Downey is an Irish surname that means in English “belonging to a fort”. The name is found from ancient times in areas of Ireland's modern County Galway, southwest Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Ulster and Leinster and is believed to be the surname of three distinct families. In Ulster, Downey (I. Ó Duibheanaigh) were the chiefs of the

Ulaid Ulaid (Old Irish, ) or Ulaidh (Modern Irish, ) was a Gaelic over-kingdom in north-eastern Ireland during the Middle Ages made up of a confederation of dynastic groups. Alternative names include Ulidia, which is the Latin form of Ulaid, and in ...

petty-kingdom of Cinel Amhalgaidh, now known in the Anglicised form as Clanawley in

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

Notable people

Aaron Downey Aaron Douglas Downey (born August 27, 1974) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. Downey played 13 seasons of professional ice hockey and played 243 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens, Chi ...

(born 1974), NHL forward *

Alexander Downey Alexander Cummings Downey (September 10, 1817 – March 26, 1898)Leander J. Monks, ''Courts and lawyers of Indiana, Vol. 1'' (1916), p. 258. was a justice of the Indiana Supreme Court from January 3, 1871, to January 1, 1877. Early life and educa ...

(1817–1898), Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court * Brian Downey (drummer) (born 1951), Irish drummer * Brian Downey (actor) (born 1944), Canadian actor *

Bruce Downey Bruce Downey is the former chairman and CEO of Barr Pharmaceuticals (bought by Teva Pharmaceuticals) and in 2009 became a partner at New Spring Capital, a venture capital firm. Career Downey began his career in the Honors Program of the U.S. ...

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

Barr Pharmaceuticals Barr Pharmaceuticals was a global specialty and generic drug manufacturer with operations in 30 countries. Approximately 75% of the company's revenues were from the sale of generic drugs, including 18% of sales which were from the sale of oral co ...

Edmund Downey Edmund Downey (''nom de plume'' F. M. Allen) (24 July 1856, in Waterford – 11 February 1937, in Waterford) was an Irish novelist, newspaper editor, and publisher. After education at Catholic University High School, Waterford and St. John's Co ...

(1856–1937), Irish journalist and novelist *

Glen Downey (writer) Glen Downey (born October 15, 1969) is a Canadian children's author, teacher, and academic from Oakville, Ontario. His publications include more than ninety books for young people across a variety of genres that focus specifically on the developme ...

, Canadian children's author *

James Downey (academic) James Downey (April 20, 1939 – March 23, 2022) was a Canadian academic. Biography Born in Winterton, Newfoundland, Downey was a graduate of Memorial University of Newfoundland and of the University of London where, as a Rothermere Fellow, ...

* James Downey (Internet performance artist) *

James Erwin Downey James Erwin Downey (born August 10, 1942) is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1977 to 1999, and served as a cabinet minister in the Progressive Conservative governments of Sterling Ly ...

(born 1942), Canadian politician * Jim Downey (comedian) *

John G. Downey John Gately Downey (June 24, 1827 – March 1, 1894) was an Irish-American politician and the List of Governors of California, seventh governor of California from January 14, 1860, to January 10, 1862. Until the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger ...

(1827–1894), Californian patriot * John T. Downey, CIA agent and P.O.W. * Juan Downey (1940–1993), Chilean video artist * June Downey (1875–1932), American psychologist * Keith Downey (agricultural scientist), Canadian agricultural scientist *

Keith Downey (politician) Keith S. Downey (born November 10, 1960) is a Minnesota politician and the former chairman of the Republican Party of Minnesota. A former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, he represented District 41A, which primarily included port ...

, Minnesota politician * Marg Downey (born 1961), Australian comedian *

Margaret Downey Margaret Downey (born August 16, 1950) is a nontheist activist who is a former President of Atheist Alliance International and founder and president of the Freethought Society (formerly Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia). She also founde ...

, American atheist activist * Morton Downey (1901–1985), American singer nicknamed "The Irish Nightingale" *

Morton Downey Jr. Sean Morton Downey Jr. (December 9, 1932 – March 12, 2001) was an American television talk show host and actor who pioneered the "trash TV" format in the late-1980s on his program ''The Morton Downey Jr. Show''. Early life Downey's parents we ...

(1932–2001), American singer, songwriter and television talk show host of ''

The Morton Downey Jr. Show ''The Morton Downey Jr. Show'' is a syndicated American talk show presented by Morton Downey Jr. that ran from 1987 to 1989. The show and its host pioneered the concept of "trash TV" format. Starting as a local program on New York-New Jersey super ...

