O'Dwyer ( Irish: ''Ó Dubhuir''), also known as Dwyer, Dyer is one of Ireland's oldest

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 ...

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...

or aristocratic houses, based most prominently in what is today

County Tipperary County Tipperary () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary (tow ...

. The name means "dark coloured", in reference to their progenitor Dubhuir mac Spealáin's hair colour.

Ancestry

A claimed ancestor of the O'Dwyer clan was King Milesius of Spain, who according to legend conquered Ireland for the Gaels. Documented paternal ancestors of the clan are of the

Laigin The Laigin, modern spelling Laighin (), were a Gaelic population group of early Ireland. They gave their name to the Kingdom of Leinster, which in the medieval era was known in Irish as ''Cóiced Laigen'', meaning "Fifth/province of the Leinste ...

, specifically, Cairbre Cluichechair, who was the son of Cú Corb, King of Leinster (himself the son of High King,

Conchobar Abradruad Conchobar Abradruad ("red eyelashes"), son of Find File, son of Ros Ruad, son of Fergus Fairgge, son of Nuadu Necht, of the Laigin, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. He succeeded to the thro ...

). Cairbre Cluichechair moved into

Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...

, founding the Dál Cairbre Aradh at an early stage. However, according to historian C. Thomas Cairney, the O'Dwyers were chiefs of the Dal Cairbre Arad tribe who in turn came from the Erainn who were the second wave of

Celts The Celts ( , see Names of the Celts#Pronunciation, pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples ( ) were a collection of Indo-European languages, Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient Indo-European people, reached the apoge ...

to settle in Ireland between about 500 and 100 BC, which was before the Laigin who were the third wave of Celts to settle in Ireland.

History

There are accounts of the O'Dwyer family participating in the

Battle of Clontarf The Battle of Clontarf () took place on 23 April 1014 at Clontarf, near Dublin, on the east coast of Ireland. It pitted an army led by Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, against a Norse- Irish alliance comprising the forces of Sigtrygg Silkbea ...

and

Irish clan Irish clans are traditional kinship groups sharing a common surname and heritage and existing in a lineage-based society, originating prior to the 17th century. A clan (or in Irish, plural ) included the chief and his patrilineal relatives; howe ...

warfare. The O'Dwyers eventually emerged as Lords of Kilnamanagh in the High to Late Middle Ages, but they are not referenced by name as significant in the ''

Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' () or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' () are chronicles of Middle Ages, medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Genesis flood narrative, Deluge, dated as 2,242 Anno Mundi, years after crea ...

'' until the 15th century. Along with the

O'Carroll O'Carroll (), also known as simply Carroll, Carrol or Carrell, is a Gaelic Irish clan which is the most prominent sept of the Ciannachta (also known as Clan Cian). Their genealogies claim that they are kindred with the Eóganachta (themsel ...

Éile Éile (; , ), commonly anglicised as Ely, was a medieval petty kingdom in the southern part of the modern county of Offaly and parts of North Tipperary in Ireland. The historic barony of Eliogarty was once a significant portion of the kingdom. ...

, the

O'Kennedy The O'Kennedy family (Irish language, Irish: ''Ó Cinnéide''), sometimes Kennedy, were an Irish royal dynasty, a sept of the Dál gCais, founded in the Middle Ages who were Kings of Ormond. Their founder was the nephew of High King of Ireland ...

of Ormond and the Mulryan of Owney, the O'Dwyers of Kilnamanagh were one of a cluster of regional Gaelic clan powers in the

High Middle Ages The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history between and ; it was preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended according to historiographical convention ...

in the area of what would one day become County Tipperary who held out against

Anglicisation Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...

with the arrival of the

Lordship of Ireland The Lordship of Ireland (), sometimes referred to retrospectively as Anglo-Norman Ireland, was the part of Ireland ruled by the King of England (styled as "Lord of Ireland") and controlled by loyal Anglo-Norman Lords between 1177 and 1542. T ...

. They interplayed with newer Norman arrivals on their borders who became significant powers, especially the Butler Earls of Ormond. Clan members Philip O'Dwyer and Anthony O'Dwyer captured the

Rock of Cashel The Rock of Cashel ( ), also known as Cashel of the Kings and St. Patrick's Rock, is a historical site located dramatically above a plain at Cashel, County Tipperary, Cashel, County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. History According t ...

in 1641 during the

Irish Rebellion of 1641 The Irish Rebellion of 1641 was an uprising in Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, initiated on 23 October 1641 by Catholic gentry and military officers. Their demands included an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, greater Irish self-governance, and ...

