Ó Dálaigh
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The Ó Dálaigh () were a learned Irish
bardic In Celtic cultures, a bard is a professional story teller, verse-maker, music composer, oral historian and genealogist, employed by a patron (such as a monarch or chieftain) to commemorate one or more of the patron's ancestors and to praise t ...
family who first came to prominence early in the 12th century, when Cú Connacht Ó Dálaigh was described as "The first ''
Ollamh An or ollamh (; anglicised as ollave or ollav), plural ollomain, in early Irish literature, is a member of the highest rank of filí. The term is used to refer to the highest member of any group; thus an ''ollam brithem'' would be the highes ...
'' of poetry in all Ireland" (''ollamh'' is the title given to university professors in Modern Irish). The modern Irish surnames O'Daly, Daly, Daley, Dayley, Dalley, Daily, Dailey and Dawley are derived from Ó Dálaigh.


Name derivation

The name Ó Dálaigh means 'descendant of Dálach'. The derivation of the personal name Dálach is not entirely obvious, but the most widely accepted theory is that it derives from the same root as ''dáil'' meaning "assembly;" the Irish Parliament is called ' Dáil Éireann.' Dálach therefore probably meant "assemblyman" or "councillor".


Origins and ancestry

The earliest records of the family place them in the region of
Tethba Tethbae (; also spelled ''Tethba'', often anglicised ''Teffia'') was a confederation of túatha in central Ireland in the Middle Ages. It was divided into two distinct kingdoms, north Tethba, ruled by the Cenél Coirpri, and south Tethba, ruled ...
in what is now
Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = , subdivis ...
, their lands were in Moyashel & Magheradernon barony, Westmeath. The ancestral clan was called Corca Adaimh ('Race of Adam') and they claimed descent from a son of Niall of the Nine Hostages ( High King of Ireland circa 400AD) via
Máel Dúin mac Máele Fithrich Máel Dúin mac Máele Fithrich (died 681) was a King of Ailech and head of the Cenél nEógain branch of the northern Uí Néill. He had married Cacht ingen Cellaig, daughter of the high king Cellach mac Máele Coba (died 658) of the Cenél Conai ...
of the Cenél maic Ercae, who was king of Ailech in
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 Kin ...
. Máel Dúin's sons included the high king
Fergal mac Máele Dúin Fergal mac Máele Dúin (died 11 December 722) was High King of Ireland. Fergal belonged to the Cenél nEógain sept of the northern Uí Néill. He was the son of Máel Dúin mac Máele Fithrich (died 681), a King of Ailech, and great grandson o ...
and Adamh, the Ó Dálaigh ancestor. However, one source claims that Adamh was a son of, confusingly, another Máel Dúin the son of Fergal mac Máele Dúin. The great-grandson of Adamh was called Dálach, from whom the later surname derived.Koch, p. 1374 The Ó Dálaigh claimed kinship with the O'Neills and O'Donnells.
Gofraidh Fionn Ó Dálaigh Gofraidh Fionn Ó Dálaigh (died 1387), of Duhallow, Country Cork, was an Irish poet and Chief Ollamh of Ireland. He is known to be one of the most important professional poets of fourteen-century Ireland.''The Field Day Anthology of Irish Writin ...
asserted a descent for the family from a 6th-century Dálach, who was the pupil of the saint and poet
Colmán Colmán or Colman is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Medieval Irish people * Colmán Bec (died ''c''. 585), Irish dynast * Colmán mac Cobthaig (died ''c''. 622), Irish king * Colmán mac Lénéni (died ''c' ...
the patron of the cathedral town of
Cloyne Cloyne () is a small town to the southeast of Midleton in eastern County Cork. It is also a see city of the Anglican (Church of Ireland) Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, while also giving its name to a Roman Catholic diocese. St Colman's Ca ...
. Dalach is said to have become a bishop of the early Irish Church. The Ó Dálaigh who settled in Munster seem to have been given an alternative descent from the Eóganacht kings of Cashel, in particular from Aenghus the king of Cashel who was baptised by Saint Patrick. However, this pedigree is less well attested than that deriving from Niall and there is no clear indication that the Munster branch of the Ó Dálaigh were considered to have had separate origins from the others. It may merely represent an attempt to integrate the bardic family with the local dynasties they served.


