Geraghty () and the variant Garaghty are Irish surnames, it was originally written in a Gaelic form as ''Mag Oireachtaigh'' (or MacGeraghty in English), the name is derived from the word "''oireachtach''," referring to a member of an assembly. The name of the modern national legislative body in

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 Oireachtas comes from the same Gaelic root.

History

The MacGeraghty clan are descended from the Siol Muireadaigh of the Kingdom of

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms ( Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Del ...

, the same Gaelic lineage and homeland as the

Ó Conchubhair The O'Conor family (Middle Irish: ''Ó Conchubhair''; Modern ga, Ó Conchúir) are an Irish noble house and were one of the most influential and distinguished royal houses in Ireland. The O'Conor family held the throne of the Kingdom of Co ...

dynasty. Their lands were originally situated in the Barony of Roscommon. They were rulers of Clann Tomaltaigh and the Muintir Roduib and are referred to in the topographical poem

Tuilleadh feasa ar Éirinn óigh Tuilleadh feasa ar Éirinn óigh ("More knowledge on the entirety of Ireland") is a medieval Gaelic-Irish topographical text, composed by Giolla na Naomh Ó hUidhrín (died 1420). Overview ''Tuilleadh feasa ...'' is both a supplement and a conti ...

Giolla na Naomh Ó hUidhrín Giolla na Naomh O hUidhrin, Irish historian and poet, died 1420. O hUidhrin is known as the author of '' Tuilleadh feasa ar Éirinn óigh'', a topographical poem of a kind with Seán Mór Ó Dubhagáin's '' Triallam timcheall na Fodla'', of whic ...

. Members of this Clan are said to have named the island of Innis Murray after themselves as they were formerly chiefs of the Siol Murray. The MacGeraghty clan are associated with the Gaelic Kingdoms of

Uí Briúin The Uí Briúin were a royal dynasty of Connacht. Their eponymous apical ancestor was Brión, son of Eochaid Mugmedon and Mongfind, and an elder half brother of Niall of the Nine Hostages. They formed part of the Connachta, along with the U ...

and Uí Maine, in the latter they were second only to the '' O’Ceallaigh'', who were the Kings of Uí Maine. A Chief of the name, called ''McGiriaght'' is listed in the Composition Book of Connacht in 1585, as seated in the Barony of Athlone.

Geoffrey Keating Geoffrey Keating ( ga, Seathrún Céitinn; c. 1569 – c. 1644) was a 17th-century historian. He was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, and is buried in Tubrid Graveyard in the parish of Ballylooby-Duhill. He became an Irish Catholic priest and a ...

’s ''

History of Ireland The first evidence of human presence in Ireland dates to around 33,000 years ago, with further findings dating the presence of homo sapiens to around 10,500 to 7,000 BC. The receding of the ice after the Younger Dryas cold phase of the Quaterna ...

'' records that: "''Mac Oiraghty of the steeds was the ruling chief'' ''of Muintir Roduiv of rightful laws -'' ''A fearless warrior as he ranged the woods''"''''Foras Feasa ar Éirinn'. By Geoffrey Keating The clan name MacGeraghty lead to the anglicised name Geraghty, descendants of the family are still found in large numbers in County Galway, County Mayo, County Roscommon,

County Sligo County Sligo ( , gle, Contae Shligigh) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the Border Region and is part of the province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the an ...

and among the Irish diaspora.

Related surnames

Related surnames that derive from the same Gaelic root are: *

McGarrity McGarrity is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * John McGarrity (1925–2006), Scottish footballer *Joseph McGarrity (1874–1940), Irish Republican * Kevin McGarrity (born 1973), Northern Irish racing driver * Mark C. McGarrity ( ...

Garrity Garrity is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Chris Garrity (born 1981), professional lacrosse goaltender * Douglas Alan Garrity, American engineer *Freddie Garrity (1936–2006), singer and actor in the 1960s pop band ''Freddie ...

Garraty Garraty is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Billy Garraty (1878–1931), English footballer * John A. Garraty (1920–2007), American historian and biographer * Raymond Garraty See also * Garrity {{Short pages monitor

Gerety Gerety is a surname. It may refer to: * Anne Gerety (1926-2003), American actress * Mary Frances Gerety, American advertisement copywriter * Megan Gerety (born 1971), American alpine ski racer *Peter Gerety (born 1940), American actor * Peter Leo G ...

