Úi Gallchobhar,abbot of Scrin Adamnain, died in 1022AD.[10]
The family's origins are with thechieftain Aodh, a name corresponding to the English Hugh (whenceTirhugh), a lineal descendant ofConall Gulban son of 5th-centuryhigh king andwarlord Niall Noígíallach, known in English asNiall of the Nine Hostages, who is reputed to have broughtSt Patrick to Ireland as a slave. Aodh established hisdúnarus fort building or residence at a place corresponding to the present-daytownland of Glassbolie[where?] in Tirhugh. The chieftains of his line ruled in relative peace[dubious –discuss] for several generations until the beginning of theViking invasion of Ireland in the 9th century. The ruling chieftain of the time, whose real name is not recorded, was almost certainly obliged[dubious –discuss] to come to some accommodation with the foreign invader resulting in the nickname "Gallcóbhair" which has been applied to his descendants thereafter.[dubious –discuss]
It would appear that the previously obscureCenél Lugdach forged multiple matrimonial alliances with the local Viking leadership, and not the Gallchobair of theCenél Aedha who existed before the arrival of the Vikings in the800s, the Cenél Lugdach are descended fromLugaid mac Sétnai, one of the great-grandsons of Conall Gulban.[5] In contrast to the Gallchobair who are descended from his brother and the first born sonAinmuire mac Sétnai. TheCenél Lugdach tribal territory extended from Dobhar (Gweedore) to the river Suilidhe (Swilly) in Donegal. From this clan descend the Cenél Conaill surnames ofO'Doherty, andO'Donnell.
The modern surname system began c. 900,[6] but wasn't adopted in its entirety until about 1100. Despite the legend thatBrian Boru was somehow responsible for the widespread implementation of this naming system, the custom may have developed of its own accord as the Irish population grew in size.[11]
The Ó Gallchobhairsept claims to be the most senior family of theCenél Conaill as Gallchobar was descended fromConall Gulban. The sept's territory was spread across the areas within themodern baronies ofRaphoe and Tirhugh inCounty Donegal. From the 14th century until the 16th century, the sept's chiefs were marshalsof the O'Donnell cavalry in the O'DonnellLucht Tighe. The principal branch of the family was centred at Ballybeit and Ballynaglack.[12] Although generally aligned with the O'Donnells during the period, a renegade band of Gallaghers helped their rival,Shane O'Neill, escape after theBattle of Fearsaid Suili in 1567.[13]
In the 16th century, the Ó Gallchobairs also opposed the Ó Donnells for a short time for religious reasons afterKing Henry VIII of England declared himself King of Ireland andhead of the church in theTudor conquest of Ireland beginning in 1541. To maintain their lands and power, the Ó Donnell Lord ofTír Conaill, was forced to recognise Henry VIII as King of Ireland, leader of the Irish Church and had to defend thenew English religion from anyone who would advocatepapal authority. As a result, the Ó Donnells supported Bishop O'Kane over Edmond O'Gallagher. O'Gallagher was never accepted as bishop, and he died mysteriously in 1543. The O'Gallagher clan then seized the Ó DonnellLifford Castle in retaliation, for about a year.[10]
With the death of Edmond, the Pope appointed another Gallagher as Bishop of Raphoe in his place, although this bishop was not capable of assuming this position until the arrival of the English queenMary, who restoredRoman Catholicism as the state religion in 1553. It appears that, with the death of the subservient Ó Donnell lord, the practice of Catholicism was left to continue peacefully in Tír Conaill, at least up to the end of theNine Years' War (c. 1594) and the BritishPlantation of Ulster (1606).[10]
Redmond O'Gallagher was appointedBishop of Killala byPope Paul III in 1545 and presumably was recognised bythe Crown in the reign of Queen Mary I, but there is no record of his recognition byQueen Elizabeth I. In 1569, Redmond O'Gallagher was appointedBishop of Derry. He died in office on 15 March 1601. Donat O'Gallagher,OFM succeeded Redmond asBishop of Killala in 1570. In 1580, Donat was appointedBishop of Down and Connor and died in office in 1581.
In theAnnals of the Four Masters, on 14 September 1607, mention byTadhg Ó Cianáin is made of five Gallaghers named Cathaoir (mac Toimlin), Cathaoir (mac Airt), Toirleach Corrach, Tuathal and Aodh Og, who accompanied theO'Donnell 'Earls', as they fled Ireland. They stayed inBelgium and joined theO'Neill regiment in the SpanishArmy of Flanders. The regiment fought against the Dutch during theEighty Years' War. Aodh Ó Gallchobhair and his wife (mentor and nursemaid of O'Donnell sons) chose to travel with the O'Donnells to Rome.[14][15]
Michael Gallagher was the first to arrive in North America as a merchantfur trader, in the year 1750.
