Joseph O'Shaughnessey (died 1783) was an Irish

Chief of the Name The Chief of the Name, or in older English usage Captain of his Nation, is the recognised head of a family or clan ( Irish and Scottish Gaelic: ''fine'') in Ireland and Scotland. Ireland There are instances where Norman lords of the time like ...

. Joseph was the eldest son of the previous chief, Roebuck, and had siblings William, Mary, Catherine, Ellice, Elleanor, all alive in 1784. He and his family, along with the local gentry, forcibly gained possession of the former family mansion on the square of Gort, around 1760. The occasion caused much jubilation, with the church bells of

Athenry Athenry (; ) is a town in County Galway, Ireland, which lies east of Galway city. Some of the attractions of the medieval town are its town wall, Athenry Castle, its priory and its 13th-century street-plan. The town is also well known by virt ...

and

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

ringing in support. However, he was never able to gain legal possession, and died without gaining the ancient family property. Joseph died in 1783 without issue, though his brother and sisters were apparently still alive. The succession of the senior line becomes unclear after this point.

References

* D'Alton, John
Illustrations, Historical and Genealogical, of King James's Irish Army List (1689)
Dublin: 1st edition (single volume), 1855. pp. 328–32. * ''History of Galway'',

James Hardiman James Hardiman (February 1782 – 13 November 1855), also known as Séamus Ó hArgadáin, was a librarian at Queen's College, Galway and an important historian. Hardiman is best remembered for his '' History of the Town and County of Galway'' (1 ...

, 1820 * ''Tabular pedigrees of O'Shaughnessy of Gort'' (1543–1783), Martin J. Blake, Journal of the

Galway Archaeological and Historical Society The Galway Archaeological and Historical Society was founded on 21 March 1900. It promotes historical preservation, as well as the study of the archaeology and history of the west of Ireland. As of January 2002, the Society had published 53 cons ...

, vi (1909–10), p. 64; vii (1911–12), p. 53. *

John O'Donovan John O'Donovan may refer to: *John O'Donovan (scholar) (1806–1861), Irish language scholar and place-name expert *John O'Donovan (politician) (1908–1982), Irish TD and Senator *John O'Donovan (police commissioner) (1858–1927), New Zealand pol ...

The Genealogies, Tribes, and Customs of Hy-Fiachrach
Dublin: Irish Archaeological Society. 1844. Pedigree of O'Shaughnessy: pp. 372–91. * ''Old Galway,'' Professor

Mary Donovan O'Sullivan Mary Josephine Donovan O'Sullivan was professor of history at Queens College, Galway (now NUI Galway) from 1914 to 1957. Biography One of ten children, four of whom survived infancy, Donovan was born at Fair Hill Road in Galway on 24 November ...

, 1942 * ''Galway: Town and Gown,'' edited Moran et al., 1984 * ''Galway: History and Society'', 1996 Nobility from County Galway 18th-century Irish people

Joseph Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...

1783 deaths Year of birth unknown {{Ireland-bio-stub