O'Dea ( ; , formerly ), is an

Irish surname A formal Irish name consists of a given name and a surname. In the Irish language, most surnames are patronymic surnames (distinct from patronymic, patronyms, which are seen in Icelandic names for example). The form of a surname varies according ...

derived from ', the name of a tenth-century

clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, a clan may claim descent from a founding member or apical ancestor who serves as a symbol of the clan's unity. Many societie ...

chieftain. According to historian C. Thomas Cairney, the O'Deas were one of the chiefly families of the

Dal gCais The Dalcassians ( ) are a Gaels, Gaelic Irish clan, generally accepted by contemporary scholarship as being a branch of the Déisi Muman, that became very powerful in Ireland during the 10th century. Their genealogies claimed descent from Tál ...

Dalcassians The Dalcassians ( ) are a Gaelic Irish clan, generally accepted by contemporary scholarship as being a branch of the Déisi Muman, that became very powerful in Ireland during the 10th century. Their genealogies claimed descent from Tál Cas. ...

who were a tribe of the Erainn who were the second wave of Celts to settle in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

between about 500 and 100 BC.

O'Dea clan origins

The O'Dea clan, also found as

O'Day O'Day is a surname of Irish origin. Notable people with the surname include: *Alan O'Day (1940–2013), American singer-songwriter *Anita O'Day (1919–2006), American jazz singer * Aubrey O'Day (born 1984), American singer, dancer, actress, songw ...

or just Day, came originally from

County Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...

in Ireland where there is a fortified

tower house A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, to command and defend strategic points ...

over 500 years old known as

O'Dea Castle O'Dea Castle, also known as Dysert O'Dea Castle, is an Irish fortified tower house, loosely described as a castle at Dysert O'Dea (), the former O'Dea clan stronghold, from Corofin, County Clare.Dysert O'Dea Monastery Dysert O'Dea Church ( Irish: ''Díseart Uí Dheá'' - "the hermitage of Deá") near Corofin in County Clare, Ireland stands on the site of an early Christian monastery which is thought to have been founded by St. Tola in the 8th century. Mos ...

, round tower, and St. Tola's high cross are 265 metres to the south-southwest of the castle in the adjacent townland of Mollaneen (), near Corofin. ()

Edward MacLysaght Edgeworth Lysaght, later Edward Anthony Edgeworth Lysaght, and from 1920 Edward MacLysaght (; 6 November 1887 – 4 March 1986) was a genealogist of twentieth-century Ireland. His numerous books on Irish surnames built upon the work of Rev. Pat ...

, the former Chief Herald of Ireland, writing in his book, ''Irish Families'', began his discussion of the O'Dea family as follows: In another book, ''The Surnames of Ireland'', MacLysaght describes the O'Deas as "one of the principal Dalcassian septs", and about the name itself, he remarks, "The prefix O is now almost always used, but a century ago Dea was quite usual and the surname

Day A day is the time rotation period, period of a full Earth's rotation, rotation of the Earth with respect to the Sun. On average, this is 24 hours (86,400 seconds). As a day passes at a given location it experiences morning, afternoon, evening, ...

was regarded as synonymous."

Ancestry

The O'Deas – together with the O'Quinns () and the O'Griffins () – belonged to the group, which was a branch of the Dalcassian tribe.

References

External links

O'Dea Clan
website {{DEFAULTSORT:O'Dea Irish families Surnames English-language surnames Surnames of Irish origin Septs of the Dál gCais Anglicised Irish-language surnames

O'Dea clan origins

Ancestry

See also

References

Further reading

External links