Migration across Ireland

Beginning in the early 12th century the Ó Dálaigh became scattered across Ireland, serving many royal dynasties. This diaspora may have been accentuated by the Norman invasions, which began around 1172. However, they remained chieftains in their ancestral lands in Westmeath. The earliest of these new branches of the family were in counties Cork, Roscommon, Clare and Sligo. The Ó Dálaigh continued to achieve prominence in the societies of their new homelands, becoming poets to various royal courts across Ireland and ruling as minor chiefs over lands outside of Westmeath.


An eminent dynasty of bards

"The chiefs of high Corca Adhamh, O'Dalaigh of lasting renown". Many of the Ó Dálaigh were hereditary poets to the various Irish royal courts and a number of them held the post of ''Ard Ollamh'' ( Chief Poet of Ireland). The ''Ard Ollamh'' ranked with the High King of Ireland in the social hierarchy, and maintained his own court. More than one member of the Ó Dálaigh family held both this post and the post of Chief Ollamh of Scotland. The chief poet of the family was known as "The Ó Dálaigh" in the same manner that the Prince of
Thomond Thomond (Classical Irish: ; Modern Irish: ), also known as the kingdom of Limerick, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Clare and County Limerick, as well as parts of County Tipperary around Nena ...
was called "The O'Brien". Members of the clan founded bardic schools throughout Ireland, and also in Scotland. The noble bards of Ireland were accorded great prestige and were accounted '' filid'' or "men of skill"; in social rank, they were placed below kings but above all others. The Ó Dálaigh were the foremost practitioners of the exacting and difficult poetry form known as ''
Dán Díreach Dán Díreach (; Irish for "direct verse") is a style of poetry developed in Ireland from the 12th century until the destruction of Gaelic society in the mid 17th century. It was a complex form of recitative designed to be chanted to the accompanim ...
'' throughout the Late Medieval period.Rigby, p. 578 Part of the prestige that attached to the Irish bardic ''ollamh'' was derived from fear; a leader satirised in a ''glam dicenn'' (satire-poem), by a very able poet, could find his social position badly undermined. Very talented poets were also believed to possess the power to raise boils on the face of the target of their satires or inflict other bodily harm (early Irish society placed great store on the physical appearance of leaders). Conversely, the praise of a skilled poet was very greatly valued as it enhanced social and political prestige. In addition to their poetry, the senior members of the Ó Dálaigh sept were also chieftains, their lands included the minor 'kingdom' of Corca Raidhe ( Corcaree) in Meath and Mhuintir Bháire in Cork. Royal courts would often grant lands to their bards, and many townlands such as Ballydaly, near Strokestown, Co. Roscommon, commemorate this in their names. In theory, the lands of Irish poets were held sacrosanct and could not be despoiled during warfare or raiding. Other members of the family were ecclesiastics: monks, abbots and bishops; they often combined their church roles with the production of religious poetry. The Irish bardic poet was often intimately involved in dynastic politics and warfare, a number of the Ó Dálaigh died violent deaths, or caused the violent deaths of others; the murderous, axe-wielding crusader Muireadhach Albanach Ó Dálaigh is the archetype of the warlike Irish poet.


