Servreagh O'Folan, Irish Brehon, fl. 1585. O'Folan was a member of a Brehon family resident in

Conmhaícne Mara The Conmhaícne Mara or Conmaicne Mara (the Conmaicne of the sea), were an early people of Ireland. Their tuath was located in the extreme west of County Galway, Republic of Ireland, giving their name to Connemara, an anglicised form of Conmhai ...

in the 16th century. They served as lawyers to members of the Ó Flaithbheartaigh's and other families in the region, but were also a land-owning and

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

family connected with The Tribes of Galway. Servreagh O'Folan is listed as a ''

Gentleman A gentleman (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man) is any man of good and courteous conduct. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire and above a yeoman; by definition, the ra ...

'' on a number of

fiant A fiant was a writ issued to the Irish Chancery mandating the issue of letters patent under the Great Seal of Ireland. The name ' comes from the opening words of the document, ', Latin for "Let letters patent be made". Fiants were typically issued ...

in the 1580s. The '' Composition Book of Connacht'' of 1585 listed him as a landowner in Moyrus in the Barony of

Ballynahinch, County Galway Ballynahinch or Ballinahinch () is a village in County Galway in the west of Ireland. It is situated close to Recess, on the road from Recess to Roundstone. It also lies on the route of the former railway line from Galway city to Clifden (th ...

Murrough na dTuadh Ó Flaithbheartaigh Murrough na dTuadh Ó Flaithbheartaigh, anglicised Sir Murrough O'Flaherty (died 1593) was Chief of Iar Connacht, . Ancestry Great-great-great-grandson of Brian na Noinseach, son of Donall na Comthach Ó Flaithbheartaigh (who was, in turn, a g ...

, the Chieftain of the O'Flaherty Clan came to Galway City and signed an Official

Fiant A fiant was a writ issued to the Irish Chancery mandating the issue of letters patent under the Great Seal of Ireland. The name ' comes from the opening words of the document, ', Latin for "Let letters patent be made". Fiants were typically issued ...

in 1585 with ''"the Chief men of his countrie"''. Servreagh O'Folan was one of the men who signed the Fiant with him."A History of West or H-Iar Connacht"

Roderick O'Flaherty Roderick O'Flaherty ( ga, Ruaidhrí Ó Flaithbheartaigh; 1629–1718 or 1716) was an Irish historian. Biography He was born in County Galway and inherited Moycullen Castle and estate. O'Flaherty was the last ''de jure'' Lord of Iar Connacht, ...

, Irish Archeological Society, Dublin, 1846
In a fiant dated 1590, "''Sirwrehagh Folain,of Moiris, Gentleman''", was given a Royal Pardon following a rebellion in Connacht. He appears to have also had three sons who were also brehon lawyers.
Soyrbrehagh Og Folain, in an indenture for John Kinge in May 1606, is described as "''Soyrbrehagh Og Folain of Ierconnaght in the Co. of Galway atornies for seisin''".
Feargananim Folan, in a deed for the O'Flahertys in 1614, FFargananym McServreagh of Moyrish, is described as "''our true and lawfull attorney''", and signs as Forinan Folan. He is listed as owner of parcels of lands consisting of , and , and was dispossessed of the family lands in 1651.

Nehemias folan Nehemias Folan (1555–?) Irish Brehon. He was an Irish Brehon Lawyer and was a Commissioner for the Composition of Connacht in 1585.''The Compossicion Booke of Conought'', A. Martin Freeman, (ed.), Dublin, 1936 Details Folan was a member o ...

of the Newtone, Gentleman,'' was also a landowner and brehon lawyer. In a document titled "Carta Dermicci O'Halloran(Dermot Ó hAllmhuráin), A.D. 1594", written in Latin, he is described as "''in Christo Nehemian Ffolan, generosum, meum attornatum''".

Other bearers of the name

Other O'Folan's from County Galway included: * Salamon Folan was active during the

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 was cited as one of the group of men led by Colonel Edmond O'Flaherty at the siege of Tromroe Castle in County Clare. * Ferdindo Follin of Moyrus,

Carna, County Galway Carna is an area in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. It is located on the country's west coast in the Gaeltacht, about 50 km west of Galway city. Carna is a tiny, extremely small area, but as a focal point for the surrounding areas, it co ...

, listed in 1656 as owner of parcels of lands consisting of 3,678 acres (14.88 km2), and 193 acres (0.78 km2). His lands were confiscated for rebellious activities and distributed to Sir Thomas Meredith and Richard Martin of Ballynahinch. * Patrick Folan (Galway), killed at the Battle of Inkermann 5 November 1854, during the Crimean War * John Folan won the Distinguished Conduct Medal for Gallantry while serving in Mesopotamia in 1916 with the 3rd Battalion of the Connaught Rangers.Military-genealogy.org.uk/Distinguished Conduct Medal Citations
/ref> * Cormac Folan of

Barna Barna (Bearna in Irish) is a coastal village on the R336 regional road in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. It has become a satellite village of Galway city. The village is Irish speaking and is therefore a constituent part of the regions ...

represented Ireland in Rowing at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's coxless four, at the 2008 Summer Olympics. *

Caleb Folan Caleb Colman Folan (born 26 October 1982) is a former professional footballer who played as a striker. Born in England, he represented the Republic of Ireland in international football, qualifying through grandparents on his maternal side from ...

, is a Republic of Ireland forward, who made his senior debut against Cyprus in October 2008. He plays in the

Football League Championship The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the En ...

with Hull City, and qualifies for Ireland through his paternal Grandparents who are from Galway. * Thomas Folan of Galway was the Prior of the Dominican Friary in Galway, and was the first recorded King of the Claddagh in the 1850s.

References

Bibliography

*''A History of West or H-Iar Connacht'' Ruaidhrí Ó Flaithbheartaigh, Irish Archeological Society, Dublin, 1846 * ''Books of survey and distribution Vol. III. County of Galway,'' 1680 * ''Irish Families'', Edward Mac Lysaght, Irish Academic Press, Dublin, 1985 * ''The Tribes of Galway'', Adrian James Martyn, Galway, 2001.

External links

* http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm?fuseaction=Go.&UserID= {{DEFAULTSORT:Ofolan, Servreagh People from County Galway 16th-century Irish judges People of Conmaicne Mara

Other bearers of the name

See also

References

Bibliography

External links