'' *

Patrick Downey (disambiguation) Patrick or Pat Downey may refer to: * Pat Downey (barrister) (1927–2017), New Zealand lawyer * Pat Downey (American football) (born 1974), American football center * Pat Downey (wrestler) James Patrick Downey III (born August 7, 1992) is an A ...

, multiple people * Robert Downey (hurler) (born 1999) *

Robert Downey Sr. Robert John Downey ( Elias Jr.; June 24, 1936 – July 7, 2021) was an American filmmaker and actor. He was known for writing and directing the underground film ''Putney Swope'', a satire on the New York Madison Avenue advertising world. Accordi ...

(1936–2021), originally Robert Elias Jr., actor, writer and film director *

Robert Downey Jr. Robert John Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1965) is an American actor and producer. His career has been characterized by critical and popular success in his youth, followed by a period of substance abuse and legal troubles, before a resurgence of ...

(born 1965), American actor *

Rod Downey Rodney Graham Downey (born 20 September 1957) is a New Zealand and Australian mathematician and computer scientist,. a professor in the School of Mathematics and Statistics at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand.Roma Downey (born 1960), Irish actress and producer * Shannon Downey, American crafter and activist *

Shem Downey James "Shem" Downey (5 January 1922 – 22 December 2013) was an Irish hurler who played as a midfielder for the Kilkenny senior team. Born in Conahy, County Kilkenny, Downey first arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen wh ...

(1922–2013), Irish hurler *

Sheridan Downey Sheridan Downey (March 11, 1884 – October 25, 1961) was an American lawyer and a Democratic U.S. Senator from California from 1939 to 1950. Early life He was born in Laramie, the seat of Albany County in western Wyoming, the son of the ...

(1884–1961), lawyer and Democratic U.S. Senator from California * W. & D. Downey (William and Daniel), photographers

U.S. Navy and Army

The source for all material in this section is the Gannet ''Military Times'' Hall of Valor website.

Medal of Honor

William Downey (U.S. Civil War hero), a

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

cavalryman, was awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

for braving heavy fire from a

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

artillery battery as a volunteer member of a boat crew on the Ashepoo River, South Carolina to rescue crewmen on the stranded

Union (American Civil War) During the American Civil War, the Union, also known as the North, referred to the United States led by President Abraham Lincoln. It was opposed by the secessionist Confederate States of America (CSA), informally called "the Confederacy" or "t ...

steamer ''Boston''.

Navy Cross recipients

Ernest Willard Downey for heroism in combat against the enemy in directing and operating anti-aircraft fire from his vessel while exposed to frequent horizontal Imperial Japanese aerial attacks and dive bombings, during the period of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

from 7 December 1941 to 25 February 1942 and while on board the U.S.S. VAGA (YT-116)

Soldier's Medal recipients

Arlie L. Downey, on 10 July 1926 upon learning that an injured woman was lying exposed in the road near a point where the two heaviest explosions of the explosions at the Lake Denmark Naval Ammunition Depot (aka Lake Denmark Powder Depot) near Dover, New Jersey, had already occurred and accompanied by two other men, proceeded toward that point and rescued the woman through the continuous roar of exploding magazines and when the air was filled with flying shells, stones, and fragments of buildings, and shortly before a third heavy explosion of the facility's munitions occurred.

Distinguished Service Cross (United States) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is the United States Army's second highest military decoration for soldiers who display extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be o ...
recipients

Ernest L. Downey, during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

near the Bois-de-Montrebeau, France, 28 September 1918, while severely wounded refused to go to the rear, but continued in the advance until the final objective was reached and his company relieved

Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) The Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. The medal was established on July 2, 1926, and is currently awarded to any persons who, after April 6, 1917, distinguish themselves by single acts o ...
recipients

*Joseph Downey,

U.S. Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through comb ...

Pacific Theater of World War II The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...

*John E. Downey, U.S. Marine Corps, Pacific Theater of World War II *Thomas A. Muldowney, U.S. Marine Corps, Pacific Theater of World War II *Lawrence E. Downey, U.S.

Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

European theater of World War II The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main theatres of combat during World War II. It saw heavy fighting across Europe for almost six years, starting with Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 and ending with the ...

Durbin H. Downey, U.S. Army Air Forces, World War II, Korean conflict, Cold War

References