Notable family members


Medieval period

* Cú Connacht Ó Dálaigh, also called Cuchonnacht na Sgoile ('of the ardicschool'), "The first ''ollamh'' of poetry in all Ireland". He died at the monastery of Clonard, Meath, in 1139. His is the earliest recorded use of the name Ó Dálaigh. * Ragnall Ua Dálaigh, died 1161. * Gilla na Trínóite Ua Dálaigh, chief poet of the
Kingdom of Desmond The Kingdom of Desmond () was a historic kingdom in southwestern Ireland. It was founded in 1118 by Tadhg Mac Cárthaigh, King of Munster when the Treaty of Glanmire formally divided the Kingdom of Munster into Desmond and Thomond (, "Nor ...
in Munster, was killed by the son of
Cormac Mac Carthaig Cormac is a masculine given name in the Irish and English languages. The name is ancient in the Irish language and is also seen in the rendered Old Norse as ''Kormákr''. Mac is Irish for "son", and can be used as either a prefix or a suffix. ...
in 1166. * Tadhg Ua Dálaigh, Chief ''Ollamh'' of Ireland and Scotland, died 1181. * Máel Íosa Ua Dálaigh, died 1185, was described as "Chief poet of Ireland and Scotland", he was also lord (''ard taoiseach'') of the minor midland kingdom of Corca Raidhe. The annals state that in 1185, Maelisa O'Daly, ollave (chief poet) of Ireland and Scotland, Lord of Corcaree and Corca-Adain, a man illustrious for his poetry, hospitality, and nobility, died while on a pilgrimage at Clonard. * Aonghus Ó Dálaigh, ''the common ancestor of all the O'Dalys extant'', fl.1200 * Muireadhach Albanach Ó Dálaigh, fl. 1213–1220. Brother of Donnchadh Mór, he had to flee Ireland after killing an insolent royal steward (of the lord of
Tír Conaill 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 ...
) called Fionn O'Brollaghan with an axe. He reputedly founded a Scottish branch of the family, ''
Clann MacMhuirich The MacMhuirich bardic family, known in Scottish Gaelic as ''Clann MacMhuirich'' and ''Clann Mhuirich'', and anglicised as Clan Currie was a prominent family of bards and other professionals in 15th to 18th centuries. The family was centred in ...
''. From the evidence of his poems he took part in the
Fifth Crusade The Fifth Crusade (1217–1221) was a campaign in a series of Crusades by Western Europeans to reacquire Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land by first conquering Egypt, ruled by the powerful Ayyubid sultanate, led by Al-Adil I, al-Adil, brothe ...
. * Donnchadh Mór Ó Dálaigh. In recording his death, in 1244, 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 Middle Ages, medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Flood myt ...
describes him as "a poet who never was and never will be surpassed". He has been called the 'Irish
Ovid Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the th ...
', for the smoothness of his verse. He was probably the abbot of the monastery of
Boyle Boyle is an English, Irish and Scottish surname of Gaelic, Anglo-Saxon or Norman origin. In the northwest of Ireland it is one of the most common family names. Notable people with the surname include: Disambiguation *Adam Boyle (disambiguation), ...
in
Roscommon Roscommon (; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60, N61 and N63 roads. The name Roscommon is derived from Coman mac Faelchon who buil ...
and wrote many religious poems. At Finnyvara, in County Clare, a monument exists to Donnchadh Mór near the site of the Ó'Dálaigh bardic school. His poems indicate that he was born in Meath. * Lughaidh (Louis) Ó Dálaigh, died 1337,
Bishop of Clonmacnoise Bishop of Clonmacnoise was the ordinary of the Roman Catholic episcopal see based at Clonmacnoise, County Offaly, Ireland. The bishops of Clonmacnoise (Old Irish: ''Cluain Moccu Nóis'') appear in the records for the first time in the 9th century ...
. * Aonghus Ruadh Ó Dálaigh of Meath, fl. 1325. Reputedly his satire-poems on a fellow chieftain were so scathing that his victim emigrated from the Irish midlands to Clare in Munster to escape them. "Aengus Ua Dalaigh the Red (namely; son of Donnchadh, son of Aengus, son of Donnchadh Mor), a sage without defect, died." Annal of 1347. *
Gofraidh Fionn Ó Dálaigh Gofraidh Fionn Ó Dálaigh (died 1387), of Duhallow, Country Cork, was an Irish poet and Chief Ollamh of Ireland. He is known to be one of the most important professional poets of fourteen-century Ireland.''The Field Day Anthology of Irish Writin ...
of
Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
, d. 1387. Chief ''Ollamh'' of Ireland. In 1351 a convention of poets and men of learning was held by Uilliam Buide Ó Ceallaigh (the ''Nodlaig na Garma''); this occasion was commemorated in Gofraidh Fionn Ó Dálaigh's poem ''Filidh Éireann go haointeach.'' * Cearbhall mac Lochlainn Ó Dálaigh, d. 1405, Chief ''Ollamh'' of Ireland in poetry, died in Corca Mruadh (County Clare). * Fearghal Ó Dálaigh, d. 1420 * Tadhg Ó Dalaigh,
Bishop of Achonry The Bishop of Achonry () is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Achonry in County Sligo, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains as a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bis ...
, 1436–1442. Appointed 3 September 1436; died in Rome before 15 October 1442; also known as Thaddaeus and Nicholas O'Daly. * Seaán Ó Dálaigh,
Bishop of Clonmacnoise Bishop of Clonmacnoise was the ordinary of the Roman Catholic episcopal see based at Clonmacnoise, County Offaly, Ireland. The bishops of Clonmacnoise (Old Irish: ''Cluain Moccu Nóis'') appear in the records for the first time in the 9th century ...
, 1444–1487. * Cormac mhac Taidhg Bhallaigh Ó Dálaigh, unclear when active, unknown dates between 1200-1600


