O'Lawlor also known as Lawlor, Lawler, and Lalor is an

Irish surname A formal Irish name consists of a given name and a surname. In the Irish language, most surnames are patronymic surnames (distinct from patronymic, patronyms, which are seen in Icelandic names for example). The form of a surname varies according ...

belonging to one of the Seven

Sept A sept () is a division of a family, especially of a Scottish or Irish family. The term is used both in Scotland and in Ireland, where it may be translated as Irish , meaning "progeny" or "seed", and may indicate the descendants of a person ...

s of

County Laois County Laois ( ; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medieval kingdom. Hist ...

. According to historian C. Thomas Cairney, the O'Lawlors in Ireland were one of the chiefly families of the

Loígis Loígis () is the name of an Irish tribe, as it is called by contemporary scholars. Formerly, scholars generally called the tribe ''Laoighis'' or ''Laeighis'' in Irish, ''Lagisia'' in Latin, and ''Leix'' in English. Loígis is also the name of the ...

tribe who in turn came from the

Cruthin The Cruthin (; or ; ) were a people of early medieval Ireland. Their heartland was in Ulster and included parts of the present-day counties of Antrim, Down and Londonderry. They are also said to have lived in parts of Leinster and Connacht ...

tribe who were the first

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 between 800 and 500 BC. The Gaelic family name now most frequently found in English as Lawlor was Ó Leathlobhair. The earliest historical record now extant tells us that Lethlobar was a

king of Ulaid The King of Ulster (Old Irish: ''Rí Ulad'', Modern Irish: ''Rí Uladh'') also known as the King of Ulaid and King of the Ulaid, was any of the kings of the Irish provincial over-kingdom of Ulaid. The title rí in Chóicid, which means "king of ...

who died in 871 AD. Ancient kings of

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 ...

and

Ulaid (Old Irish, ) or (Irish language, Modern Irish, ) was a Gaelic Ireland, Gaelic Provinces of Ireland, over-kingdom in north-eastern Ireland during the Middle Ages made up of a confederation of dynastic groups. Alternative names include , which ...

and the Ulster family of ''Lawlors'' followed. After the 10th century, the annals do not continue the story of this particular sept, but a family of the same name did rise to prominence in the Irish midlands. They were one of the "Seven Septs of Laois" and were kinsmen of the O'Mores. Their clan lands surrounded the famous

Rock of Dunamase Dunamase or the Rock of Dunamase ( "fort of Másc") is a rocky outcrop in County Laois, Ireland. Rising above a plain, it has the ruins of Dunamase Castle, a defensive stronghold dating from the early Hiberno-Norman period with a view across ...

(formerly spelled Laoighis or Leix) within the province of Leinster. Their family seat was Dysart Enos where they held sway until the time of Queen

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 ...

and English colonization in the region. As punishment for their courageous battles to protect their religious faith and national independence, the Lawlor chieftains who survived the infamous

Massacre of Mullaghmast The massacre of Mullaghmast () was the mass killing of between 100 and 400 members of the Gaelic nobility of Ireland by Kingdom of England, English forces under the command of Sir Henry Sidney in Mullaghmast, County Kildare in either late 1577 o ...

in 1577 were, with the O'More, dispossessed of their property and forced to settle in

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 ...

where some descendants remain. County Laois was renamed Queen's County by the English during their occupation. Still, many Lawlor clansmen managed to remain in the homeland of their ancestors and survive the Elizabethan, Cromwellian and Williamite Wars. In 1922, the name County Laois was restored. Today, the greatest number of Lawlors appear in County Laois and lands eastward. The Lawlor family motto "Strong and Faithful" to Ireland and the cause of liberty characterizes their story on the pages of Irish history as well as in the English-speaking world. James Fintan Lalor (1817–1849), son of patriot father

Patrick "Patt" Lalor Patrick "Patt" Lalor (1781–1856) was a political leader in Queen's County, Ireland and the father of revolutionary politicians James Fintan Lalor, Peter Lalor and Richard Lalor. He was the first Catholic elected to the House of Commons to repres ...

(1781–1856), was a noted revolutionary thinker and leader of his time. His brothers included

Peter Lalor Peter Fintan Lalor ( ); 5 February 1827 – 9 February 1889) was an Irish-Australian rebel and, later, politician, who rose to fame for his leading role in the Eureka Rebellion, an event identified with the "birth of democracy" in Austra ...

(1823–1889), leader of the insurgent miners at Eureka in 1854 in Australia and later Minister and Speaker in the Legislative Assembly of Victoria, and

Richard Lalor Richard Lalor (1823 – 13 November 1893) was an Irish Nationalist Member of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Queen's County, 1880–85 and for Queen's County (Leix), 1885–92. He was the son of Patrick "Patt" Lalor of Tenakill, Moun ...

(1821–1893) a nationalist member of the British House of Commons. Their cousins included Alice Lalor (1768–1846), founder of the Order of Visitation Sisters in the United States, Dr

Joseph Lalor Joseph Lalor (1811 – 18 August 1886) was a pioneering Irish mental health administrator and a reforming superintendent of the Richmond District Asylum for 29 years (1857–1886). Early life Joseph was born in 1811 at Cascade House, Freshford, ...

(1811–86) a reformist Irish mental health leader, and Don Joseph O'Lawlor, also known as Txemaria, (1768–1850), a Spanish general and governor of Granada. In the United States, Brigadier General Michael Kelly Lawler (1814–1882) was a noted officer under Grant in the Civil War. John Lalor (1820–1901) was a sculptor of international renown. More recently, Andrew John Lawler (b 1958) was appointed as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for NOAA International Fisheries and in 2020 was nominated to be Assistant Secretary of State. Additionally, Foster Mitchell Lalor, Jr. (1923-1991), rose to the rank of Rear Admiral in the United States Navy, with an illustrious career that began with his commission from Annapolis in 1944 and included his award of the Distinguished Service Medal for his contributions in the Vietnam conflict.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:O'lawlor

Lawlor Lawlor is an Irish surname. Notable people with the surname include: Arts and entertainment * Charlotte Lawlor (1878–1941), New Zealand poet, writer and advertising designer * Gerri Lawlor, American actress * John Lawlor (sculptor) (1820–190 ...

Surnames of Irish origin Anglicised Irish-language surnames

See also

References