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Two Exciting Upcoming Irish History Events!

17 Wednesday Aug 2016

Posted by Janet Maher in Uncategorized

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Early Irish History, Irish in Connecticut, Maher, Meagher

©2016 Janet Maher, Ancient Meachair Chieftain Cap Interpretation

©2016 Janet Maher, Ancient Meachair Chieftain Cap Interpretation

Two exciting Irish History events are around the corner in Tipperary, Ireland and in Hamden, Connecticut. First, for those lucky enough to be within driving distance of the ancient home of Clan O’Meachair, be sure not to miss National Heritage Week events in Tipperary – particularly on its last day, Sunday, August 28 in Roscrea!

The Sean Ross Heritage Group has organized a series of events that will take place from from 14:00 p.m. to 16:30 p.m., focused upon the importance of Sean Ross Abbey, once the inauguration site of the O’Meachair chieftains. Guest speakers, guided walks, and music will accompany family picnics.

The illustrious historian and author, George Cunningham, will speak about the O’Meachairs as having been priors of Sean Ross Abbey, Monaincha, and of the significance of this site in Roscrea’s ancient history. See his lovely images and text about the Monastery of the Island of the Living HERE.

I’ve sent on my own contribution and hope it makes its way across the pond in time! It’s an interpretation of the chieftain hat illustrated in Joseph Casimir O’Meagher’s Some Historical Notices of the O’Meaghers of Ikerrin. The original, found in a bog in 1692, was “a gold cap or morion, which may have served as a crown, and been used at the inauguration of the O’Meagher…Its ornamentation was undoubtedly Irish, and was identical with some earlier golden articles—lunnulae and fibulae—found in Ireland, and consisted of embossed circles, some parallel and others arranged in angles of the chevron pattern.” (pg. 13) It may be that this cloth version of a crown will be placed upon the head of this year’s chosen O’Meagher/Maher at the event, passed to another in 2017. I only wish I could be there for all the fun! Hoping that folks will share their memories of the day to post here.

For more information email mdobbin at eircom dot net. Download a pdf guide for all the Tipperary Heritage events.

NEXT: Coming September 8 to New Haven County, Connecticut—William J. Duffney Lecture at Quinnipiac University! 

William J. Duffey, Postal and Irish Historian

William J. Duffney, Postal and Irish Historian

On September 8 at 4 p.m. Bill Duffney will speak about The Quakers and Irish Famine Relief at Quinnipiac University Mount Carmel Campus, in the Student Center, Room 225. Registration is required, and a link for that is included on the Quinnipiac Calendar.

“Using original correspondence, The Quakers and Irish Famine Relief outlines the selfless efforts made by the Society of Friends (Quakers) on behalf of the starving Irish during the Great Hunger. The personal vignettes found within their letters bring us closer to the perspective of the people in their place and time. Political and social history, and maritime and postal history collide in unexpected ways.

Bill Duffney is a retired musician, educator and postal historian, who has travelled extensively in Ireland. Bill served for several years as the editor of the Connecticut Postal History Society Journal. Today, he maintains the website, Connecticut Philatelic Projects, and is a member of the American Philatelic Society, U.S. Postal Classics Society, and the Boston Philatelic Group, among others.”

Sure to be a great lecture! Good luck Bill!

©2016 Janet Maher / Sinéad Ni Mheachair

2013 in Review

31 Tuesday Dec 2013

Posted by Janet Maher in Uncategorized

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Maher, Meagher Irish, Year in Review

Thank you to all who followed my blog this year, and especially to those who made comments and became followers. As I have been writing privately, compiling much of my actual family history research for my actual family, I have not been posting here as much. I’ve also been venturing far afield from the “Maher” topic, and have gone back to my studio, where art-making takes precedence again, as it always used to.

July will mark my third year as a blogger. May wonders never cease! I’ve contemplated taking this site down, but am currently thinking I’ll give it another year. Returning to Ireland is on my agenda in 2014, and that will undoubtedly instigate new discoveries and reasons to write. I welcome suggestions from readers – what more would you like to see here?

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for Maher Matters. 

Here’s an excerpt from their stats:

“The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 8,300 times in 2013. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 3 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.”

Thanks again for viewing! Wishing you all good things in 2014!

©2013 Janet Maher / Sinéad Ni Mheachair

All Rights Reserved

Our Milesian Origins

07 Sunday Jul 2013

Posted by Janet Maher in Carlow Mahers, Mahers, Meaghers, Ordering From the Old Sod to the Naugatuck Valley

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

Ancient Ireland, Cormac Mac Art, Early Irish History, Gaelic Ireland, Ikerrin, Irish Meaghers, Maher, Milesian Genealogy

Rock of Cashel

©2011 Janet Maher, Rock of Cashel, Tipperary, Ireland

(With some additions/edits, July 9, and Sept. 22, 2013, please also see the “Comments” section.)

While it is impossible for anyone to trace their lineage genealogically with proof back to ancient Ireland, understanding the long reach of some clans’ ties to their homeland may help to put in context the rebellious feelings that many had toward the waves of newcomers who eventually displaced them, became their landlords, or had forced their ancestors to relocate to barren parts of the island or permanently flee to other countries. Those willing to do DNA testing and participate in a surname group are potentially able to find information where no paper documents survive to neatly sequence their ancestry. One friend, a Maher who pronounces his name with two syllables, has discovered that his DNA result led him directly to Spain! What initially seemed perplexing is actually more exciting than having been pointed to a particular place in Ireland. His markers point instead to a pure connection to the most ancient origins of the native Irish, including the surname which evolved to Meagher/Maher.