Early modern era

*
Aonghus Fionn Ó Dálaigh Aonghus Fionn Ó Dálaigh (known as "The Pious"), was an Irish poet, fl. 1520–1570. Thought to have been born in County Meath, Aonghus Fionn was the head of the branch of the Ó Dálaigh family who were poets to the MacCarthy of Desmond. Onl ...
(known as "The Pious"), fl. 1520–1570, prob. born Co. Meath; head of the branch of the Ó Dálaigh family who were poets to the MacCarthys of Desmond. His poem to the Blessed Virgin, ''Grian na Maighdean Máthair Dé'' (Sun of All Maidens is the Mother of God) is extant. * Maoilsheachlainn Óg Ó Dálaigh, d. 1578. Court poet of
Gerald FitzGerald, 14th Earl of Desmond Gerald FitzGerald, 14th Earl of Desmond ( – 1583), also counted as 15th or 16th, owned large part of the Irish province of Munster. In 1565 he fought the private Battle of Affane against his neighbours, the Butlers. After this, he was for so ...
. * Aonghus Ruadh na nAor Ó Dálaigh, (1550–1617). He was employed by
Sir George Carew ''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 ...
and Mountjoy to lampoon the Irish chieftains and instigate enmity between them. The hostile reaction to his satire "The Tribes of Ireland" led to his assassination. *
Cearbhall Óg Ó Dálaigh Cearbhall Óg Ó Dálaigh (; fl. 1630), sometimes spelt in English as Carroll Oge O'Daly, was a 17th-century Irish language poet and harpist, who composed the song "". Cearbhall (Carroll) was a common name amongst people of the Ó Dálaigh ( ...
of
Ossory Osraige (Old Irish) or Osraighe (Classical Irish), Osraí (Modern Irish), anglicized as Ossory, was a medieval Irish kingdom comprising what is now County Kilkenny and western County Laois, corresponding to the Diocese of Ossory. The home of ...
, fl. 1620. Composer of many ''dánta grádha'' love poems and the celebrated song ''Eileanóir a Rún'' (Eleanor my Darling/Love), also known as '
Eileen Aroon Eileen ( or ) is an Irish feminine given name anglicised from Eibhlín and may refer to: People Artists * Eileen Agar (1899–1991), British Surrealist painter and photographer *Eileen Fisher (born 1950), clothing retailer and designer * Eilee ...
'. * Dominic Ó Dálaigh (1596–1662), born in Kerry, he entered Dominican Order in Galicia as Dominic de Rosario. He was Rector of the University of Louvain and established an Irish College of Dominicans in Lisbon. Dominic Ó Dálaigh later acted as advisor to the Queen of Portugal and Portuguese envoy to Louis XIV. He was Bishop elect of
Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2011 census was 143,397, in an area of . The fourth-largest urban area in Portugal after Lisbon, Porto, and Braga, it is the largest cit ...
and president of the privy council of Portugal. His works include ''Initium, incrementa et exitus familiae Geraldinorum Desmoniae comitum'' (The
Geraldines The FitzGerald/FitzMaurice Dynasty is a noble and aristocratic dynasty of Cambro-Norman, Anglo-Norman and later Hiberno-Norman origin. They have been peers of Ireland since at least the 13th century, and are described in the Annals of the ...
, Earls of Desmond), published in Lisbon in 1655; Dominic was a descendant of the Geraldines on his mother's side. * Lochlann Óg Ó Dálaigh, fl. ca. 1610. He wrote poetry lamenting the eclipse of the native society and culture of Ireland. "''Cait ar ghabhader Gaoidhil''"; "Where have the Gaels gone?" he asked, and answered himself thus: "In their place we have a proud impure swarm of foreigners".


