Ó Gadhra or O'Gara is an
Irish surname
In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community.
Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...
which originated in the kingdom of
Luighne Connacht
Luighne Connacht was a territory located in north-central Connacht, on the borders of what is now County Mayo and County Sligo, Ireland.
Origin
The Luighne were a people, originally found in Brega, south of Kells in what is now County Meath ...
. Variants include
Garry,
Geary,
Gerry
Gerry is both a surname and a masculine or feminine given name. As a given name, it is often a short form (hypocorism) of Gerard, Gerald or Geraldine. Notable people with the name include:
Surname
*Elbridge Gerry (1744–1814), fifth US vice presi ...
, and
Guiry.
[
]
Irish Names and Surnames
', pp. 100. Patrick Woulfe, Dublin : M. H. Gill, 1922
Background
The first O'Garas were descendants of the
Gailenga people. Their descendants were located in Sliabh Lugha (later known as 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 ...
of
Gallen Gallen may refer to:
;Places:
* Gallen (barony), a barony in Ireland
* Sankt Gallen (disambiguation), various German-speaking countries
;People:
* Saint Gall, Irish missionary, ''Sankt Gallus'' in German
* Conal Gallen, Irish singer/comedian
* Her ...
), the southern part of the territory ruled by the Kings of Luighne Connacht.
In the 13th century they were expelled from the area (by the
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship
and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meaning ...
Mac Siúrtáin) and moved to Cul Ui Fionn, later known as the barony of
Coolavin
Coolavin (Irish ''Cúl ó bhFionn'') is a barony in south County Sligo, Ireland. It was created from the ancient túath of An Corann.
The O'Garas were originally Lords of Coolavin. They were succeeded by the MacDermotts, a family of the Mile ...
,
County Sligo.
Notable bearers of the name
*
Domhnall mac Gadhra, King of Luighne Connacht, died 931.
*
Toichleach Ua Gadhra
Toichleach Ua Gadhra, King of Gailenga, in medieval Ireland, died in 964.
Toichleach was a grandson of Gadhra, from whom the surname O'Gara derived. He may have been a son of Domhnall mac Gadhra, King of Gailenga, who was killed in 931.
The A ...
, King of Gailenga, died 964.
*
Donn Sléibhe Ua Gadhra
Donn Sléibhe Ua Gadhra, King of Sliabh Lugha, died 1181.
The Annals of Lough Ce
Annals ( la, annāles, from , "year") are a concise historical record in which events are arranged chronologically, year by year, although the term is also used ...
, King of Sliabh Lugha, died 1181.
*
Ruaidrí Ó Gadhra
Ruaidrí Ó Gadhra (died 1256) was an Irish people, Irish king of Sliabh Lugha and Chief of the Name.
During Ruaidrí's lifetime the territory of Sliabh Lugha was conquered by the Sheriff of Connacht, Jordan de Exeter (died 1258), ancestor of the ...
, last King of Sliabh Lugha, died 1256.
*
Ruaidri Ó Gadhra
Ruaidri Ó Gadhra (died 1285) was an Irish Lord.
The Annals of the Four Masters record, ''sub anno'' 1285, ''"Rory O'Gara, Lord of Sliabh-Lugha, was slain by Mac Feorais Bermingham on Lough O'Gara."'' However, by this stage the family had been ex ...
, Irish lord, died 1285.
*
Fearghal Ó Gadhra
Fearghal Ó Gadhra (c. 1597 – after 1660), sometimes referred to as Farrell O'Gara, was lord of Coolavin, and patron of the ''Annals of the Four Masters''.
Family background
Ó Gadhra was the son of Tadhg mac Oilill Ó Gadhra of Coolavin, loc ...
, lord of Coolavin, patron of the
Annals of the Four Masters, c. 1597-after 1660.
*
Oliver O'Gara
Oliver O'Gara was an Irish politician and soldier of the 17th and 18th centuries who was closely identified with the Jacobite cause.
Family background
He was descended from the Ó Gadhra's of Luighne Connacht. After the Reformation his family h ...
, Irish soldier and politician of the 17th century
*
John Patrick O'Gara
John Patrick O'Gara was a French-born soldier of Irish descent who served in the Spanish Army during the eighteenth century.
He was the son of Colonel Oliver O'Gara, a Jacobite exile who left Ireland for France following the surrender of forces ...
, French-born soldier in the Spanish Army
*
Charles O'Gara
Charles O'Gara (born 1699 in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain, d. 1777) was a French-born courtier of Irish parentage who rose to prominence in the service of Leopold, Duke of Lorraine and later his son Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor. Like the ...
(1699-1777), courtier and official of the Holy Roman Empire
*
Matt O'Gara, Irish sportsperson, fl. 1960.
*
Ronan O'Gara, Irish rugby union rugby player, born 1977.
*
Eoghan O'Gara
Eoghan O'Gara (born 24 September 1985) is a Gaelic footballer who played as a forward at senior level for the Dublin county team. O'Gara attended St. Josephs BNS primary school in Terenure.
Playing career
O'Gara made his Championship debut fo ...
, Irish sportsperson, born 1985.
See also
*
Ó Gadhra Chiefs of the Name
*
Kings of Sliabh Lugha
The Kings of Sliabh Lugha were rulers of the district of Sliabh Lugha located in what is now the barony of Costello, County Mayo, Ireland.
The Sliabh Lugha area was originally part of Gailenga but by the 12th-century was separately called Sli ...
*
Kings of Luighne Connacht
The Kings of Luighne Connacht were rulers of the people and kingdom of Luighne Connacht, located in what is now County Mayo and County Sligo, Ireland.
The southern area was originally known as Gailenga but by the 12th-century called Sliabh Lugha ...
References
Further reading
* ''The History of the County of Mayo to the Close of the Sixteenth Century. With illustrations and three maps'',
Hubert T. Knox. Originally published 1908, Hogges Figgies and Co. Dublin. Reprinted by De Burca rare books, 1982. .
*
Irish Names and Surnames', pp. 100. Patrick Woulfe, Dublin : M. H. Gill, 1922
* ''Muintir Ghadhra'', an t-Athair Fearghus Báiréad,
OFM, pp. 45–66, ''Measgra i gcuimhne Mhichíl Uí Chléirigh. Miscellany of historical and linguistic studies in honour of Brother Michael Ó Cléirigh, chief of the Four Masters, 1643-1943'', ed. by Father Sylvester O'Brien, Assisi Press, Dublin, 1944.
* ''The Surnames of Ireland'',
Edward MacLysaght, Dublin, 1978.
External links
*
Irish Times database
{{DEFAULTSORT:O Gadhra
Surnames
Surnames of Irish origin
Irish families
Irish-language surnames