Ó Seachnasaigh, O'Shaughnessy, collectively Uí Sheachnasaigh, clan name Cinél nAedha na hEchtghe, is a family surname of Irish origin. The name is found primarily 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 = ...

and

County Limerick "Remember Limerick" , image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Limerick.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Provinces of Ireland, Province , subd ...

. Their name derives from Seachnasach mac Donnchadh, a 10th-century member of the Uí Fiachrach Aidhne, which the Ó Seachnasaigh were the senior clan of. The town of

Gort Gort ( or ) is a town of around 3,000 inhabitants in County Galway in the west of Ireland. Located near the border with County Clare, the town lies between the Burren and the Slieve Aughty and is served by the R458 and R460 regional roads, ...

, Ireland, was the main residence of the family since at least the time of their ancestor, King

Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin (died 663) was a king of Connacht. A member of the Ui Fiachrach Aidhne and son of king Colmán mac Cobthaig (died 622). Guaire ruled at the height of Ui Fiachrach Aidne power in south Connacht. Early reign Guaire a ...

Naming conventions

History

Castles of Connacht, Ardamullivan, Galway - geograph

Up until the late 17th century the Ó Seachnasaighs held the sub-district of Uí Fiachrach Aidhne known as

Cenél Áeda na hEchtge Cenél Áeda na hEchtge (also Cenél Áeda, Kenloth, Kinalethes, Kenealea, Kinelea) was a trícha cét (later a cantred, (a branch of the Uí Fiachrach Aidhne) and which was the original formation of the southern part of the barony of Kiltartan, ...

(modern Irish, Cinéal nAedha na hEchtghe), meaning "kindred of Aedh of the Slieve Aughty", which was also their clan name. Cinéal nAedha na hEchtghe / Kinelea consisted roughly of the

civil parishes In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...

of Beagh,

Kilmacduagh Kilmacduagh () is a small village in south County Galway, near Gort, in Ireland. It is the site of Kilmacduagh monastery, seat of the Diocese of that name. The diocese is now part of the Diocese of Galway and Kilmacduagh in the Roman Cath ...

and Kiltartan and also parts of the civil parishes of Kibeacanty and Kilthomas. Their closest related kinsmen were the Ó Cathail / O Cahill clan, originally chiefs of eastern Kinelea, and the other clans of Uí Fhiachrach Aidhne the most prominent of which were the

Ó hEidhin ''Hynes'' is a surname, many examples of which originate as the anglicisation the Irish name ''Ó hEidhin''. Etymology According to the ''Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland'', the modern name ''Hynes'' and its variants der ...

/ O Hynes, Ó Cléirigh / O Cleary and

Mac Giolla Cheallaigh Mac or MAC most commonly refers to: * Mac (computer), a family of personal computers made by Apple Inc. * Mackintosh, a raincoat made of rubberized cloth * A variant of the word macaroni, mostly used in the name of the dish mac and cheese * Mac, ...

/ Kilkelly

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 ( ...

s. Up until the mid-17th century, the O'Hynes clan were still styled lords of Uí Fhiachrach Aidhne even though the Ó Seachnasaighs had become more powerful than their kinsmen during this century. In the 1690s, Captain

Roger O'Shaughnessy Sir Roger O'Shaughnessy, The O'Shaughnessy (died 11 July 1690), was Chief of the Name and a captain in the Irish army of James II of England. He was present at the Battle of the Boyne, and died ("sick, though not wounded") ten days after the ba ...

had his lands confiscated for supporting the

Jacobite Jacobite means follower of Jacob or James. Jacobite may refer to: Religion * Jacobites, followers of Saint Jacob Baradaeus (died 578). Churches in the Jacobite tradition and sometimes called Jacobite include: ** Syriac Orthodox Church, sometimes ...

cause against William of Orange, with the lands going to

Sir Thomas Prendergast, 1st Baronet Brigadier-General Sir Thomas Prendergast, 1st Baronet ( 1660 – 11 September 1709) was an Irish politician and soldier. Early life He was the son of Thomas Prendergast (d. 1725) of Croane, County Limerick, a small Catholic landowner, and Elean ...