. Subsequently, following the Cromwellian War in Ireland, the clan were punished and dispossessed of much of their land under the

Act for the Settlement of Ireland 1652 The Act for the Settling of Ireland imposed penalties including death and land confiscation against Irish civilians and combatants after the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and subsequent unrest. British historian John Morrill wrote that the Act and a ...

. Some were removed to

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 ...

, while others chose exile as Wild Geese on the European Continent. A significant number of O'Dwyer men found service in armies of Bourbon France, the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

(including General Count John O'Dwyer, Governor of Belgrade) and even Romanov Russia (providing an Admiral). Throughout history, the O'Dwyers would prove themselves capable generals and soldiers, and would participate in many armed conflicts:

Castles

In Kilnamanagh, the O'Dwyer built several castles, as part of their attempt to defend their lands. Today all of these castles are in ruin, but some of their remains can be seen in County Tipperary. Most were destroyed during the 17th century and all of them were confiscated during the times of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

. These include: * Ballysheeda Castle * Ballagh Castle * Clonyharp Castle * Drumbane Castle * Dundrum Castle (now the location of the 18th century Dumdrum House Hotel), * Graigone Castle *Killenure Castle (still largely intact) * Milltown Castle. * Moyaliffe Castle (now Moyaliffe House)

Naming conventions

List of people

The name has variants including Dwyer. People with the name O'Dwyer include: * Declan O'Dwyer (b. 1987), Irish hurler * Edmund Thomas O'Dwyer (1919–2005), Australian cricketer * J. Mike O'Dwyer (b. ?), Australian weapon designer * John Joseph O’Dwyer, 1st earl O’Dwyer, governor of Belgrade (b. ?) * Joseph O'Dwyer (1841–1898), American physician * Kelly O'Dwyer (born 1977), Australian politician * Luke O'Dwyer (born 1980), Australian National Rugby League player * Matt O'Dwyer (born 1972), American football player, NFL 1995–2005 * Michael O'Dwyer (1864–1940), administrator in British India *

Mick O'Dwyer Michael O'Dwyer (9 June 1936 – 3 April 2025) was an Irish Gaelic football manager and player. He most famously managed the senior Kerry county team between 1974 and 1989, during which time he became the county's longest-serving manager, and ...

(1936–2025), Irish Gaelic football player and manager * Orla O'Dwyer (born 1998), Irish Australian rules footballer * Paul O'Dwyer (1907–1998), American politician and lawyer * Richard O'Dwyer (born 1988), British web developer *

Robert O'Dwyer Robert O'Dwyer (in Irish: Riobárd Ó Duibhir) (27 January 1862 – 6 January 1949) was an Irish composer mainly known for having written one of the first operas in the Irish language. Biography Robert O'Dwyer was born to Irish parents in Brist ...

(1862–1949), Irish composer * Sean O'Dwyer (born 1941), Irish Guards officer *

Steve O'Dwyer Stephen O'Dwyer (born April 6, 1982) is an Irish-American professional poker player known for his accomplishments on the European Poker Tour, World Poker Tour, and high roller poker tournaments. Early life O'Dwyer was born in 1982 in Colorado ...

(born 1982), American professional poker player * Steven O'Dwyer (born 1966), Australian rules footballer *

William O'Dwyer William O'Dwyer (July 11, 1890November 24, 1964) was an Irish-American politician who served as the 100th Mayor of New York City, holding that office from 1946 to 1950. O'Dwyer went on to serve President Harry Truman as Ambassador to Mexico fr ...

(1890–1964), American politician, the 100th mayor of New York City

References

Bibliography

* * O'Dwyer, Sir Michael (1933) ''The O'Dwyers of Kilnamanagh: The History of an Irish Sept'' * Callanan, Martin (1938) ''Records of four Tipperary septs: the O'Kennedys, O'Dwyers, O'Mulryans, O'Meaghers''

External links

O'Dwyer Clan Website

by Clann na hÉireann
Dwyer in Ireland
by John Grenham
Contours of colonialism: Gaelic Ireland and the early colonial subject
by John Morrissey
An Irishman in Habsburg service - General Count John O'Dwyer, commander of Belgrade, 1718-1722
by Vladimir Abramovic {{surname, O'Dwyer Surnames of Irish origin Anglicised Irish-language surnames