The arrival of Ireland’s first population is steeped in mysticism and lore, as much a part of the poetic tradition as the sacred spirit of the place. Any ancient stories that have survived to this day may have some germs of fact involved, and the story of the Milesians is one that continues to be considered. In the early seventeenth century Brother Michael O Cléirigh/O’Clery, a Franciscan monk from Donegal, with the help of other scribes who were laymen, sought to create a comprehensive history of Ireland from as many ancient manuscripts as could be gathered. The men were all from upper class families and were trained historians. Their great work, The Annals of Ireland by the Four Masters, includes a genealogy of King Mhileadth/Milesius of Spain, through whose sons, Heber, Heremon and Ir, all the major clans of Ireland evolved from at least 1700 B.C. or earlier. Heber and Heremon were the first two of 183 monarchs who ruled Ireland from 1699 B.C. until the submission of the Irish kings to King Henry II in 1171 A.D.  While the time frames may not completely align with what is now known, and surnames as we know them did not exist until more modern times, the details in the Annals of the Four Masters form the basis of accepted ancient Irish history.

The Meachairs/Meaghers/Mahers were one of the original Irish clans, descended from petty kings of Leinster and Munster, later among the ruling lords of County Tipperary, chiefs of Ikerrin, and among the noble chieftain families of County Carlow. Among the many sources I have consulted over my years of research I have seen several Irish surname maps. The one I have found most useful, with its inclusion of references to the Annals and other texts and explanations of incoming waves of surnames beyond the original Irish ones, is Kanes’ Ancestral Map of Ireland.  It’s designers noted that among one of the primary Irish genealogy scholars, “Professor Eoin MacNeill, of the National University of Ireland concluded in his work, Celtic Ireland, that the Irish genealogical traditions are credible in detail at approximately 300 A.D. but not earlier.”

What follows is my accumulated understanding of the ancient tracks to today’s Mahers. The Nemedians, Formorians and Fir Bolgs have been explained as the earliest known nomadic peoples who lived in Ireland, each with their own characteristics as a race. From the eastern Mediterranean area, the Tuatha de Danann were a druidic tribe who worshipped the goddess Danu. They were considered to be Celtic gods, worshipped by the earliest Irish. As settlers in America would do centuries later through the formation of Native American reservations to contain those who already inhabited the land, the de Danann conquered the Fir Bolgs, allowing them to live, but constricting their habitation to the Connaught area while they settled throughout the rest of Ireland. [With the English conquest of Ireland in the seventeenth century, relocation to Connaught again became a form of banishment within the country.]

King Mhileadth/Milesius of Spain lived contemporaneously with King Solomon. When his sons invaded Ireland, they conquered and merged with the de Dannans. Lore alternatively has it that the de Dannans chose to live in the underworld, leaving Ireland to the conquerors. John O’Hart includes in his Irish Pedigrees the entire Annals of the Four Masters genealogies, beginning with Adam! According to this, Milesius was the son of Bilé and had a brother named Ithe. Bilé was the son of Breoghan (Brigus), king of Galicia, Andalusia, Murcia, Castile and Portgual, over which Milesius ruled by succession. Consult O’Hart for the complete story of the races and populating of Ireland.

The Cinel (descendents) Meachair trace our earliest lineage from Fionnchada/Finnachta, son of Connla/Conla, son of Cian, who was killed in the Battle of Samhair in A.D. 241. Cian was one of three sons of King Oillioll Olum, King of the Provence of Munster in the third century and Munster’s first absolute King. Cian’s brothers were Eoghan More and Cormac Cos.

Oillioll Olum died in A.D. 234. His father was Eoghan Taighlech, also called Owen the Splendid and Magh Nuadhat. Taighlech was descended from Milesius’ son, Heber. Joseph Casimir O’Meagher (Some Historical Notices of the O’Meaghers of Ikerrin) noted that Eoghan Mor was called Mogh-Nuadadh and was killed by Conn of the 100 Battles. This was the same line as the O’Carrolls, overlords (princes) of what had once been a large stretch of area in northern Munster (Ely/Eile) that included the barony of Ikerrin, the original home of the O’Meaghers. 

According to Kane’s Ancestral Map of Ireland, some ancient Mahers were also descendents of Cormac Mac Art and Conaire Mor, both descendents of Heremon. Cormac Mac Art was the son of King Art Eanfhear, Monarch of Ireland A.D. 227 to A.D. 266. [The chapel of Cormac Mac Art at the Rock of Cashel is presently being restored.] Eanfhear was the son of King Conn of the Hundred Battles, Monarch of Ireland A.D. 166 to A.D. 195 (or, from another source, A.D. 123 to A.D. 157).  According to this map the Maher lineage of Conaire Mor appears to have died out. He had been “sixteenth in descent from Heremon” and his line included King Conaire the 2nd, Monarch of Ireland A.D. 157 – A.D. 166.

The common ancestor among the various pedigrees in Joseph Casimir O’Meagher’s compilation is Oilioll Oluim. These pedigrees had been created by different scribes for important occasions, and one was copied from the Psalter of Cashel. Saint Benignus (Beonna), the bishop of Armagh after Saint Patrick, was a descendent of Oilioll Oluim, as was Saint Cronan, Abbot of Roscrea, Tipperary, the largest town in the barony of Ikerrin.

In 1659 Sir William Petty’s census showed Meaghers in several neighboring areas of Ireland. In Kilkenny: Galmoy (23); Fassagh Deinin [Fassadinnen] (12); Kells (17); Cranagh (18); Callan (17). In Tipperary: Clanwilliam (14); Ikerrin and Eliogarty (190); Iff and Offa (21); Lower Ormond (12); Slievardagh (40). Five Meaghers each were in Idrone and St. Mollins counties in Carlow, near Kilkenny and in Middlethird. In Decies, Waterford, there were six. Of the 26,684 residents of Tipperary then, 24, 700 were Irish, with the remaining English. In 1841 fifteen per cent of the people living in Tipperary lived in Ikerrin. In that year six thousand lived in the excellent farmland of Roscrea. The townland of Tullow Mac James in Tipperary, near Templetouhy, was noted as “one of the oldest residences of Clan-Meagher, and furnished many distinguished representatives at home and abroad.”

I have compiled surnames with noble ancient Irish roots from the Kane map for the counties of Tipperary, Kilkenny and Queens (Leix, Laois) Counties:

Kings: Tipperary (Kings of Cashel) – MacCarthy, O’Brien, O’Callaghan.