* Gerrity *

Gerahty Gerahty is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Cecil Gerahty (1888–1938), English journalist * Charles Cyril Gerahty (1888–1978), British colonial judge * Digby George Gerahty (1898–1981), English novelist * Peter Geraht ...

* MacGeraghty * McGeraghty * McGerity * MacGartie * MacGarty * Gerighty * Gerighaty * Geraty * Gerty * Gurty * Jerety

People

The name Geraghty may refer to: * Agnes Geraghty (1907–1974), swimmer *

Barry Geraghty Barry Geraghty (born 16 September 1979) is a retired Irish jockey. He is the second most successful jockey of all time at the Cheltenham Festival. Geraghty rode his first winner in January 1997 and three years later he became the Irish Champio ...

(born 1979), jockey *

Ben Geraghty Benjamin Raymond Geraghty (July 19, 1912 – June 18, 1963) was an American infielder in Major League Baseball and one of the most successful and respected minor league managers of the 1950s. A Jersey City native, Geraghty went right from Vill ...

(1912–1963), baseball player *

Brian Geraghty Brian Timothy Geraghty (born May 13, 1975) is an American actor, known for his roles in the 2005 film '' Jarhead'', the 2008 film ''The Hurt Locker'', and in the 2012 film ''Flight'', along with his recurring role in the HBO drama series ''Board ...

(born 1974), actor * Carmelita Geraghty (1901–1966), actress *

David Geraghty David Geraghty (born 30 September 1975) is an Irish multi-instrumentalist, composer and songwriter. He is a founding member of Bell X1, and since 2014 has been performing under the moniker Join Me in the Pines. In 1994 he joined the group Ju ...

(born 1975), singer-songwriter *

Des Geraghty Desmond Geraghty (born 27 October 1943) is a former Irish politician and trade union leader. He was president of SIPTU from 1999 to 2004. He stood unsuccessfully at the 1984 European Parliament election for the Dublin constituency as a Workers ...

(born 1943), politician * Donn Óge Mag Oireachtaigh (died 1230), Irish lord *

Graham Geraghty Graham Geraghty (born 17 May 1973), is a former Gaelic footballer who played at senior level for the Meath county team. While still an inter-county player, he stood for the Fine Gael political party at the 2007 Irish general election; he was ...

(born 1973), footballer * Jack Geraghty (born 1934), mayor * James Geraghty (1896–1960), politician *

Jim Geraghty Jim Geraghty () is the senior political correspondent of ''National Review'' and author of several books. In addition to writing for ''National Review'', Geraghty blogs for ''National Review Online'' and is a former reporter for States News Service ...

, author and activist * Johnny Geraghty (born 1942), sportsperson * Kate Geraghty (born 1973), photojournalist *

Marita Geraghty Marita Geraghty (born March 26, 1962) is an American television and film actress. She had roles in several movies during the late 1980s and early 1990s, most notably as Nancy Taylor in ''Groundhog Day''. She was married to actor Michael Maguire. ...

, actress * Martin Geraghty, comic book artist * Michael Geraghty (born 1952), Attorney General of Alaska *

Paul Geraghty Paul Geraghty (born 3 May 1959, in Durban, South Africa) is a British based author and illustrator of children's picture books. He also writes teenage fiction and won the Young Africa Award for his first novel ''Pig''. Background His master ...

(born 1959), author and illustrator *

Robyn Geraghty Robyn Kathryn Geraghty (born 8 August 1949) was the Labor member for the electoral district of Torrens in South Australia from 1994 to 2014. She was elected at a by-election held in 1994 to replace Joe Tiernan Patrick Joseph Tiernan (8 March ...

, politician * Sarah Geraghty, (born 1974), Northern District Judge of Georgia * Shane Geraghty (born 1986), rugby union player * Thomas F. Geraghty, jurist * Thomas J. Geraghty (1883–1945), screenwriter *

Tony Geraghty Tony Geraghty (born 13 January 1932) is a British-Irish writer and journalist. He served in the Parachute Regiment, and was awarded the Joint Service Commendation Medal for his work as a military liaison officer with U.S. forces during the Gulf Wa ...

, writer and journalist *

Garry Marsh Garry Marsh (21 June 1902 – 6 March 1981) was an English stage and film actor. Born Leslie Marsh Gerahty in St Margarets, Surrey, his parents were George and Laura. His elder brothers were the author Digby George Gerahty and the journalist ...

, born Leslie March Geraghty, actor

References

{{Connachta