Gormley (

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

: ''Ó Goirmleadhaigh'') is a surname of Irish origin. The main

sept A sept is a division of a family, especially of a Scottish or Irish family. The term is used in both Scotland and Ireland, where it may be translated as ''sliocht'', meaning "progeny" or "seed", which may indicate the descendants of a person ( ...

of the clan originated in what was

Tyrconnell Tyrconnell (), also spelled Tirconnell, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Donegal, which has sometimes been called ''County Tyrconnell''. At times it also included parts of County Fermanagh, Cou ...

, now mainly

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

, in the west of

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...

, the northern

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. The Ulster branch of the clan were chiefs of the '' Cenél Moan'' and originated in what is now the

barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

Raphoe Raphoe ( ; ) is a historical village in County Donegal, Ireland. It is the main town in the fertile district of East Donegal known as the Laggan, as well as giving its name to the Barony of Raphoe, which was later divided into the baronies of R ...

in East Donegal, an area known in

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 ...

times as ''Tír Moain''. The common ancestor and progenitor of these Gormleys was Moain son of Muireadach, son of Eoghan (who gave his name to Tyrone), son of

Niall of the Nine Hostages Niall ''Noígíallach'' (; Old Irish "having nine hostages"), or Niall of the Nine Hostages, was a legendary, semi-historical Irish king who was the ancestor of the Uí Néill dynasties that dominated Ireland from the 6th to the 10th centuries. ...

Different septs and spellings

In the ''

Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' ( ga, Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (''Annála na gCeithre Máistrí'') are chronicles of medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Deluge, dated as 2,24 ...

'' and in the ''Topographical Poems'' of O'Dugan and O'Heerin, the name is spelt ''Ó Goirmleadhaigh''; the ''

Annals of Loch Cé The ''Annals of Loch Cé'' (also ''Annals of Lough Cé'') cover events, mainly in Connacht and its neighbouring regions, from 1014 to 1590. It takes its name from Lough Cé in the kingdom of Moylurg - now north County Roscommon - which was the c ...

'' write it ''Ó Gormshuil'' and ''Ó Gormshuiligh'': the editor (William Hennessy) writing in 1871 states that the latter was then anglicised O'Gormooly, but Gormley is universal today. The name means “blue spearman”. In the

Partry Mountains The Partry Mountains ( ga, Sliabh Phartraí) is a mountain range in County Mayo on the west coast of Ireland. Geography The highest peak in the Partry Mountains is Maumtrasna which rises to (682m / 2,238ft). The mountain range overlooks Lough ...

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...

in the West of Ireland is found a sept also called Gormley, Gormaly and Gormilly. The Irish form of this family's name is ''Ó Goirmghialla'' or possibly ''Ó Gormghaille'', both Irish forms meaning “blue hostage”. They were chiefs of this area along with the Darcy or Dorcey family. The present parish of Ballyovey, also called the parish of Party, shows the location of this ancient territory in Mayo. In the area of

Lough Key Lough Key ( gle, Loch Cé) is a lake in Ireland. It is in the northwest of County Roscommon, northeast of the town of Boyle. The lough is believed to be named after a mythical figure named Cé. Name The name ''Lough Key'' comes from the Irish ' ...

County Roscommon "Steadfast Irish heart" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Roscommon.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Connacht , subdi ...

, we find families of the name (O') Gormaly or Gormally. O'Donovan says that these are quite distinct from the O'Gormleys of

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional Counties of Ireland, counties of Ireland. It is no longer used as an admini ...

and that the Irish form of this name is ''Ó Garmghaile''. It is likely that this family is of the same stock as the Mayo sept, but it is unclear if both are related to the main sept of

. In seventeenth century records they are found both as O'Gormley and Mac Gormley, located chiefly in counties

Armagh Armagh ( ; ga, Ard Mhacha, , "Macha's height") is the county town of County Armagh and a city in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Pri ...

and Londonderry in modern-day

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 ...

, but also in

and

County Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Sovereign state, Country , subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Provinces o ...

, Republic of Ireland. Gormleys today are chiefly found in

, Northern Ireland, and surrounding areas.

People

* Andrew Gormley, American drummer for the band Rorschach *

Antony Gormley Sir Antony Mark David Gormley (born 30 August 1950) is a British sculptor. His works include the ''Angel of the North'', a public sculpture in Gateshead in the north of England, commissioned in 1994 and erected in February 1998; ''Another Pla ...

(born 1950), British sculptor * Beatrice Gormley, American children's writer *

Bob Gormley Robert Gormley (August 3, 1918 – December 11, 2003) was an American soccer forward who spent seventeen years in the American Soccer League. He also earned one cap with the U.S. national team in 1954. He was inducted into the National Soccer H ...