Princes: Tipperary – O’Carroll, O’Donnegan, O’Donohoe, O’Brien; Kilkenny – O’Carroll, O’Donaghue; Queen’s County – MacGilpatrick (Fitzpatrick).

Ruling Lords: Tipperary – MacBrien, O’Cuirc (Quirk), O’Day (O’Dea), O’Dinan, O’Dwyer, O’Fogerty, O’Kennedy, O’Meagher (O’Maher), O’Sullivan; Kilkenny – O’Brennan (Fassadineen area), O’Brodar; Queen’s County – O’Dempsey, O’Dowling, O’Dunn, O’Moore.

Noble Chieftains: Tipperary – MacCormack, MacGilfoyle, O’Brien, O’Cahill, O’Carroll, O’Connelly, O’Cullenan, O’Hogan, O’Hurley, O’Kean, O’Lenahan, O’Lonegan (O’Lonergan), O’Meara, O’Mulcahy, O’Ryan, O’Shanahan (Shannon), O’Skelly (O’Scully), O’Spellman (O’Spillane); Kilkenny – O’Callan, O’Hely (O’Healy), O’Keeley, O’Ryan, O’Shea; Queen’s County – MacEvoy, MacGorman, ODuff, O’Kelly, O’Lawler, O’Regan

Wishing all my readers and followers well as we learn more about our ancestry!

©2013 Janet Maher / Sinéad Ní Mheachair

All Rights Reserved

References:

Bhreathnach, Edel, and Cunningham, Bernadette, editors, Writing Irish History: the Four Masters and their World, Dublin, Ireland: Wordwell, Ltd., 2007.

Finnerty, William, Annals of Ireland by the Four Masters

Kane Ancestral Map of Ireland, Kane Strategic Marketing, Inc., P.O. Box 781, Harbor Springs, Michigan, 49740; Limerick, Ireland, 1993.

Maher, Janet, From the Old Sod to the Naugatuck Valley: Early Irish Catholics in New Haven County, Connecticut, Baltimore, MD: Apprentice House, 2012 [This book is 400 pages and includes 336 images. It may be obtained at: Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury, CT; Naugatuck Historical Society, Naugatuck, CT; and Quinnipiac University Bookstore, Mount Carmel Branch, Hamden, CT. In Baltimore it may be purchased from Loyola University Bookstore and The Ivy Bookshop. Online it may be purchased from Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, and from me via Paypal or by check (P.O. Box 40211, Baltimore, MD, 21212).]

McCaffrey, Carmel and Eaton, Leo, In Search of Ancient Ireland, The Origins of the Irish from Neolithic Times to the Coming of the English, Chicago, IL: New Amsterdam Books, 2002.

O’Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees: or, The Origin and Stem of The Irish Nation, Fifth Edition in Two Volumes, Dublin, Ireland: James Duffy and Co., Ltd., 1892. Online.

O’Meagher, Joseph Casimir, Some Historical Notices of the O’Meaghers of Ikerrin,   Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., American Edition: NY, 1890. Online.

Shaw, Antony, compiled by, Portable Ireland, A Visual Reference to All Things Irish, Philadelphia, PA: Running Press, 2002.

Traynor, Pat, Milesian Genealogies from the Annals of the Four Masters

Walsh, Dennis,  Ireland’s History in Maps, History + Geography + Genealogy With a Special Focus on Ancient and Medieval Irish Tribes and Septs, ©2003.  

Walsh, Dennis, Old Irish-Gaelic Surnames, A Supplement to Ireland’s History in Maps

Merry Christmas and Every Other Celebration!

20 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by Janet Maher in Connecticut Irish, History, Kilkenny Mahers, New Haven Irish Catholic Immigrants, Origins, Tombstone Transcriptions

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Early Irish History, Irish Catholic History, Irish in Connecticut, Maher, Meagher, Naugatuck Connecticut, Saint Bernard Cemetery, Saint Francis Cemetery, Tombstone Transcriptions

My Book - Coming in January!

Well, the semester has ended, and we did not quite get the book completed. I will be doing much over the break to get it ready and we will have it out by the end of January! A very merry holiday season to you all and many blessings in the new year!

©2011 Janet Maher/Sinéad Ní Mheachair

All Rights Reserved

Transcriptions.1 – Killinane Graveyard

19 Friday Aug 2011

Posted by Janet Maher in Carlow Mahers, History, Kilkenny Mahers, Tombstone Transcriptions

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

Carlow, Kilkenny, Maher, Tombstone Transcriptions

Killinane Graveyard 1

Killinane Graveyard Entrance, July 2011

Killinane Graveyard, Maher Graves

Killinane Graveyard, Maher Graves, July 2011

Between Paulstown, Kilkenny and Old Leighlin/Leighlinbridge, Carlow on Route 724 is an old cemetery, Killinane, that has several Maher graves in it. According to the 1844-45 Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland, Killinane was in the barony of West Idrone. This barony included “part of the parishes of Cloydagh, Killinane, and Wells; and the whole of the parishes of Old Leighlin and Tullowcrine. Its only town is part of Leighlin-Bridge; and its chief villages are Royal Oak and Old Leighlin.” In 1841 the population was 8,435 and it was in the Poor Law Union of Carlow. (pg. 309)

This was an unexpected find as we were driving past, having gone back first to look at and photograph Wells Cemetery, which appeared to be Protestant. Unfortunately I was unaware of the standing stone that was apparently nearby, another of the many reasons to return to Ireland whenever possible.

Places mentioned on the Maher stones in Killinane Graveyard include: Closutton, Clorusk, Bagenalstown, and Royal Oak in County Carlow and Moanmore, in County Kilkenny. I have kept the spellings as they appeared on the stones. There is a habit in Ireland of people darkening white marble stones with paint or other substances, then sanding down the surface to reveal recessed black lettering. While this cannot be good for the stones, it is also unfortunate for others to come upon, as we did here (#7), before someone had returned to finish the job. Thankfully, I was able to make out the inscription. On two graves were also included the names of the stonecutters and their locations.

