Ó hUiginn is the

surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

of a

Gaelic Gaelic (pronounced for Irish Gaelic and for Scots Gaelic) is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". It may refer to: Languages * Gaelic languages or Goidelic languages, a linguistic group that is one of the two branches of the Insul ...

- Irish family of soldiers, poets, and historians located in

Connacht Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...

. Originally part of the southern

Uí Néill The Uí Néill (; meaning "descendants of Niall") are Irish dynasties that claim descent from Niall Noígíallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages), a historical King of Tara who is believed to have died around c. 405. They are generally divided ...

based in the Irish midlands, they moved west into Connacht. They were especially associated with what is now

County Sligo County Sligo ( , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region and is part of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in ...

, settling at Dooghorne,

Achonry Achonry (; ) is a village in County Sligo, Ireland. The old name is Achad Cain Conairi. St. Nath Í ua hEadhra (O'Hara) founded a monastery here. The foundation gave the later diocese its name. The monastery was founded on land granted by the ...

and

Ballynary Ballynary () is a townland on the eastern shore of Lough Arrow in south County Sligo, Ireland. Ballynary was the ancestral seat of the O'Higgins family (or in Irish) for 700 years, until they were forced off their lands in 1654 by Oliver Crom ...

, as well as other locations in

County Mayo County Mayo (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...

County Roscommon County Roscommon () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the province of Connacht and the Northern and Western Region. It is the List of Irish counties by area, 11th largest Irish county by area and Li ...

and

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

. More than half of those bearing the surname in Ireland today still live in Connacht. The name is commonly anglicised as Higgins or O'Higgins. People bearing the name include: * Tadc Ó hUiginn (died 1315), ''a general master of all arts connected with poetry'' * Gilla na Neamh Ó hUiginn (died 1346), poet :: Fercert Ó hUiginn (died 1418), ''head of the family descended from Gilla na Neamh Ó h-Uiginn'' :::: Lochlainn, son of Fercert Ó hUiginn (died 1464) * Doighre Ó hUiginn, scribe of ''The Book of Magauran'' * Donnchad Ó hUiginn, ''a learned historian'' (died 1364) *

Maol Sheachluinn na n-Uirsgéal Ó hUiginn Maol Sheachluinn na n-Uirsgéal Ó hÚigínn () was an Irish bardic poet. Background Ó hÚigínn was a member of a well-known Irish family of bards or poets, based in Connacht. His surviving works include: * '' Foraire Uladh ar Aodh'' * ''D ...

(fl. c. 1400), Irish poet * Niall mac Aed Ó hUiginn (fl. 1414) *

Sean mac Fergail Óicc Ó hUiccinn Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Hiberno-English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as ''Shaun/Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; angli ...

(died 1490), Irish poet *

Tadg Óg Ó hUiginn Tadg Óg Ó hUiginn (born c.1370, died 1448) was an Irish poet. Life and background Ó hUiginn was a member of a well-known Irish family of bards, based in Connacht. His father, Tadhg Mór Ó hUiginn, died in 1391, while all that is known of h ...

(died 1448), ''chief teacher f the poetsof Ireland and Scotland'' *

Elec Ní hUicinn Elec Ní hUicinn, was an Irish noblewoman, murdered 1471. The Annals of Connacht, ''sub anno'' 1471, * ''An attack was made by Mac Gosdelb after his own kinsmen and they killed Elec daughter of Fergal Oc O hUiginn, wife of Conchobar son of R ...

(murdered 1471) *

Brian Ó hUiginn Brian Ó hUiginn, Irish poet, died Maundy Thursday, 1476. Biography Brian was a member of a branch of the Ó hUiginn brehon family, based in what is now County Mayo. The Annals of the Four Masters recorded his death, ''sub anno'' 1476, as fo ...

(died 1476), head of his own tribe, superintendent of the schools of Ireland, and preceptor in poetry * Bishop Ó hUiginn,

Bishop of Mayo The Bishop of Mayo was an Episcopal polity, episcopal title which took its name after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo in Ireland. After the English Reformation, Reformation, the title was briefly used by the Church of Ireland until 1559 an ...

(died 1478) * Gilla-Patrick Ó hUiginn (died 1485), son of Brian and grandson of Melaghlin, ''a man who had kept a general house of hospitality for the mighty and the indigent'' *

Philip Bocht Ó hUiginn Philip Bocht Ó hUiginn, Irish poet, died 1487. Background Ó hUiginn was a member of a Connacht-based family of bards. His father was Conn Crosach, but nothing else is known of his place within the family, or where he lived. His obituary in ...