(born 1918), former U.S. soccer forward *

Charles Gormley Charles Gormley (19 December 1937 – 22 September 2005) was a Scottish film director and screenwriter. Biography Having found a liking towards film, he left his job as an optician and joined the International Film Associates in the mid-1960s ...

(1937–2005), Scottish film director *

Conor Gormley Conor Gormley (born 10 October 1980) is an Irish Gaelic footballer for the Carrickmore St Colmcille's club and the Tyrone county team. With his county, Gormley is a three-time All-Ireland Senior Football Championship winner and All Stars Awa ...

(born 1980), Gaelic footballer from

Carrickmore Carrickmore () is a village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated in the historic barony of Omagh East, the civil parish of Termonmaguirk and the Roman Catholic Parish of Termonmaguirc between Cookstown, Dungannon and Omagh. It ha ...

Eddie Gormley Eddie Gormley (born 23 October 1968) is an Irish football coach and former player who is currently manager of Cabinteely. Early career Educated at Cabinteely Community School where he played for the School Junior & Senior teams, and also playi ...

(born 1968), former Irish football player *

Enda Gormley Enda Gormley (born 8 March 1966) is a Gaelic footballer who played for the Derry county team in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. He played club football with Maghera club Glen, and currently plays with Belfast club Bredagh. Gormley was part ...

(born 1966), Irish Gaelic footballer *Everett Gormley (born 2000), American model * Francis Gormley, Irish politician *

Jody Gormley Jody Gormley is a former Gaelic footballer who played for the Tyrone and London county teams. He also played a coaching role for Down following his retirement from inter-county play, and has held the role of Antrim football manager. Gormley ...

, former Gaelic footballer for Tyrone, and London * Joe Gormley (disambiguation), several people *

John Gormley John Gormley (born 4 August 1959) is an Irish former Green Party politician who served as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government from June 2007 to January 2011, Leader of the Green Party from June 2007 to May 2011 and Lor ...

(born 1959), Irish Green party politician * John Kenneth Gormley (born 1957), Canadian broadcaster and former politician * Joseph L. Gormley (1914–2004), chief of chemistry and toxicology for the FBI * Ken Gormley, constitutional law professor at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania * Ken Gormley, bass player from Australian band The Cruel Sea * Kiera Gormley, Irish model *

Mark Gormley Mark Gormley is a singer-songwriter from Pensacola, Florida who achieved internet fame for his music videos on YouTube. He mostly performs acoustic rock consisting of acoustic guitar and vocals. As of October 2021, Gormley's music videos have bee ...

, singer-songwriter from Pensacola, Florida * Mary Gormley, Irish beauty contestant * Niall Gormley, Gaelic footballer in County Tyrone *

Paddy Gormley Patrick Joseph Gormley (1916 – August 2001) was an Irish nationalist politician. Born in Claudy, Gormley was educated at St Columb's College and then St. Patrick's College, Maynooth ( NUI). In 1945, he was elected to the Londonderry County C ...

(1916–2001), Irish nationalist politician * Peter Gormley (died 1998), Australian music manager * Phil Gormley (born 1963), former Chief Constable of

Police Scotland Police Scotland ( gd, Poileas Alba), officially the Police Service of Scotland (), is the national police force of Scotland. It was formed in 2013, through the merging of eight regional police forces in Scotland, as well as the specialist service ...

Rowan Gormley Rowan Gormley (born 8 June 1962) is a South African-born entrepreneur. He was appointed Group CEO of Majestic Wine PLC after the acquisition of Naked Wines in April 2015. Early life Gormley studied at Selborne College, East London and the U ...

(born 1962), South African-born entrepreneur *

Tad Gormley Francis Thomas "Tad" Gormley (December 23, 1883 – December 5, 1965) was an American athletic trainer, coach and official. He was a native of Cambridge, Massachusetts and was the head of the New Orleans Gymnastics Club and Amateur Athletic Union ...

(1884–1965), former head of the New Orleans Gymnastics Club and Amateur Athletic Union * Tom Gormley (1916–1984), politician in County Tyrone, served in the

House of Commons of Northern Ireland The House of Commons of Northern Ireland was the lower house of the Parliament of Northern Ireland created under the ''Government of Ireland Act 1920''. The upper house in the bicameral parliament was called the Senate. It was abolished wit ...

* Tom Gormley, American professional football player *

Tony Gormley The East Tyrone Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), also known as the Tyrone/Monaghan Brigade was one of the most active Irish republican, republican paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland during "the Troubles". It is belie ...

(1962–1987), member of the

Provisional Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, facilitate Irish reun ...

(PIRA) *

William T. Gormley William T. Gormley (born August 7, 1950) is a University Professor at Georgetown University. Gormley, a scholar of child care and education, is also the co-director of the Center for Research on Children. Gormley is an advocate of Pre-kindergarten ...

, professor of Government at Georgetown University

External links

Origins of the Gormleys
{{Uí Néill Surnames Surnames of Irish origin Irish families