John Hayes’ lists of surnames included in Griffiths Valuations, index abstracts, include fifteen Mahers in Killinane. I believe that relatives of at least some of those listed will be found to match up with these graves. See Ask About Ireland/Griffiths Valuations for further details. Since so many records were lost and destroyed, Griffiths tabulation of leaseholders and their landlords after the Great Famine is very helpful in trying to locate families. This, in combination with microfilms of baptism and marriage records from Family Search, can keep one quite busy and help in piecing various parts of puzzles together. I recommend James R. Reilly’s article that explains Griffith’s Valuations if this is the first time you’ve heard of them.

 Transcriptions of Maher Graves in Killinane Graveyard, July 2011

1. Sacred Heart of Jesus Have Mercy On the Soul of Jeremiah Maher, Closutton, Who Died Nov. 12th, 1915, Age 77 Yrs. Also His Sister, Maria Maher Who Died Sep. 28th, 1914, Aged 73 Yrs. [Phelan    R. I. P.    Royal Oak]

2. Erected by Thomas Maher of Clowsutton in memory of his beloved wife Anne Maher alias Walsh who depd. this life April 18th 1861, aged 50 years. Also one of his children who died young. Also the memory of Thomas Maher above mentioned died May 2nd, 1866, aged 66 years.

3. Erected by Jeremiah Maher of Clorusk in memory of his beloved father John Maher who died July 29, 1876 aged 72 yrs. also his mother Mary Maher als. Ryan who died June 9, [1873] aged 58 yrs. also his brother John who died July 5th 1865 aged 20 yrs. also his sister Mary who died Dec. 11, 1860 Aged 27 yrs. also two brothers and one sister died young.  Also The Above Named Jeremiah Maher Died Nov. 4, 1905 Aged 61 Yrs. And His Wife Catherine Maher Died Nov. 29, 1912 Aged 63 Yrs. Also Their Son Thomas James Died May 23, 1898 Aged 12 Yrs. And Three Children Died Young. And Their Son John Died July 17th, 1945 Aged 60 Yrs. Also His Wife Annie Maher, Nee Kavanagh, Died Oct. 31st, 1972, Aged 87 Yrs.   And Their Grandson John Maher Nolan Who Died In Infancy Also Their Daughter Mary O’Keefe Who Died 14th Jan. 1988 Aged 71 Yrs.  Requiscant In Pace. [On the back:] When a few short years of toil are past We reach that happy Shore When divided friends at last Meet to part no more.

4. Of Your Charity Pray For The Soul of Michael Maher, Main Street, Bagnalstown, Who Died July 23rd 1909 Aged 48 Years  Also His Wife Catherine Maher Nee Mulligan Who Died March 28th 1960 Aged 87 Years   R. I. P.

5. Of Your Charity Pray For The Repose Of The Soul of Philip Maher, Closutton Who Died [18th] Jan. 1870. Aged 55 Years  Also Their Grandchild Marianne Maher Who Died Young.  Also Jeremiah Died 23rd March 1907 Aged 59 Years.  Also Edward Died 10th May 1909 Aged 59 Years.  Also Annie Maher Died 29th Oct. 1917 Aged 63 Years. Also Kate Maher Died 8th Nov. 1919 Aged 52 Years.  Also Elizabeth McDonnell Daughter Of Above Edward Maher Died [7th] Jan. 1963 And Her Children May & Frances Who Died Young    R. I. P.   [Hughes     Carlow]

6. Erected By Patrick Maher Royal Oak In Memory Of His Father John Maher Who Died Dec. 4th 1915 Aged 78 Years and his sister Bridget Sister M. Peter Who Died Jan. 20th 1916 Aged 58 yrs.  Also his brother John who died Nov. 12th 1918 Aged 26 yrs.  And his mother Mary died Jan. 23rd 1927 aged 82 yrs.  Also his brother Michael died in Waco, Texas, U.S.A. Sept. 19th 1941 aged 56 yrs.  And the above Patrick died April 6th 1950 aged 67 yrs.

7. In Loving Memory Of Thomas Maher, Moanmore, Died 18th Apr. 1872, His Wife Elizabeth Died 10th June 1897, His Two Daughters, Bridget and Elizabeth Died Young, His Son Jeremiah Died 12th Apr. 1959, His Wife Kathleen Died 17th Mar. 1942

Patrick Maher Stone, Killinane

Patrick Maher Stone, Killinane Graveyard, July 2011

Killinane Church Ruin

Killinane Church Ruin at Cemetery, July 2011

Darkened Thomas Maher Stone, Killinane

Darkened Thomas Maher Stone, Killinane, July 2011

References:

Reilly, James R., CGRS, Is There More in Griffith’s Valuations Than Just Names?, pdf online of entire article can be downloaded from this link: http://www.deliapublications.com/More2Griffith.htm or from a direct keywork search.

The Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland: Adapted to the New Poor-Law, Franchise, Municipal and Ecclesiastical Arrangments, and Compiled With A Special Reference to the Lines of Railroad and Canal Communication, As Existing in 1844-45, Volume II. D-M, Dublin, London, and Edinburgh: A. Fullarton and Co., 1846. (http://books.google.com)

©2011 Sinéad Ní Mheachair (Janet Maher)

All Rights Reserved


Ancient Ireland

04 Thursday Aug 2011

Posted by Janet Maher in History, Origins

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Ancient Ireland, Ancient Irish Art & Artifacts, Cormac Mac Art, Maher, Meagher, Milesian Genealogy, Oillioll Olum

Irish Flag Postcard

Irish Flag Postcard from Janet Maher Collection

All great nations with ancient histories in the world had strong oral traditions that kept the culture’s memory alive through poetry and song. In Ireland, the only country whose national symbol is a musical instrument, history is still contained in its musical traditions. Traveling storytellers, the seanachais/shanachies, carried Irish history throughout the landscape, one household hearth at a time. When written language emerged, it was an ecclesiastical skill, and the history of Ireland (and the world) was preserved in the monasteries in exquisite hand-scribed and illustrated handmade books. For many centuries the clergy were the only literate people, having studied abroad for the priesthood. When education was forbidden for Catholics, children were taught secretly in open fields, thus learning to speak, read and write Irish in tandem with learning the history of their country. The arrival of Ireland’s first populations is steeped in mysticism and lore, as much a part of the poetic tradition as the sacred spirit of the place.

