The O'Connell family, principally of

Derrynane Derrynane, officially Darrynane (), is a small village in the civil parish of Kilcrohane in County Kerry, Ireland. It is located on the Iveragh peninsula, just off the N70 national primary road near Caherdaniel on the shores of Derrynane Bay. ...

, are a Gaelic Irish Noble family of

County Kerry County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...

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 ...

. The principal seat of the senior line of the family was Derrynane Abbey now an Irish National Monument.

Ancestry and extraction

According to tradition, they descend from the ancient

Uí Fidgenti The Uí Fidgenti, Fidgeinti, Fidgheinte, Fidugeinte, Fidgente, or Fidgeinte ( or ;In the pronunciation, the -d- is silent, and the -g- becomes a glide, producing what might be anglicized ''Feeyenti'' or ''Feeyenta''. "descendants of, or of the ...

(Uí Chonaill Gabra sept) of

County Limerick County Limerick () is a western Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Reg ...

, being descendants of

Dáire Cerbba Dáire Cerbba (or Cerba, Cearba, Cearb; meaning "Silver Dáire" or "Dáire the Sharp/Cutting") was a 4th-century Irish dynast who was evidently a king of late prehistoric central northern Munster, called Medón Mairtíne at the time. A frequen ...

, and are thus cousins of the

O'Donovan The O'Donovan family is an ancient Irish nobility, Irish noble family. Their patronymic surname derives from Irish ''Ó Donnabháin'', meaning the grandsons or descendants of Donnubán, referring to the 10th century ruler of the Uí Fidgenti, ...

s and

O'Collins O'Collins is a common anglicized surname of two ancient families of Irish origin: O'Cuilleain and O'Coilean. Origin of O'Cuilleain O'Cuilleain or Cuilliaéan is an extremely ancient Irish name from Gaelic ''cuileann'' and primitive Gaelic ' ...

. Other ancestors, through marriage, include the

Kings of Thomond The kings of Thomond () ruled from the establishment of Thomond during the High Middle Ages, until the Early modern period. Thomond represented the legacy of Brian Bóruma and the High Kings of Ireland of his line who could not hold onto all ...

of the great

O'Brien dynasty The O'Brien dynasty (; ; genitive ''Uí Bhriain'' ) was an Irish Clan and noble house of Munster, founded in the 10th century by Brian Boru of the Dál gCais (Dalcassians). After becoming King of Munster, through conquest he established hims ...

, the

MacCarthy Mor MacCarthy (), also spelled Macarthy, McCarthy or McCarty, is an Irish clan originating from Munster, an area they ruled during the Middle Ages. It was divided into several septs (branches) of which the MacCarthy Reagh, MacCarthy of Muskerry, ...

dynasty of the great

Kingdom of Desmond The Kingdom of Desmond () was a historic kingdom in southwestern Ireland. It was founded in 1118 by Tadhg Mac Cárthaigh, King of Munster when the Treaty of Glanmire formally divided the Kingdom of Munster into Desmond and Thomond (, "North ...

, the two

O'Sullivan O'Sullivan may refer to: People * O'Sullivan family, a gaelic Irish clan * O'Sullivan (surname), a family name * Sullivan (surname), a variation of the O'Sullivan family name Places * O'Sullivan Dam, Washington, United States * O'Sullivan Army He ...

dynasties Beare and Mor,

O'Callaghan O'Callaghan or simply Callaghan without the prefix (anglicized from two separate surnames and clans, '' Ó Ceallacháin,'' Munster Clan. ''Ó Ceileacháin,'' Oriel Clan'')'' is an Irish surname. Origin and meaning Munster The surname means desc ...

O'Connor Kerry The O'Conor dynasty (Middle Irish: ''Ó Conchobhair''; Modern ) are an Irish noble dynasty and formerly one of the most influential and distinguished royal dynasties in Ireland. The O'Conor family held the throne of the Kingdom of Connacht up ...

, O'Donovan of Clancahill, and the O'Donoghue Dhuv sept of

O'Donoghue of the Glens The O'Donoghue of the Glens ( Irish: ''Ó Donnchadha na nGleann''), Prince of Glenflesk, is the hereditary chieftain of his sept of the Kerry Eóganacht, Munster, Ireland. In 1944, his father was one of the few Chiefs of the Name recognized by Ed ...

Origins

It has been suggested that the O'Connells are a sept of the

Corcu Duibne The Corcu Duibne (Modern ), which means "seed or tribe of Duibhne" (the name of a goddess), was a notable kingdom in prehistoric and medieval County Kerry, Ireland which included the Dingle Peninsula, the Iveragh Peninsula and connecting land ...

, the Ua Congaile, a kingdom native to County Kerry. This is supported by historian C. Thomas Cairney who said that the O'Connells were from the Corcu Duibne tribe who were from the

Erainn The Iverni (, ') were a people of early Ireland first mentioned in Ptolemy's 2nd century ''Geography'' as living in the extreme south-west of the island. He also locates a "city" called Ivernis (, ') in their territory, and observes that this se ...

tribe 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 from about 500 to 100 BC. While certainly a possibility, and one demanding more research, there still remains more supporting evidence at this time for a descent from the Uí Chonaill Gabra of County Limerick: a family using the sept name of their former kingdom as their surname following its disintegration is not something unheard of in Ireland, and the claims of Count O'Connell to descent from Dáire Cerbba cannot simply be dismissed as career-minded, when the Uí Fidgenti had long since faded and a Corcu Duibne ancestry would have been no less attractive. A descent from the Corcu Duibne would make the O'Connells of Derrynane kin to the

O'Shea O'Shea is a surname and, less often, a given name. It is an anglicized form of the Irish patronymic name Ó Séaghdha or Ó Sé, originating in the Kingdom of Corcu Duibne in County Kerry. Historian C. Thomas Cairney states that the O'Sheas were ...

s and O'Falveys, and descendants of the legendary

Conaire Mór Conaire Mór (the great), son of Eterscél, was, according to mediaeval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland sometime during the 1st century BC or 1st century AD. His mother was Mess Búachalla, who was either the daugh ...