, Irish poet (died 1487) * Maelmuire son of Tadc Oc O hUiginn (died 1488), a master of poetry *

(died 1490), Irish poet *

Tadhg Mór Ó hUiginn Tadhg Mór Ó hUiginn was an Irish poet. Ó hUiginn was a member of a highly regarded Connacht O'Higgins family of bards. His surviving poems include: * ''Gach éan mar a adhbha'' * ''Slán fat fholcadh'' See also * O'Higgins family O' ...

, poet *

(died 1448), Irish poet *

Tadhg Dall Ó hUiginn Tadhg Dall Ó hUiginn (c. 1550 – c.1591) was an Irish poet. Background A well-known late-Gaelic era poet, Tadhg Dall Ó hUiginn was a member of a family of professional poets from north Connacht. His mother's name is unknown. His father was M ...

(c. 1550-c.1591), Irish poet *

, Irish poet *

Cairbre mac Brian Ó hUiginn Cairbre mac Brian Ó hUiginn, Irish poet, who died in 1505. He was a member of a branch of the Ó hUiginn brehon family. The Annals of the Four Masters recorded his death, ''sub anno'' 1505, as follows: * ''Carbry, the son of Brian O'Higgin, ...

(died 1505) *

Brian Óge Ó hUiginn Brian Óge Ó hUiginn, Irish poet, died 1505. Brian Óge was a member of a branch of the Ó hUiginn brehon family. The Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' () or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' () are ...

(died 1505) * Eogan, son of Brian Óge Ó hUiginn, Chief Preceptor of all Ireland, died 1510 * Gilla-Coluim Ó hUiginn, Irish poet. The son of Maelmuire and Brian Og Ó hUiginn; first cousin of the father of

; died three nights before

Lammas Lammas (from Old English ''hlāfmæsse'', "loaf-mass"), also known as Loaf Mass Day, is a Christian holiday celebrated in some English-speaking world, English-speaking countries on 1 August. The name originates from the word "loaf" in referenc ...

(in 1587) * Conchobhar, son of Enna O'hUiginn, died: a most eminent poet was this Conchobhar; interred at Caisel-na-heilidhi, Machaire-na-nailech (in 1587) *

, (c. 1550–c. 1591), poet *

Ambrosio O'Higgins, 1st Marquis of Osorno Ambrosio Bernardo O'Higgins y O'Higgins, 1st Marquess of Osorno (c. 1720 – 19 March 1801) born Ambrose Bernard O'Higgins (''Ambrós Bearnárd Ó hUiginn'', in Irish language, Irish), was an Irish-Spanish colonial administrator and a member of ...

(1720–1801) (Irish: Ambrós Bearnárd Ó hUiginn), Viceroy of Peru for Spain *

Higgins of Tyrawley Hugh Higgins of Tyrawley was a blind Irish harper, 1737-after 1791. Higgins was a descendant of the Ó hUiginn family of poets, scribes, and historians. He was a native of Tirawley in north-east County Mayo and noted as having a more "respectab ...

, 18th century harper *

Bernardo O'Higgins Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme (; 20 August 1778 – 24 October 1842) was a Chilean independence leader who freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence. He was a wealthy landowner of Basque people, Basque-Spanish people, Spani ...

(1788-1842), first head of state of

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

Brian O'Higgins Brian O'Higgins (; 1 July 1882 – 10 March 1963), also known as Brian na Banban, was an Irish writer, poet, soldier and politician who was a founding member of Sinn Féin and served as President of the organisation from 1931 to 1933. He was a ...

(1882–1963), Irish writer and poet * Kevin O'Higgins (1892–1927), Irish Free State minister, 1922–1927 * Thomas Francis O'Higgins (1916–2003), Irish politician, barrister, a judge *

Michael D. Higgins Michael Daniel Higgins (; born 18 April 1941) is an Irish politician, poet, broadcaster, and sociologist who has been serving as the president of Ireland since 2011. Entering national politics through the Labour Party, he served as a senator ...

(born 1941), 9th President of Ireland *

Michéal Ó hUiginn Michéal Ó hUiginn (born 1942) was the Mayor of Galway on three separate occasions: from 1972–1973, 1979–1980, and 1995–1996. Ó hUiginn's family were based on Father Griffin Road, on the west bank of the River Corrib, Corr ...

(born 1942), three-time

Mayor of Galway The office of Mayor of Galway is an honorific title used by the of Galway City Council. The council has jurisdiction throughout its administrative area of the city of Galway which is the largest city in the province of Connacht, in Ireland. Th ...

References

* http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm?fuseaction=History&Surname=higgins&UserID= * http://www.ohigginsclan.com/welcome.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:O hUiginn Surnames Irish families Irish Brehon families Surnames of Irish origin Irish-language surnames Families of Irish ancestry