Archeologists have determined that during the Middle Stone Age, the Mesolithic period sometime around 9,000-7500 B.C., individuals and small groups began to venture into Ireland, walking over the naturally formed ice bridge between Europe and the northern area that became Scotland. (Eamonn P. Kelly, writing about prehistoric antiquities  for the National Museum of Ireland in 2002 placed the date as about 7000 B.C.) When the ice melted around 6,000 B.C, Ireland became separated from the rest of Europe by the Irish Sea, which was enough of a barrier to protect the island from Roman and other nation’s conquests for many centuries. Ireland was full of forests, minerals and ore deposits, and by about 3,500 B.C. farming settlers had introduced agriculture. The early inhabitants constructed the ceremonial stone circles, monumental stone dolman portal tomb structures and the passage graves of Dowth, Knowth, and Newgrange, which date to about 3000 B.C.  The Hill of Tara, in County Meath, was anciently important to all the clans in Ireland, and its “enclosure of the kings” (Rath na Ri) has been determined to date to about 94 or 95 B.C. (McCaffrey, Carmel and Eaton, Leo, In Search of Ancient Ireland, The Origins of the Irish from Neolithic Times to the Coming of the English, Chicago, IL: New Amsterdam Books, 2002, pg. 62.) (See images of stone circles and other archealogical sites at Paola Arosio and Diego Meozzi’s web site.)

Dugout canoes, simple boats made of branches covered with stretched animal hides (coracles) and similarly made rowboats that could travel greater distances (currachs), were used from the first century into the twentieth century, particularly on the west coast near the Blasket Islands, which is still fairly remote and where Irish is still spoken. Legend has it that Saint Brendan sailed in A.D. 500 in a currach all the way to the continent that eventually became America.

Exquisite bronze, gold and iron works, examples of which are held in the major museums of Ireland and England, were made surprisingly early. Ornate brooches held capes in place, jewelry (arm bands, collars, earrings, clothing fasteners), decorative weapons and cauldrons, elaborately illustrated monastic texts (Book of Dimma, Book of Kells), handheld bells, missals and jewel encrusted box shrines that contained them were discovered at various times throughout the nineteenth century. An ancient book, the Fadden More Psalter, found preserved in a bog in Tipperary in 2006, is now on display in the National Museum of Ireland.

The collection of antiquities there is stunning, testifying to the extremely high level of Irish craftsmanship that existed even in Neolithic times (3600 – 2800 B.C.) Very thin sheets of gold were fashioned into ornamental round and crescent-shaped discs embossed with geometric patterns, likely worn over clothing as collars signifying rank and status during the Early Bronze Age (c. 2200-1800 B.C.). By the Middle Bronze Age goldsmiths could twist long thin bars into delicate spiral necklaces. In the first century B.C. craftsmen could already work with glass. Delicate as a pod and about the size of a half mango, a small golden boat sculpture (likely representing a currach) is among the treasures attributed to the first century B.C.  Several tiny oars extend from each side, a crossed mast points upward and eight seats span its width. The Museum holds several ornamental shrines and brooches, including the Tipperary and Roscrea Brooches, the Killamery Brooch (Kilkenny) and the magnificent Shrine of Saint Patrick’s Bell (1100 A.D.). The Clonmacnoise Crozier is there (11th century) and the Ardagh and Derrynaflan Chalices (8th and 9th centuries, respectively).

(See Wallace, Patrick F. and Floinn, Raghnall O’ Floinn, editors, Treasures of the National Museum of Ireland, Irish Antiquities, Dublin: Gill & Macmillan Ltd., 2002, and The Faddan More Psalter, Archeaology Ireland, 20 July 2006, National Museum of Ireland.)

Irish artwork of early Medieval times was associated predominantly with the largest group of warrior settlers from Central Europe – the Celts. The term Celt, originates from the Greek term, Keltoi, which referred to those who lived north of Greece. The Romans, whom the Celts conquered in the 4th century, called these people Galli (Gauls). The Gaels (Gaeils, Gaills) were firmly in place in Ireland by 400 AD. The Irish language (Gaelic), which was in existence by 150 A.D., is a mixture of pre-Celtic and Celtic forms of speech. Edward T. O’Donnell explained the different dialects: Brythonic Celtic (P-Celtic) came from Britain and Gaul, which became the languages Welsh and Breton (and the extinct Pictish and Cumbrian languages); Goidelic Celtic (Q-Celtic) was the dialect of those who settled in Ireland and Iberia and became Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx Gaelic.  (O’Donnell, Edward T., 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About Irish American History, New York: Gramercy Books, 2002, pg 6.)

Ireland was divided into the provinces of Munster (Southwest), Leinster (Southeast/East), Connaught (West), Ulster (North) and centralized Meath/Mide, which later became part of Leinster. The areas now contain several counties each, and particular surnames are still associated with them.

The original Irish, rural and tribal, functioned amid complex layers of leadership. Families shared and worked their lands communally using natural fluid land formations as designated perimeters of their properties, which extended great distances. Each of the major Gaelic tribes had their own King, under which were Ruling Lords who oversaw a number of Noble Chieftain families, who in turn had their own subjects. Extended family groups were called tuathas (i.e “people/community”) .

