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         Clontuskert Abbey

Síol Ceallaigh Ó Maine

​It gives us an enormous sense of satisfaction to know that you are taking the time to research the O Kellys of Hy Many ( Síol Ceallaigh Ó Maine ).

The Ui Maine (Hy Many) tribe owes its name to its progenitor Maine Mór  a direct descendent (seven generations) of Cormac Ulfhada mac Art (King of all Ireland) , who in turn, was grandson of Conn Cead Cathach (Conn of the Hundred Battles). He and his people migrated to the eastern portion of the province of Connacht, coinciding with the introduction of Christianity, where they displaced a colony of Firbolgs, a Teutonic people. Thus the original tribe of settlers was known as the Ui Maine and as their numbers grew and  their territory expanded over the centuries the tribe subdivided; in turn taking on the name of their more recent progenitor. Thus the descendants of Ceallach became known in Hy Many as the Síol Ceallaigh Ó Maine or simply the Ui Cheallaigh. Murchadh Ó Ceallaigh, grandson of Ceallach, who died in 960 A.D. was the first of the Ui Cheallaigh to use the surname, as prior to the late ninth and tenth centuries, surnames were not used in Ireland.

There were also other  branches in Ui Maine clan including O'Naughtain, O'Mullally, O'Madden, Mac Egan and MacKeogh, some of whom are represented as modern Irish clans.

Our association, Síol Ceallaigh Ó Maine, represents the following families and it is hoped that in time, other distinct ancient blood lines may emerge.

O'Kelly de Gallagh et Tycooly
O'Kelly of Mullaghmore
O'Kelly de Gurtray
Ó Ceallaigh Clondoyle
O'Kelly de Galway
Echdruim Ui Maine (Ó Ceallaigh Ui Maine of Aughrim)
Ó Ceallaigh Iarthar Chláir
Aliaga Kelly
Kellys of Scregg
O'Kelly of Turrock
Kelly of Aughrane
Kelly, Lord of the Manor of Screen
Kelly of Athleague

We intend to publish a synopsis of the histories of each of these families in the near future and in the meantime would welcome hearing from you if you have any interesting research which you would like us to use.

 

Aims:
We are a specific genealogical and historical group who wish to share our ancestries, kinship and friendship.
We are developing a genealogical data base to include authenticated ancestries, which we intend to make available for research purposes.
We aim to promote any intellectual or scholarly work in relation to Síol Ceallaigh Ó Maine
Clan Assemblies (Dáil Ceallaigh Ó Maine)
The first Assembly will be held to commemorate the death of Tadhg Mór Ó Ceallaigh, Chief of Hy Many, at the Battle of Clontarf ( Catha Bhriain ) in 1014
O Kellys throughout Ireland

