Ó Conghalaigh is a

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

-Irish surname. It derives from the forename ''Conghal'', meaning "fierce as a hound". It is often

anglicised Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...

as Connolly, Connally, Connelly and occasionally as Conley. In modern Irish it may be spelled as ''Ó Conghaile''.

Overview

A number of distinct and unrelated families bore the surname in

Gaelic Ireland Gaelic Ireland ( ga, Éire Ghaelach) was the Gaelic political and social order, and associated culture, that existed in Ireland from the late prehistoric era until the early 17th century. It comprised the whole island before Anglo-Normans co ...

, and with a number of spelling variants. They included: * Ó Conghalaigh of Iar Connacht (now

County Galway "Righteousness and Justice" , anthem = () , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg , map_caption = Location in Ireland , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = ...

) * Ó Coingheallaigh in the

Kingdom of Desmond The Kingdom of Desmond () was a historic kingdom in southwestern Ireland. It was founded in 1118 by Tadhg Mac Cárthaigh, King of Munster when the Treaty of Glanmire formally divided the Kingdom of Munster into Desmond and Thomond (, "North ...

(now west

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...

) * Ó Conghalaigh of Derrygonnelly, Fear Manach (now

County Fermanagh County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the six counties of Northern Ireland. The county covers an area of 1,691 km2 (653 sq mi) and has a population of 61,805 a ...

) * Ó Conghalaigh of

Airgíalla Airgíalla (Modern Irish: Oirialla, English: Oriel, Latin: ''Ergallia'') was a medieval Irish over-kingdom and the collective name for the confederation of tribes that formed it. The confederation consisted of nine minor kingdoms, all independe ...

(now County Monaghan and/or

County Meath County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the sou ...

) * Ó Conghaile Muirthemne from

County Louth County Louth ( ; ga, An Lú) is a coastal county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of Meath to the south, Monaghan to the west, Armagh to the north and Down to the ...

In 1890 the surname was the twenty-third most common in Ireland, with three hundred and eighty-one births of the name, mostly in Ulster. By 1996, the ranking had slipped to thirty-third. The variant Conneely was found exclusively in Connacht in 1890, with most occurrences in

County Galway "Righteousness and Justice" , anthem = () , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg , map_caption = Location in Ireland , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = ...

, giving

Ballyconneely Ballyconneely () is a village and small ribbon development in west Connemara, County Galway Ireland. Name 19th century antiquarian John O'Donovan documents a number of variants of the village, including Ballyconneely, Baile 'ic Conghaile, Ball ...

its name.

County Monaghan

The Ó Conghalaigh's of Airgíalla were either a branch of the

Southern Uí Néill The Southern Uí Néill ( ga, Uí Néill an Deiscirt, IPA: �iːˈnʲeːl̪ʲˈanˠˈdʲɛʃcəɾˠtʲ were that branch of the Uí Néill dynasty that invaded and settled in the Kingdom of Mide and its associated kingdoms. In the initial decades t ...

who removed to Airgíalla, or a branch of the Mac Mathghamna,

kings of Airgíalla Between the sixth and sixteenth centuries, the Kingdom of Airgíalla (Anglicized as Oriel) was one of the three major kingdoms that formed what is now the province of Ulster. The others were In Tuisceairt to the north and west, and Ulaid to the e ...

from the mid-13th century to 1590. John Grenham says of them "They are first noted as coming to prominence in the fifteenth century and are recorded as having "Chiefs of the Name" up to the 17th century. They were instrumental in organising the native

Irish Rebellion of 1641 The Irish Rebellion of 1641 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1641) was an uprising by Irish Catholics in the Kingdom of Ireland, who wanted an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, greater Irish self-governance, and to partially or fully reverse the plantatio ...

and, following its failure, lost their power and possessions." Descendants of this family included William Conolly (1662–1729), James Connolly (1870–1916) and Paudge Connolly (born 1953).

County Galway

Descendants of the Ó Conghalaigh of Iar Connacht include

TG4 TG4 ( ga, TG Ceathair, ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television network. The channel launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond. TG4 was formerly known ...

presenter Eibhlín Ní Chonghaile; musicians

John Conneely John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

and

Johnny Óg Connolly Johnny Óg Connolly is an Irish musician. A son of traditional musician Johnny Connolly of Inis Bearachain, Connemara, Connolly began playing the accordion aged nine, learning from his father and Micheal Mheáirt Ó Coisdealbha. Two years later ...

; sportspersons

Aislinn Connolly Aislinn Connolly is a camogie player who was an All Star winner in 2010 and 2011 and a member of the Team of the Championship for 2011. She played in the All Ireland finals of 2010 and 2011. Family background She is the daughter of John ...

, Joe Connolly, Michael Conneely and Seamus Conneely;

Mayors of Galway The office of Mayor of Galway is an honorific title used by the of Galway City Council. The council has jurisdiction throughout its administrative area of the city of Galway which is the largest city in the province of Connacht, in Ireland. The ...

Catherine Connolly Catherine Connolly (born 12 July 1957) is an Irish Independent politician who has served as the Leas-Cheann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann since July 2020. She has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Galway West constituency since 2016. She previo ...

, Martin Connolly and

Pádraig Conneely Pádraig Conneely is an Irish Fine Gael party politician. He was Mayor of Galway from 2008 to 2009, where he was known as "the maverick mayor". Biography Conneely was elected to Galway Corporation in 2002 and proved a divisive figure, frequently ...

; scribe Micheál Ó Conghaile; writers Micheál Ó Conghaile (writer) and Seán Ó Conghaile.

References

* ''Speaker Connolly and his connections'', privately printed, 1907. * ''Clogerici: The Connollys of Fermanagh and Co. Monaghan'', P. O Gallachair, ''Clogher Record'' II,

Clogher Clogher () is a village and civil parish in the border area of south County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Blackwater, 5.8 miles from the border crossing to County Monaghan. It stands on the townlands of Clogher Demesne and C ...

Diocesan Historical Society,

Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...

, 1953. * ''The Dickson and Connolly families of Ballyshannon'', J. M. McWilliam, ''Donegal Annual'' IV, 1959.

Overview

County Monaghan

County Galway

References

External links

See also