Donnelly is an Irish surname. Also used as: O’Donnelly or Donley. It is derived from the

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 ...

''Ó Donnghaile'' meaning 'descendant of Donnghal', a given name composed of the elements ''donn'' ('dark, brown') and ''gal'' ('valour'). O'Donnelly was historically of the

Northern Uí Néill The Northern Uí Néill was any of several dynasties in north-western medieval Ireland that claimed descent from a common ancestor, Niall of the Nine Hostages. Other dynasties in central and eastern Ireland who also claimed descent from Niall ar ...

's Cenél nEoghain, descended from Donnghal, the great-grandson of Domhnall,

King of Ailech The Kings of Ailech were the over-kings of the Medieval Ireland, medieval Irish Provinces of Ireland, province of Ailech in north-western Ireland. It encompassed the territories of the Cenél nEógain and Cenél Conaill. After the battle of Cl ...

. It is most commonly found in

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

, especially in

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. Its county town is Omagh. Adjoined to the south-west shore of Lough Neagh, the cou ...

and in parts of

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

. Donnelly is also prevalent 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 ...

, particularly in

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 ...

. The stronghold of the O'Donnelly family sept was Castlecaulfield was formerly known as Ballydonnelly ( Irish: ''Baile Uí Dhonnaíle'', meaning 'town or territory of O'Donnelly') a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in the south-east of

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

Origins

The Donnellys (O’Donnellys) held the role of marshalls to the O'Neills of Tyrone. According to Gaelic Irish tradition, the Donnellys were part of the Cenél nEoghain making them kin of the O'Neills. In their role as Marshalls to the O'Neills, they were responsible for fostering the children of 'The O'Neill'. The Donnellys reached the height of their role during the time of Shane O'Neill when Dean Terrence Danyell (Turlough O'Donnelly) of Armagh played a key role in communications between Shane O'Neill and

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

Ballydonnelly

The earliest mention of Ballydonnelly is the Annals of the Four Masters in 1531 when it is said Baile-Ui-Donnghaile was assaulted by Niall Oge, son of Art, son of Con O'Neill. He demolished the castle; and he made a prisoner of the son of O'Neill, who was foster-son of Donnelly, and carried him off, together with the horses and the other spoils of the town. At the start of the Plantation of Ulster, Ballydonnelly was allocated as a 'Servitor' portion and as such was granted to Sir Toby Caulfeild who had served in the Crown forces during the

Nine Years' War The Nine Years' War was a European great power conflict from 1688 to 1697 between Kingdom of France, France and the Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg), Grand Alliance. Although largely concentrated in Europe, fighting spread to colonial poss ...

. The Donnellys were involved in the 1641 rebellion where Castle Caulfield, was badly damaged by fire.

Notable Donnellys

* Alan Donnelly (born 1957), British politician and former trade unionist * Arthur Barrett Donnelly (1875–1919), US Army general * Arthur Donnelly (1890–1954), New Zealand lawyer, sports administrator, and chairman of the Bank of New Zealand * Brendan Donnelly (born 1950), British politician * Brendan Donnelly (born 1971), baseball player * Brian Donnelly (disambiguation) * Charles Donnelly (disambiguation) * Charley Donnelly (1885–1967), American educator, golfer, and football and golf coach * Christine Donnelly, founder and CEO of the Aboriginal Dance Theatre Redfern in Sydney, Australia * Ciaran Donnelly (footballer) (born 1984), English footballer * Dan Donnelly (disambiguation) *

Danny Donnelly (politician) Danny Donnelly is an Alliance Party politician in Northern Ireland, serving as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for East Antrim since May 2022. Political career Early career (2011-2022) Donnelly began his political career as a ...

, Northern Irish politician * Davis A. Donnelly (1927–2020), Wisconsin senator *

Declan Donnelly Declan Joseph Oliver Donnelly (born 25 September 1975) is a British television presenter, television producer, former singer, rapper, comedian and actor. He is best known for working alongside Ant McPartlin as part of the presenting duo Ant ...

(born 1975), English television presenter, producer and actor, one half of Ant & Dec * Desmond Donnelly (1920–1974), British politician, author and journalist * Dick Donnelly (1941–2016), Scottish football player, journalist and broadcaster * Donal Donnelly (1931–2010), Irish theatre and film actor *

Dougie Donnelly Douglas Donnelly (born 7 June 1953) is a Scottish television personality best known for presenting sports coverage. Career Donnelly was born in Glasgow, where he began his career with Radio Clyde in the 1970s, presenting the top-rated Mid Mor ...

(born 1953), Scottish television presenter * Edward Terence Donnelly (1871–1929), US Army general * Elfie Donnelly (born 1950), British-Austrian children books writer * Eoghan Ó Donnghaile (Fl. c. 1690) Irish poet, took part in the controversy involving the

Red Hand of Ulster The Red Hand of Ulster () is a symbol used in heraldry to denote the Irish province of Ulster and the Northern Uí Néill in particular. It has also been used however by other Irish clans across the island, including the ruling families of we ...

* Fin Donnelly (born 1966), Canadian politician *

Gary Donnelly Gary Donnelly (born June 3, 1962) is a former professional tennis player from the United States. Donnelly still lives in Phoenix with his five children and wife, where he is a club pro at the Scottsdale Arizona Inn. Donnelly played college te ...