, ancestor also of the

Dál Riata Dál Riata or Dál Riada (also Dalriada) () was a Gaels, Gaelic Monarchy, kingdom that encompassed the Inner Hebrides, western seaboard of Scotland and north-eastern Ireland, on each side of the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North ...

monarchs of

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. Thus the O'Connells are not technically allowed to be of royal extraction because they cannot conclusively prove their patrilineal ancestors to have been kings of any specific septs or territories, even if they might have been. But through marriage they are closely related to the various ancient royal families of

, and in fact to a greater extent than those are to each other. The province of Munster was itself divided into several exclusive provinces but the O'Connells were successful in bridging this.

Notable family members

* John Ó Connell (d. 1740) * James Ó Connell ** Maurice O'Connell, of Tarmons (1703–1770) ***

Baron Moritz O'Connell Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knight, ...

(1738–1830) *** Daniel O'Connell "of the Stallions" *** Geoffrey O'Connell (1728–1820) * Daniel O'Connell (1701–1770) ** Patrick O’Connell (1703-1794) “The Forefather” **** Morgan O'Connell (1739–1809) *****

Daniel O'Connell Daniel(I) O’Connell (; 6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847), hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century. His mobilisation of Catholic Irelan ...

(1775–1847) "The Liberator" ***** Maurice O'Connell (1801–1853) *****

Morgan O'Connell Morgan O'Connell (31 October 1804 – 20 January 1885), soldier, politician and son of Daniel O'Connell, ''the Liberator of Ireland ''. He served in the Irish South American legion and the Austrian army. He was MP for Meath from 1832 until 1840 ...

(1804–1885) *****

Ellen Fitzsimon Ellen Fitzsimon (1805 – 27 January 1883) was an Irish poet from a politically prominent family. Her work was published in major periodicals, and at least two of her poems became songs associated with the Irish diaspora. Early life Ellen F ...

(1805-1883) *****

John O'Connell (MP) John O'Connell (24 December 1810 – 24 June 1858) was one of seven children (the third of four sons) of the Irish Nationalist leader Daniel O'Connell and his wife Mary. He followed his father as a Member of Parliament and leader of the Rep ...

(1810–1858) *****

Daniel O'Connell Jnr Daniel O'Connell (Jnr) (1816 – 14 June 1897) was one of seven children (the youngest of four sons) of Daniel and Mary O'Connell of Ireland. He served in the British Parliament from 1846 to 1847 as Member of Parliament (MP) for Dundalk, fro ...

(1816–1897) **** John O'Connell (1778–1853) ***** Morgan John O'Connell (1811–1875) **** Sir James O'Connell, 1st Baronet (1786–1872) ***** later O'Connell Baronets ***

Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill (also known as Eileen O'Connell, ) was a member of the Irish gentry and a poet. She was the main composer of '' Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire'', a traditional lament in Irish described (in its written form) as the grea ...

(1743–1800) *** Daniel Charles O'Connell (1745–1833) Cousins of the O'Connells of Derrynane were Sir

Maurice Charles O'Connell Sir Maurice Charles Philip O'Connell KCH (1768 – 25 May 1848) was a commander of forces and lieutenant-governor of colonial New South Wales. Early life Maurice Charles O'Connell was born in Ireland in 1768. He had had a distinguished caree ...

and son

Maurice Charles O'Connell (Australian politician) Sir Maurice Charles O'Connell (13 January 1812 – 23 March 1879) was a Queensland pioneer and president of the Queensland Legislative Council. Early life O'Connell was born at Sydney in 1812. His father was Sir Maurice Charles O'Connell, hi ...

. Another cousin was Daniel O'Connell (journalist).

Notes

References

* Burke, Bernard and Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd, ''Burke's Irish Family Records''. London: Burke's Peerage Ltd. 5th edition, 1976. * Burke, Bernard and Ashworth Peter Burke
A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Ireland
London: Harrison & Sons. 9th edition, 1899. * Cusack, Sister Mary Francis
Life of Daniel O'Connell, the Liberator : His Times - Political, Social, and Religious
New York: D. & J. Sadlier & Co. 1872. * Cronnelly, Richard F.
Irish Family History
Dublin. 1864. * O'Connell, Mary Ann Bianconi
The Last Colonel of the Irish Brigade: Count O'Connell
London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner and Co. 1892. * O'Hart, John
Irish Pedigrees
Dublin. 5th edition, 1892. * Marquis de Ruvigny, Melville H.
The Nobilities of Europe
London: Melville and Company. 1910. (repr. Adamant Media Corporation, 2000) {{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnell Gaelic-Irish nations and dynasties

Ancestry and extraction

Origins

Notable family members

See also

Notes

References