. A legal battle raged on into the first half of the 18th century between the Ó Seachnasaigh and the Prendergasts, the family who were granted the lands, with the Ó Seachnasaigh eventually losing the case. The senior line of the Ó Seachnasaighs may have died out in the 1900s. O'Shaughnessy castles include

Gort Castle Gort ( or ) is a town of around 3,000 inhabitants in County Galway in the west of Ireland. Located near the border with County Clare, the town lies between the Burren and the Slieve Aughty and is served by the R458 and R460 regional roads, ...

, Fiddaun Castle, Ardamullivan Castle, Newtown Castle, Derryowen, which is just inside the

County Clare County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...

border, Ballymulfaig, and a castle on one of the islands in

Lough Cutra Lough Cutra (formerly ''Lough Cooter'', ) is a lake in County Galway, Ireland located beside Lough Cutra Castle. It is the site of a Special Area of Conservation. Ardamullivan Castle lies 2 km (1 mile) to the southwest. See also * List of loug ...

. According to a list naming the castles of County Galway and their owners, drawn up in 1574 by the English administration in Ireland, Islandmore Castle (now Thoor Ballylee) was listed as being owned by a John O'Shaughnessy. The last ''de facto'' Ó Seachnasaigh lord of Kinelea died at

after returning home from the

Battle of Aughrim The Battle of Aughrim ( ga, Cath Eachroma) was the decisive battle of the Williamite War in Ireland. It was fought between the largely Irish Jacobite army loyal to James II and the forces of William III on 12 July 1691 (old style, equivalent ...

on 12 July 1691. Thousands of bearers of the name still survive both in their homeland and further abroad.

Notable O'Shaughnessys

Notable people with this surname include: Arthur O'Shaughnessy - portrait 2

Andrew O'Shaughnessy (historian) Andrew Jackson O'Shaughnessy FRHS (born 1959) is an academic historian, Vice President of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello in Virginia, the Saunders Director of the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at ...

, historian * Andrew O'Shaughnessy (hurler) (born 1984), Irish hurler *

Andrew O'Shaughnessy (politician) Andrew O'Shaughnessy (28 July 1866 – 1956) was an Irish politician and industrialist. Business O'Shaughnessy started his career with the opening of a creamery in Newmarket in 1895. He then added other creameries in County Cork and County T ...

(1866–1956), Irish politician and Industrialist *

Arthur O'Shaughnessy Arthur William Edgar O'Shaughnessy (14 March 184430 January 1881) was a British poet and herpetologist. Of Irish descent, he was born in London. He is most remembered for his poem " Ode", from his 1874 collection ''Music and Moonlight'', which ...

(1844–1881), British poet and herpetologist *

Barney O'Shaughnessy Barney O'Shaughnessy (28 February 1912 – 27 May 2007) was an Australian cricketer who played a single first-class match for Western Australia. Born in the isolated Mid-West town of Wiluna, Western Australia, where his family managed a hote ...

(1912–2007), Australian cricketer *

Bob O'Shaughnessy Robert Arthur O'Shaughnessy (February 2, 1921 – September 5, 1995) was an American professional basketball player. He played for the Syracuse Nationals in the National Basketball League during the 1947–48 season and averaged 4.0 points per ga ...

(1921–1995), American basketball player * Daniel O'Shaughnessy (born 1994), Finnish footballer *

Darren O'Shaughnessy Darren O'Shaughnessy (; born 2 July 1972), is an Irish writer and novelist. He is best known for his young adult fiction series ''The Saga of Darren Shan'', ''The Demonata'', and ''Zom-B'', published under the pseudonym Darren Shan. The former w ...