(born 1962), American tennis player *

, Irish republican * Giselle Donnelly (born 1953), American writer and director of the Center for Defense Studies at the American Enterprise Institute * Greg Donnelly, Australian politician * Henry Edmund Donnelly (1904–1967), American Catholic bishop * Ian Donnelly (born 1981), Australian rugby league footballer *

Ignatius L. Donnelly Ignatius Loyola Donnelly (November 3, 1831 – January 1, 1901) was an American Congressman, populist writer, and pseudoscientist. He is known primarily now for his fringe theories concerning Atlantis, Catastrophism (especially the idea of ...

(1831–1901), Minnesota politician * Jack Donnelly (born 1985), English actor * James Donnelly (bishop) (1823–1893), Irish Roman Catholic bishop * James S. Donnelly Jr. (born 1943), American historian * Jamie Donnelly (born 1947), American actress * Jason Donnelly (born 1970), New Zealand rugby league footballer * Jennifer Donnelly (born 1963), American novelist *

Joe Donnelly Joseph Simon Donnelly Sr. (born September 29, 1955) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2013 and as a United States Senate, U.S. Senator from 2013 to 2019. A member of t ...

(born 1955), American attorney and politician * Joseph Francis Donnelly (1909–1977), American Catholic bishop * John Donnelly (disambiguation) * Ken Donnelly (born 1950–2017), American politician * Kieran Donnelly, Irish Gaelic footballer * Liza Donnelly, American cartoonist and writer * Luke Donnelly (born 1996), Scottish footballer * Laura Donnelly (born 1982), Irish actress *

Meg Donnelly Meg Elizabeth Donnelly (born July 25, 2000) is an American actress. She played Taylor Otto in the American Broadcasting Company, ABC sitcom ''American Housewife'' (2016–2021), Addison Wells in the Disney Channel film series Zombies (franchise), ...

(born 2000), American singer and actress * Malcolm Donnelly (born 1943), Australian baritone singer * Mark Donnelly (born 1955), Professor, Publisher, Author * Martin Donnelly (disambiguation) * Mattie Donnelly, Irish Gaelic footballer * Mattie Donnelly, Irish hurler *

Melinda Romero Donnelly Melinda Kathleen Romero Donnelly (born October 8, 1971) is a Puerto Rican people, Puerto Rican politician, and former Senate, senator and Legislator, Representative for the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico, New Progressive Party (PNP). She is ...

(born 1971), Puerto Rico politician * Michael Donnelly (1927–1982), Roman Catholic priest from Ireland * Michael Donnelly (1959–2005), Gulf War veteran, activist, and author * Mike Donnelly (born 1963), American hockey player * Patrick Donnelly (disambiguation) * Peter Donnelly (born 1959), Australian mathematician * Peter F. Donnelly (1938–2009), American patron of the arts * Phil M. Donnelly (1891–1961), Missouri governor 1945-49 and 1953–57 * Rich Donnelly (born 1946), American baseball coach * Ruth Donnelly (1896–1982), American stage and film actress *

Ryann Donnelly Ryann Donnelly was born in Olympia, Washington. With friends from high school Jonah Bergman and Steve Bonnell, Ryann formed the band Schoolyard Heroes. Their wikt:debut, debut album was ''The Funeral Sciences'', and their second album, ''Fantastic ...

, American musician * Scott Donnelly (born 1987), English football player * Scott C. Donnelly (born 1961), Chief Operating Officer of Textron * Seamus Donnelly (disambiguation) * Shannon Donnelly, Children's novelist * Sharon Donnelly (born 1967), Canadian athlete * Simon Donnelly (born 1971), Scottish footballer * Sinéad Donnelly, Irish professor of palliative medicine *

Tanya Donelly Tanya Donelly (born July 14, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist based in New England. She came to prominence as a co-founder of the band Throwing Muses with her step-sister Kristin Hersh. Donelly went on to co-form the altern ...

(born 1966), American musician * Tara Donnelly (born 1998), Irish Gymnast * Thomas Donnelly (Saskatchewan politician) (Thomas F. Donnelly, 1874–1948), Canadian member of Parliament * Thomas Donnelly (sergeant-at-arms) (1764–1835), New York legislative officer * Thomas Charles Donnelly (1933–1997), former Alberta MLA * Thomas Dean Donnelly, American screenwriter * Thomas F. Donnelly (New York City) (1863–1924), New York politician and judge * Tim Donnelly, (1944–2021), American film and television actor * Tom Donnelly (Thomas Mathew Donnelly, born 1981), New Zealand rugby union player * Tom Donnelly (footballer) (born 1947), Scottish footballer for Motherwell and East Stirlingshire * Tommy Donnelly (footballer), Irish association football player * William Donnelly (disambiguation) * The Black Donnellys, a feuding Canadian family

Fictional people

* Elizabeth Donnelly, character in American crime drama, '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' * Glen Donnelly, character from Australian soap opera, ''

Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera that has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons and ...

'' * Helen Elliott Donnelly, character in American soap opera, ''Love is a Many Splendored Thin''

References

{{Uí Néill Surnames Surnames of Irish origin Anglicised Irish-language surnames

Origins

Ballydonnelly

Notable Donnellys

Fictional people

See also

References