Captain Gallagher (died 1818) was an Irishhighwayman who, as one of the later Irishrapparees (guerrillas), led a bandit group in the hills of the Irish countryside, armed with theBlunderbuss of the day, during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.[16][17][18]
Born inBonniconlon,County Mayo into a family originally fromCounty Donegal, he lived with his aunt inDerryronane, Swinford, for much of his early life and was raised near the woods ofBarnalyra (roughly the location of modern-dayIreland West Airport).[17] As he reached early adulthood, he and a group of others began raidingmail coaches as well as wealthy landowners and travellers throughout eastern Mayo and parts of southernCounty Sligo and westernCounty Roscommon.
His attacks on landowners were especially widely known and, in one reported incident, Gallagher and his men raided the home of an extremely unpopular landlord inKillasser and forced him to eat half a dozeneviction notices he had recently drawn up for nearly half a dozentenant farmers before escaping with silver and other valuables.
Although successfully evading British patrols for some time, he was finally apprehended by authorities in the parish ofCoolcarney (or possiblyAttymass) near the foothills of theOx Mountains while recovering from an illness at a friend's home during Christmas.
He had been informed on by a neighbour whom Gallagher had formerly helped after sending a message of Gallagher's whereabouts to the British commanding officer atFoxford. Immediately sending for reinforcements fromBallina,Castlebar andSwinford, a force of 200redcoats were sent after Gallagher and, upon their arrival, proceeded to surround the home where the highwayman had been staying. Gallagher, by then in poor health and not wishing to endanger his host or his family, surrendered to the British. Taken back to Foxford, he was tried and convicted before being taken toCastlebar, where he was executed.
Shortly before his execution, he had claimed to the British commanding officer that his treasure had been hidden under a rock in the woods of Barnalyra. After Gallagher's execution, the officer quickly led several cavalryman to Barnalyra who discovered there were thousands of rocks in the wood, upon a long search of all the rocks within the area, they reportedly only recovered a jewelhilted sword. It has been speculated that Gallagher may have been hoping to lead them to the site in the hopes his men would be able to rescue him from their hideout near the Derryronane-Curryane border although the treasure was never recovered.
Cork Free Press'sFrank Gallagher, hired by William O'Brien of the political party, theAll-for-Ireland League, was a prominentSinn Féin supporter in the press. However, the paper was censored and suppressed in 1916 after Frank, as itsrepublican editor, accused the British authorities of lying about the conditions and situation of republican prisoners inFrongoch internment camp.[19] In December 1931, Gallagher now atThe Irish Press, was prosecuted by theIrish Free State military tribunal for publishingSeditious libel, articles alleging thatGardaí had mistreated the opponents (Anti-Treaty republicans) of the Irish Free State government. This was facilitated byAmendment No. 17 ofConstitution of the Irish Free State and Gallagher was convicted and fined £50.[20]Frank is most well known for penningFour Glorious Years 1918–1921[21] and becoming the deputy director of thefirst Dáil's Department of Publicity in March 1921, assisting his colleagueErskine Childers, and together they published theIrish Bulletin.[22] In 1965 his bookThe Anglo-Irish Treaty was published posthumously.[23] In 1974The indivisible island: the history of the partition of Ireland was to be his last published, again posthumously.[24]
Harry Gallagher and his wifeEileen Gallagher were the founders ofUrney Chocolates. Their son wasRedmond Gallagher, an Irish nationalist, racing driver and businessman who was introduced toAdolf Hitler in 1934.[25][26]
The Gallaghercoat of arms displays a blacklion rampant on a silvershield, treading on a green snake surrounded by eight greentrefoils. The correctheraldic blazon is "Argent, a lion rampant Sable, treading on a serpent in fess Proper, between eight trefoils Vert."[27] Thecrest which surmounts thehelmet over the shield depicts a redcrescent surrounding a green snake or, to give its heraldic definition, "A crescent gules out of the horns a serpent erect proper". Themotto of theclan inLatin isMea Gloria Fides ("The Faith is My Glory").[28] While in Irish it isBuaidh nó Bás ("Victory or death").[29][30][31][32]
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