The ruling families employed historians, genealogists, musicians and poets, which comprised Bardic (literary) family groups.  Some families managed ecclesiastical properties (Erenach families); some were physicians and surgeons. Poets (fili) and Druids were among the highest classes and, with their great skills in memorization they held all the oral knowledge of history and science of the time. Brehons (lawyers) settled disputes by mediating laws that were born of Irish wisdom from commonly accepted practices, and the rights of women were considered equally with men. Women continue to be leaders overtly or behind the scenes in Ireland, and they feature among the great heroic tales, particularly of Cúchulainn, Fionn Mac Cumaill, and the Red Branch Warriors. (See Malachy McCourt’s History of Ireland for a seanachai’s style telling of these – Philadelphia and London: Running Press, 2004, pp. 13-26)

Although the various kings and chieftains in the tuathas continually vied for power and property, the Brehon Laws covered non-religious conflicts within the separate petty kingdoms. Every person had an “honor price” based upon their importance in society, and punishments were decided according to the honor prices of both sides in a dispute.

Myths explain the origins of Ireland’s people, which, like any ancient stories that have survived to this day, may have germs of fact involved. The Tuatha de Danann, the Firbolgs, and the Formorians were said to have formed the first races of Ireland. The O’Meaghers descended from the original Gaels, originating with Mileadh/Milesius of Spain, from at least 1700 B.C. or earlier. His three sons, Heremon, Heber, and Ir, were credited with beginning the ancestries of the 150 or so major noble Gaelic families in Ireland. Legend tells that Mil’s sons conquered the earliest inhabitants of Ireland. (See Google Books: A short history of the Irish people from the earliest times to 1920, Mary Teresa Hayden, George Aloysius Moonan. See also Pat Traynor’s transcriptions, Milesian Genealogies from the Annals of the Four Masters.)

The Cinel (descendents) Meachair trace their earliest lineage from Fionnchada, son of Connla, son of Cian, who was killed in the Battle of Samhair in A.D. 241. (O’Meagher, Joseph Casimir, Some Historical Notices of the O’Meaghers of Ikerrin, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., American Edition: NY, 1890, pg. 13.) Cian was the second son of King Oillioll Olum, King of the Provence of Munster in the 3rd Century and Munster’s first absolute King. (Shaw, Antony, compiled by, Portable Ireland, A Visual Reference to All Things Irish, Philadelphia, PA: Running Press, 2002) Oillioll Olum died in A.D. 234. His father was Eoghan Taighlech, also called Owen the Splendid and Magh Nuadhat. Taighlech descended from Milesian’s son, Heber. O’Meagher noted that Eoghan Mor was called Mogh-Nuadadh and was killed by Conn of the 100 Battles. (pg. 199) (For more about Oillioll Olum see Google Books: The History of Ireland, From the Earliest Account of Time To the Invasion of the English Under King Henry II, T. Comerford, Esq., Baltimore: James Scanlon and B. Edes Publishers, 1826.)

According to Kane’s Ancestral Map of Ireland (Kane Strategic Marketing, Inc., P.O. Box 781, Harbor Springs, Michigan, 49740; Limerick, Ireland, 1993), some ancient Mahers were also descendents of Cormac Mac Art and Conaire Mor, both descendents of Heremon. Cormac Mac Art was the son of King Art Eanfhear, Monarch of Ireland A.D. 227 to A.D. 266. (The chapel of Cormac Mac Art at the Rock of Cashel is presently being restored.) Eanfhear was the son of King Conn of the Hundred Battles, Monarch of Ireland A.D. 166 to A.D. 195 (or, from another source, A.D. 123 to A.D. 157). The lineage of Conaire Mor appears to have died out. He had been “sixteenth in descent from Heremon” and his line included King Conaire the 2nd, Monarch of Ireland A.D. 157 – A.D. 166. (Shaw) The Meaghers/Mahers appear on the map within the barony of Ikerrin.

The common ancestor among the various pedigrees in Joseph Casimir O’Meagher’s compilation of pedigrees is Oilioll Oluim. Created by different scribes for important occasions, one pedigree was copied from the Psalter of Cashel. Saint Benignus (Beonna), the bishop of Armagh after Saint Patrick, was a descendent of Oilioll Oluim, as was Saint Cronan, Abbot of Roscrea. (O’Meagher, pp. 191-199)

Third century King Cormac Mac Art attempted to unite all of Ireland with Tara as its center, but there would be no overarching King of Ireland until Brian Boru overcame the O’Neills in 1005. Boru briefly united all the counties of Ireland by claiming the High Kingship until his death in 1014.

Among the surnames with noble ancient Gaelic roots for three categories of privilege that I have compiled from Kanes’ Ancestral Map of Ireland for the counties of Tipperary, Kilkenny and Queens (Leix/Laois) were the following: (Note that “O” or “Fitz” before a surname means “grandson of” and “Mc/Mac” before a surname means “son of.”)

Kings: Tipperary (Kings of Cashel) – MacCarthy, O’Brien, O’Callaghan. Princes: Tipperary – O’Carroll, O’Donnegan, O’Donohoe, O’Brien; Kilkenny – O’Carroll, O’Donaghue; Queen’s County – MacGilpatrick (Fitzpatrick).

Ruling Lords: Tipperary – MacBrien, O’Cuirc (Quirk), O’Day (O’Dea), O’Dinan, O’Dwyer, O’Fogerty, O’Kennedy, O’Meagher (O’Maher), O’Sullivan; Kilkenny – O’Brennan (Fassadinen area), O’Brodar; Queen’s County – O’Dempsey, O’Dowling, O’Dunn, O’Moore.

Noble Chieftains: Tipperary – MacCormack, MacGilfoyle, O’Brien, O’Cahill, O’Carroll, O’Connelly, O’Cullenan, O’Hogan, O’Hurley, O’Kean, O’Lenahan, O’Lonegan (O’Lonergan), O’Meara, O’Mulcahy, O’Ryan, O’Shanahan (Shannon), O’Skelly (O’Scully), O’Spellman (O’Spillane); Kilkenny – O’Callan, O’Hely (O’Healy), O’Keeley, O’Ryan, O’Shea; Queen’s County – MacEvoy, MacGorman, ODuff, O’Kelly, O’Lawler, O’Regan

(See also, Walsh, Dennis, Old Irish-Gaelic Surnames, A Supplement to Ireland’s History in Maps)

While it is impossible for anyone today to genealogically prove their lineage back to ancient Ireland, appreciating the long reach of some clans’ emotional ties to their homeland may help, by extension, to put in context the rebellious feelings that many had toward the waves of newcomers who displaced them, became their landlords, and/or forced their own ancestors to permanently flee to other countries or relocate to barren parts of the island.