(born 1972), Irish author, nom de plume Darren Shan *

Edward O'Shaughnessy Edward O'Shaughnessy (16 November 1860 – 6 August 1885) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Kent and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) between 1879 and 1885. He was born in Canterbury, Kent and died at St John's Wood, Lon ...

(1860–1885), English cricketer * Eileen O'Shaughnessy (1905–1945), the first wife of George Orwell * James O'Shaughnessy (born 1960), American author and investor * James O'Shaughnessy, Baron O'Shaughnessy (born 1976), British politician * Margaret Heckler (born 1931, Margaret Mary O'Shaughnessy), US lawyer and politician * Michael O'Shaughnessy (1864–1934), Irish civil engineer *

Nicholas O'Shaughnessy Nicholas Jackson O'Shaughnessy is a British academic. He is professor of communications and of post- Cold War German history at Queen Mary, University of London. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and ...

, professor, author and political commentator * Patrick O'Shaughnessy (born 1993), Finnish footballer *

(died 1690), Captain in the Army of James II of England * Ryan O'Shaughnessy (born 1992), Irish singer-songwriter *

Tam O'Shaughnessy Tam Elizabeth O'Shaughnessy (born January 27, 1952) is an American children's science writer and former professional tennis player who co-founded the science education company Sally Ride Science together with her partner, astronaut Sally Ride, ...

(born 1952), American author and educator * Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy, general, United States Air Force http://www.af.mil%2FAbout-Us%2FBiographies%2FDisplay%2FArticle%2F108497%2Flieutenant-general-terrence-j-oshaughnessy%2F&usg=AFQjCNEwMtKrJMq5V0ovsev_spv1m0qwfA *

Tony O'Shaughnessy Anthony "Tony" O'Shaughnessy (6 July 1930 – 15 December 2006) was an Irish hurler who played as a left corner-back at senior level for the Cork county team. Born in Cork, O'Shaughnessy arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of twenty ...

(born 1930), Irish hurler * Thomas O'Shaughnessy (1850–1933), Recorder of Dublin *

Sir Roger O'Shaughnessy of Kinelea ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...

(died 1569) * William O'Shaughnessy (1673–1744), Major-General and Chief of the Name *

William Brooke O'Shaughnessy Sir William Brooke O'Shaughnessy (from 1861 as William O'Shaughnessy Brooke) MD FRS (October 1809, in Limerick, Ireland – 8 January 1889, in Southsea, England) was an Irish physician famous for his wide-ranging scientific work in pharmacology ...

(1809–1889), Irish toxicologist (introduced

medical cannabis Medical cannabis, or medical marijuana (MMJ), is cannabis and cannabinoids that are prescribed by physicians for their patients. The use of cannabis as medicine has not been rigorously tested due to production and governmental restriction ...

in Europe), chemist and inventor (telegraph)

Notes

Some with relation to the O'Shaughnessy clan may spell it O'Shaughnessey or Shaughnessy.

References

John O'Donovan John O'Donovan may refer to: *John O'Donovan (scholar) (1806–1861), Irish language scholar and place-name expert *John O'Donovan (politician) (1908–1982), Irish TD and Senator *John O'Donovan (police commissioner) (1858–1927), New Zealand pol ...

,
The Descendants of the Last Earls of Desmond
, Ulster Journal of Archaeology, Volume 6, 1858. (contains passage regarding the knights O'Shaughnessy of Kinelea) *

The Genealogies, Tribes, and Customs of Hy-Fiachrach
Dublin: Irish Archaeological Society. 1844. Pedigree of O'Shaughnessy, pp. 372–91 * Robert S. Rait
The Story of an Irish Property
Oxford: The University Press. 1908. Chapter III: The O'Shaughnessys, pp. 42–65

External links

O'Shaughnessy family pedigree
at Library Ireland {{DEFAULTSORT:Oshaughnessy Surnames Irish families O'Shaughnessy family Surnames of Irish origin Gaels