Later history of the sept

The end of the prominence of the Gaelic-speaking nobility of Ireland, epitomised by the
Flight of the Earls The Flight of the Earls ( ir, Imeacht na nIarlaí)In Irish, the neutral term ''Imeacht'' is usually used i.e. the ''Departure of the Earls''. The term 'Flight' is translated 'Teitheadh na nIarlaí' and is sometimes seen. took place in Se ...
, in the early 17th century meant the social eclipse of those bardic families, such as the Ó Dálaigh, that depended on their patronage. The name Ó Dálaigh also changed, becoming anglicised to
Daly Daly or DALY may refer to: Places Australia * County of Daly, a cadastral division in South Australia * Daly River, Northern Territory, a locality * Electoral division of Daly, an electorate in the Northern Territory * Daly, Northern Territory, ...
, O'Daly, Dayley, Daley, Dailey or Dawley. With the loss of land in the wake of rebellions against English rule and in the Plantations of Ireland, most branches of the Ó Dálaigh became, to a greater or lesser extent, impoverished. An example of this is the fate of the Dalys of Mhuintir Bháire (the
Sheep's Head Sheep's Head, also known as Muntervary ( ga, Rinn Mhuintir Bháire), is the headland at the end of the Sheep's Head peninsula situated between Bantry Bay and Dunmanus Bay in County Cork, Ireland. The peninsula is popular with walkers, and ...
Peninsula, Cork), relatives and descendants of Aonghus Ruadh Ó Dálaigh (Aonghus Ruadh na nAor); they lost the last of their land in the aftermath of the fall of James II, and were reduced to the state of struggling tenant farmers. One prominent exception to this trend was the Daly family of Dunsandle, which became part of the
Protestant Ascendancy The ''Protestant Ascendancy'', known simply as the ''Ascendancy'', was the political, economic, and social domination of Ireland between the 17th century and the early 20th century by a minority of landowners, Protestant clergy, and members of th ...
though its members often espoused the extension of Catholic rights. Generations of this family served as mayors of, and MPs for,
Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on ...
, they were also raised to the peerage as Barons of Dunsandle. The Dunsandle Dalys claimed descent from Donnchadh Mór Ó Dálaigh and incorporated the
Red Hand of Ulster The Red Hand of Ulster ( gle, Lámh Dhearg Uladh), also known as the Red Hand Uí Néill, is a symbol used in heraldry to denote the Irish province of Ulster and the Northern Uí Néill in particular. However, it has also been used by other I ...
into their
coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...
to record their ancient
Uí Néill The Uí Néill (Irish pronunciation: ; meaning "descendants of Niall") are Irish dynasties who claim descent from Niall Noígíallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages), a historical King of Tara who died c. 405. They are generally divided into t ...
connections.Mangan, p. 8. Ultimately, the Dalys of Dunsandle retained their wealth and political prominence, but at the cost of losing the faith and culture their ancestors long upheld. A member of the above-mentioned line, Denis St. George Daly, won a gold medal for men's polo at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris.


References and sources

;Notes ;Sources *Connellan, T. (Ed.) (1860) ''The Proceedings of the Great Bardic Institution.'' Dublin. *. *Koch, J.T., (2006) Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia, ABC-CLIO, *Leland, M. (1999) ''The lie of the land: Journeys Through Literary Cork'', Cork University Press. *Mangan, J.C. (trans.) (1852) ''The Tribes of Ireland: a Satire.'' by Aenghus O'Daly, with poetical tr. by J. C. Mangan; together with An historical account of the family of O'Daly; and an introduction to the history of satire in Ireland, by J. O'Donovan, Dublin

*Rigby, S.H., (2003) A Companion to Britain in the Later Middle Ages, Historical Association, Blackwell Publishing, *Welsh, Robert, (1996) ''Oxford Concise Companion to Irish Literature''.


External links





For the adventures of Muireadhach Albanach Ó Dálaigh:

*

An account of the bardic tradition in Clare and photographs of the monument to Donnchadh Mór and the Ó Dálaigh bardic school at Finnyvara (Finnavara): *http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/literature/bardic/clares_bardic_tradition.htm The full text of the poem "Harp of Cnoc I'Chosgair", by Gofraidh Fionn Ó Dálaigh:

{{DEFAULTSORT:O Dalaigh Irish writers Irish families Irish Brehon families Irish-language surnames Families of Irish ancestry Gaels