Recommended Reading:

Chambers, Anne, Ireland’s Pirate Queen, The True Story of Grace O’Malley, New York: MJF Books, 2003.

©2011 Sinéad Ní Mheachair (Janet Maher)

All Rights Reserved

Oath of Allegiance

31 Sunday Jul 2011

Posted by Janet Maher in History

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Tags

Irish Catholic History, Maher, Meagher, Oath of Allegiance

Saint Patrick, Maynooth

Saint Patrick, Maynooth, July 2011

In 1774 the Irish parliament passed an act that would allow Catholics (“Papists”) to swear their loyalty to the King. Several clergy took the oath, while others adamantly refused. Between 1774 and 1793 Catholic Relief Acts were passed to reverse some of the Penal Laws. The acts, however, applied only to those who had taken the oath. According to Joseph Casimir O’Meagher,* Mahers who signed the Oath of Allegiance under King George III, thus appearing on the Catholic Qualification Rolls included:

Kilkenny: William Maher (Freshford,1793); John Maher (Freshford, 1793); John Maher (Nicholastown, 1794)

Naas: James Maher (Kildare, 1794)

Queen’s County, Clonburr (Maryboro): Patrick Maher (1796); Thomas Maher (1796); John Maher (1796); William Maher (1796); John Maher (1796, 2nd)

Queen’s County, Maryboro Sessions: Daniel Maher (Park, 1794); Maher (Middlemount, 1795); Philip (Ballinlough, 1796)

Queen’s County, Portarlington: William Maher (Ossory, 1796)

Queen’s County, Rathdowney Sessions: Timothy Maher (Garryduff, 1795); James Maher (Rathdowney, 1796)

Queen’s County, Stradbally: Timothy Maher (1795)

Tipperary, Clonmell: Timothy Magher, Innholder (1793); Pierce Meagher, M.D. (1793); Thomas Meagher, gentleman (Annacoty, 1793); Martin Maher (Boulibane, 1793)

Tipperary, Clonmel Assizes: Daniel Meagher, farmer (Boulak, 1794); John Meagher, farmer (Boulak, 1794); James Meagher, carpenter (Fethard, 1794)

Tipperary, Thurles Sessions: Nicholas Maher, Esq. (1793); Gilbert Meagher, gentleman (Loughmoe, 1793); Charles Meagher, farmer (Loughmoe, 1793); Edmond Meagher, gentleman (Clonmekk, 1793); William Meagher, gentleman (Thurles, 1793); Martin Maher (Clonmore, 1793); Thomas Maher (Killigler, 1793); Meagher, farmer (Templetouhy, 1793); Patrick Meagher, farmer (Templetouhy, 1793); Matthew Meagher, farmer (Bawnmore, 1793); John Meagher, farmer (Cranna, 1793); Martin Meagher, farmer (1793); Cornelius Meagher, farmer (1793); Daniel Meagher, farmer (Tullow McJames, 1793)

Waterford, Lismore: William Meagher (Dungarvan, 1794); Richard Magher, mariner (Dungarvan, 1794); Richard Maher, M.D. (Waterford, 1798); Edmond Magher, victualler (Tullow, 1798)

Wexford, Ferns: Edmond Meagher (Castletown, 1794)

Wicklow: John Meagher, farmer (Morrestown, 1793), Denis Meagher, farmer (Morrestown, 1793)

*O’Meagher, Joseph Casimir, Some Historical Notices of the O’Meaghers of Ikerrin, American Edition, 1890, pp. 115-117)

Recommended Reading, Novels:

Frank Delaney, Ireland, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2005; Tipperary, New York: Random House, 2007; Shannon, New York: Random House, 2009.

John Maher, The Luck Penny, Britain and Ireland: Brandon, 2007.

Edward Rutherford, The Princes of Ireland, The Dublin Saga, New York: Ballentine Books, 2004; The Rebels of Ireland, The Dublin Saga, New York: Doubleday, 2006.

©2011 Janet Ní Mheachair (Janet Maher)

All Rights Reserved

Ikerrin Origins

29 Friday Jul 2011

Posted by Janet Maher in Origins

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Tags

Ikerrin, Irish Midland Ancestry, Maher, Meagher

Rock of Dunamase

Rock of Dunamase, July 2011

In ancient times the land divisions of Ireland were very different from the way they appeared in post-Norman centuries, when a modern sense of town layout and clear parameters had been established. Ikerrin (Ui Cairin), an area extending between Munster and Leinster, was localized as the northeast corner of Tipperary with land subtracted into King’s and Queen’s Counties in 1556 by Queen Mary, creating Offaly and Laois, respectively. Just over the border of both Tipperary and Laois is the county of Kilkenny. Towns within and between all these counties are easy to reach by car and were likely commonly traveled by foot, horse and cart or bicycle centuries ago. The sept, or clan, Meachair/O’Meagher originated in Ikerrin.  Its primary town, anciently called Muscraighetire, where the barony of lower Ormond (Butler) became situated, was called Ros Cré (“Wood of Cre”) now Roscrea, Tipperary.

A landmark in the area, which can clearly be seen from the Rock of Cashel, is the gap in the Slieve Bloom Mountains called “The Devil’s Bit,” near Templemore, Tipperary. Lore explains the nickname from a story that the devil, frustrated that he could not tempt the devout residents of the area, took a bite out of the mountain and spit it eastward, forming the foundation of the Rock of Cashel. A second version of the story attributes the removed portion as having formed the base, instead, of the Rock of Dunamase in Laois (Queen’s County). A gift from Leinster King Diarmuid mac Murchada (Dermot MacMurrough) to Strongbow (Richard fitz Gilbert de Clare) as part of the agreement that opened the door to the Normans’ entry into Ireland, this castle was destroyed by Oliver Cromwell in the mid 17th century.

