Ó Frighil
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O'Friel ( or ) is a surname of
Tyrconnell Tyrconnell (), also spelled Tirconnell and Tirconaill, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland. It is associated geographically with present-day County Donegal, which was officially named ''County Tirconaill'' between 1922 and 1927. At times it also i ...
(modern-day
County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...
). The origin of the names comes from Firghil (Ó Fearghial or Fergal), a descendant of Eoghan, (son of Niall Noígíallach, the most prolific warrior in Irish history) brother of St. Columcille, and are thus nearest in descent to Columcille. The name Fearghial is composed of "fear." meaning man and "gal," meaning valour. The leading line of the family were hereditary ''
coarb A coarb, from the Old Irish ''comarbae'' (Modern Irish: , ), meaning "heir" or "successor", was a distinctive office of the medieval Celtic Church among the Gaels of Ireland and Scotland. In this period coarb appears interchangeable with " erenac ...
s ''of
Kilmacrennan Kilmacrennan ( or ), also Kilmacrenan, is a village, townland and civil parish in County Donegal, Ireland. The village population was 888, as of the 2022 census. The village's population has increased steadily over the last decade with many n ...
, County Donegal. Before the introduction of Christianity, the family was a hereditary line of
Druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking priestly class in ancient Celtic cultures. The druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no wr ...
priests/priestesses. The Chief of the Name possessed the hereditary right of inaugurating
O'Donnell The O'Donnell dynasty ( or ''Ó Domhnaill,'' ''Ó Doṁnaill'' ''or Ua Domaill;'' meaning "descendant of Dónal") were the dominant Irish clan of the kingdom of Tyrconnell in Ulster in the north of medieval and early modern Ireland. Naming ...
as lord of
Tirconnell Tyrconnell (), also spelled Tirconnell and Tirconaill, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland. It is associated geographically with present-day County Donegal, which was officially named ''County Tirconaill'' between 1922 and 1927. At times it also i ...
. Not being a powerful or numerous sept they do not appear very frequently in the national records. The records of the Diocese of Raphoe have many references to distinguished ecclesiastics of the name, both as O'Friel and Friel, including one Bishop Florence or Feargal O'Friel (d. 1299). Amhalgaid Ó Frighil was one of the many clergy from Raphoe and Derry who went to Iona - he was elected
Abbot of Iona The Abbot of Iona was the head of Iona Abbey during the Middle Ages and the leader of the monastic community of Iona, as well as the overlord of scores of monasteries in both Scotland and Ireland, including Durrow, Kells and, until the Synod of ...
in 1203.


Present day

Friel (Freel, Freels) is seen more common as a surname than the traditional O'Friel. Statistics relating to the modern distribution of the population indicate that the name is seldom met with outside County Donegal and contiguous areas. The name is very closely associated with the north Donegal, especially Fanad and surrounding areas. Notable descendants include the
playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...
Brian Friel Brian Patrick Friel (c. 9 January 1929 – 2 October 2015) was an Irish dramatist, short story writer and founder of the Field Day Theatre Company. He had been considered one of the greatest living English-language dramatists. (subscription requ ...
(born 1929) and the actress
Anna Friel Anna Louise Friel (born 12 July 1976) is an English actress. She first achieved fame as Beth Jordache in the Channel 4 soap opera '' Brookside'' (1993–1995), later coming to international prominence with her role as Charlotte "Chuck" Charle ...
(born 1976). Another spelling of the surname is Freel or Freels.


See also

* Friel * Friels * Freel * Freels (disambiguation)


References

*


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:O'Friel Irish families Surnames of Irish origin