View From Dunamase

View From Dunamase, July 2011

In 470 A.D. Saint Patrick was said to have traveled to Muscraighetire to preach, and he baptized three grandsons of Conla, “men of power,” from the clan that became Meagher (the Irish spelling of the surname spelled several other ways based upon various pronunciations and family traditions). Furic, Muinnech, and Mechair were given blessings by Saint Patrick that their clan would produce chieftains forever and be in the companionship of a king.  (Joseph Casimir O’Meagher, Some Historical Notices of the O’Meaghers of Ikerrin, 1890, pg. 14)

Saint Cronan founded a monastery in Ros Cré in 606, called Inchinamo. Ruins of the Irish Romanesque abbey are near the Saint Cronan Church. The original sandstone church had a round tower, a carved high cross, medallions and other relief carvings depicting knots, Noah’s Ark, and the first abbot. In the 8th century another monastery near Roscrea, Inchanambeo, was founded on an island. This church lasted at least to the early 12th century when it was mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters. A cell within Inchanambeo was called Toome.

Joseph Casimir O’Meagher related that from this area came the 17th century Book of Dimma, in the collection of Trinity College in Dublin, which is a copy of the 654 A.D. Book of Gospels from the Abbey of Roscrea. The book is understood to have been the property of the parish priest of Roscrea, whose nephew, Rev. Philip Meagher, was the Vicar General of Cashel and Emly. The shrine (elaborate enclosure/box) for the book was made in the 12th century. The white bronze highly decorated Ikerrin Brooch, similar to the brooches in the National Museum of Ireland – Archeaology in Dublin, is in the collection of the Royal Irish Academy. Also in this collection are two portions of ancient bronze trumpets found in Roscrea. In 1692 a highly decorated gold cap considered to have been a Meagher crown was found in a bog by the Devil’s Bit, documented in Abbé MacGeorghegan’s Histoire d’Irlande. O’Meagher attempted to discern its whereabouts and decided that it had likely been melted down. (pp. 13, 124 -127)

The O’Meaghers owned many castles throughout Munster and Leinster associated with abbeys or churches and there were many notable members of the clergy in the sept. The Mahers commonly intermarried with members of the Butler dynasty, which ensured some degree of survival, if not financial security in difficult times. Almost all Gaelic families had lost their property by the seventeenth century either through inter-tribal battles, English confiscation, banishment from Ireland before or after the devastating conquest of Cromwell, or through dispersion, willingly or unwillingly, throughout the southern counties of Ireland and the world.

The name Maher is still primarily associated with Tipperary, although it extends into Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Carlow, Waterford, and elsewhere. All Mahers, wherever they may have put down new roots over the many centuries, and no matter how their name is spelled today, essentially originated in Ikerrin, although ancestry directly leading back through the ancient generations is, of course, impossible. As one of the noble ancient Gaelic families, pedigrees were created for the surname, and O’Meagher included several of them in his exhaustive research (pp. 191-205). I consider his book, Some Historical Notices of the O’Meaghers of Ikerrin, to be the bible about Maher, a first resource in beginning to study the ancestry of the name. It is in the Public Domain and available printed on demand through Amazon.

©2011 Janet Ní Mheachair (Janet Maher)

All Rights Reserved

Fáilte!

27 Wednesday Jul 2011

Posted by Janet Maher in Welcome

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Irish Genealogy, Irish in Connecticut, Maher, Meagher

Maher/Meagher is an ancient Gaelic Irish surname that extends through the arrival of the Vikings and Normans, actively appearing in Irish history ever forward to the present. My own extensive study of the Maher clan both in New Haven County, Connecticut and in Ireland has grown greatly since 2006, extending sideways into the time and circumstances in which our ancestors lived before and after their emigrations. My family’s connection to the Butler clan has led me to also research the phenomenon of the Anglo-Irish, which inevitably revolves around the issue of Catholicism. Gaelic Irish Catholicism, governed by the Brehon Laws, within which priests could marry, women had significant power, and divorce was allowed, was greatly changed through English influence. Methodical colonization and conquest resulted in the loss of ancestral Irish lands and a nation’s civil rights as religion was used as a weapon against the native people.

A recent pilgrimage to the land of my ancestors, the midlands of Ireland, has convinced me to offer some of my research in a blog format. Here I may explain in one place what I have found myself repeatedly attempting to share with others. Countless hours of study and miles of travel have resulted in an office full of information that must somehow be published. I intend to do this responsibly, with the goal of enabling others to progress without having to recreate their own wheels, as it has seemed that I have had to do. Here I will not need to worry that my writing is too long, too scholarly, does not fit a particular style, or is too Maher-oriented, and those who are interested in the topic will no doubt find me.

René Daumal explained in his allegorical Mount Analogue (Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1974, pg.116) the importance of providing guideposts for others as one trail blazes a chosen mountain. While it is critical to leave clues along the way to aid in one’s own return, it is also important to remove any marks that might confuse someone else who might follow one’s path. “Be ready to answer to your fellow men for the trail you leave behind you,” he urged. With that in mind I will be careful to share that which seems pertinent to the general focus I have established, will serve a general interest, and will illuminate the paths I have taken to arrive where I have.

In gratitude to those who have served as guides for me I offer this blog. I hope that it will advance others’ research and perhaps one day circle back into mine. We who do genealogical research become experts about our own lines, usually to about the level of second great grandparents. If one’s Irish ancestors have historically been Catholic, the search for data is particularly difficult. However, for those researching a particular surname, area and time period, I am convinced that if we collectively get back far enough the connections will appear. May we continue to find them and, most importantly, enjoy the process!

©2011 Janet Ní Mheachair (Janet Maher)

All Rights Reserved

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