Our association, Síol Ceallaigh Ó Maine does not represent O Kellys in general. In deciding to establish the only registered association of O Kellys ( Ui Cheallaigh ), the Founders ( Bunaitheoiri ) Brian Patrick Dowell O Callaigh (sadly deceased April 7th, 2017), his son Brian C. and a close friend of the family, Gearoid O Ceallaigh, were directed by the  principle from Clans of Ireland that clan associations should reflect accuracy and authenticity as sympathetically as possible.
In 1993 Brian and Gearoid set about founding Muintir Ui Cheallaigh, an umbrella group which had, as its charter, the inclusion of all people of the name. In doing so, we realised that to do so was historically inaccurate, as there were many distinct septs, but we wished to be as inclusive as possible of all O Kellys,  O Ceallaighs and all variant spellings. The time has come when a more scholarly and refined approach to research is warranted as research methodology has become more refined.
There have been considerable advances in historical, manuscript, genealogical and D.N.A. research during the past twenty years and we now know that there are many more blood lines than there are distinct tribal origins which include : Ó Caollaidhe (County Tipperary); O'Kelly of Breagh (County Meath); O'Kelly Cineal Eachdhaca an Cladaigh (County Derry); O'Kelly Clanbrassel Mac Coolethan (Counties Antrim and Down); O'Kelly Corca Laoighdhe (County Cork); Ui Cheallaigh Cualan ( Counties Wicklow and Dublin); O'Kelly of Gallen (County Laois); O'Kelly Leighe (Counties Offaly and Laois); O'Kelly Magh Druchtain (County Laois); O'Kelly of Magh Maile (County Kilkenny); Clan Cheallaigh Oirghialla (County Fermanagh); McKelly of Árd Ó gCeallaigh  (County Sligo); Ó Caollaidhe Ui Bearrchon (County Kilkenny); O'Kelly Ui Maile (County Wicklow) and our own O'Kellys of Hy Many (Counties Galway, Roscommon and Clare).
Bibliography
​
From Kings to Warlords (1987) Dr. Katherine Simms
The Ó Ceallaigh Rulers of Ui Mhaine - A Genealogical Fragment- (Trans. extract from the Book of Ui Mhaine) Journal of the Galway Archaelogical and Historical Society .
Dr. Nollaig Ó Muraile
The Tribes and Customs of Hy-Many, commonly called O'Kelly's Country (1843),
ed. John O Donovan Published by the Irish Archaelogical Society
The Great Book of Irish Genealogies (1645 -64) Dúbhalthach Mac Fhirbhisigh
ed. Dr. Nollaig Ó Muraile
Annála Connacht (A.D. 1224 -1544)
Ed. A. Martin Freeman Published 1944 Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies
King James's Irish Army List,  John D'Alton
The Life of St. Grellan. Patron of the O'Kellys and of the Tribes of Hy-Maine.
Rev. J O'Hanlon, MRIA 1881 Ex Libris, Royal Irish Acadamy
(O)Kelly People and Places Joseph M. Kelly Published 2003 Ballinakilla Press
Journal of the Galway Archaelogical & Historical Society The O'Kelly's of Gallagh, Counts of the Holy Roman Empire Richard J Kelly, 1903-1904 III (180-185)
Journal of the Galway Archaelogical & Historical Society Notes on the O'Kelly Family
E. Festus Kelly XVI (1934-1935) 140-143
Journal of the Galway Archaelogical & Historical Society The Ó Ceallaigh Rulers of Ui Mhaine Dr. Nollaig Ó Muraile Vol 60:2008 pp 32-77 Part I. Vol.62:2010 pp 51-77 PartII
The Irish and Anglo Irish Landed Gentry John O'Hart 1884
Irish Pedigrees John O'Hart
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Notes:
We are indebted to Dr. Nollaig Ó Muraile, School of Irish, National University of Ireland Galway, for the following clarifications in relation to the origin of the spelling of Síol Ceallaigh Ó Maine:
 In the case of Síol Ceallaigh there is no shortage of attestations in, for example, Mac Fhir Bhisigh's Great Book of Irish Genealogies (Mid-17th Century).
 The final element is the genetive plural of Ui Mhaine; it is a very common error to write 'X Ui Mhaine' which would suggest Ui Mhaine is an ordinary surname, which it is not and never was -- therefore for example the Book of Ui Mhaine is in Irish 'Leabhar Ó Maine, or in Middle Irish 'Lebar Ua Maine'.
 The rule in contemporary Irish is that the initial consonant of a proper noun (e.g. a personal name) is aspirated in the genitive singular (e.g. hata Sheáin), but in earlier forms of the language such as early Modern Irish, the language of the period circa 1200 -1600), the usual practice was to aspirate if the preceding word was a feminine noun, but not if it was masculine (as Síol is). In Old and Middle Irish, Siol was actually a neuter noun, which caused the following word to be nasalised, so this would give rise to forms such as Síol gCeallaigh.
 Family names beginning in Ó usually use Muintir to designate the collective. In the case of the Ui Cheallaigh, Síol (meaning seed) is commonly used.

Family names originating from the Hy-Many 

(Uí Maine)

It can be demonstrated, using entries in the works of scholars in the attached bibliography that the following  surnames owe their origin to this large clan:

  • Mac Aedhagain (Mac Egan) This family were Brehons of great note;

  • Síl Anmchadha  (O’Madden);

  • Ó hArrachtain (Harrington);

  • h-Ua Brenainn (Brennan), to be distinguished from Hy-Duach, Co. Kilkenny;

  • Ua Canain (Cannan or Canning);

  • Ó Ceallaigh (O’Kelly); not to be confused with other O’Kelly families originating outside of the Uí Maine;

  • Ó Ceinneididh (O’Kennedy), not to be confused with the O’Kennedy family whose progenitor, Cinnetig, was the father of Brian Boromhu);

  • Muintir Chicharain (Keighry);

  • Ó Cinaeith (Kenny);

  • Cobhthaigh (Coffey);

  • Ó Conbhuidhe (Conwy or Conway);

  • Muintir Conghalaigh (Conolly);

  • Ua Connachtain (Connaughtan);

  • Connagain (Connigan or Cunningham);

  • Ó Conrai (Conroy);

  • Ua Coscraidh (Coskry, Cosgrave or Cosgrove);

  • Ua Cuagain (Cogan);

  • Ó Cuilein (Cullen or Collins) not to be confused with the Collins family of Limerick;

  • Ó Currain (Curran);

  • Ó Domhnallain (Donnellan);

  • Ó Donnghalaigh (Donnelly), to be distinguished from Ulster Donnelly;

  • O’Dorchaidhi ( O’Dorcey, D’Arcy and Darcey) not to be confused with the O’Darcey of Partry near Lough Mask;

  • Ua Dubhlaigh (Dooley) distinguish from O’Dooley of Westmeath and Ely Carroll;

  • Muintir Dubhlainn (Dowling);

  • Mac Eochadha (Keogh or MacKeogh) Magh Finn near Athlone; to be distinguished from the family (MacCeoch)with origins at Ballymackeogh, near Newport, County Tipperary or the most predominant family of the name, from Leinster, most notably County Wexford.

  • Ó Fathaidh (Fahy or Fay);

  • Ua Finnachtaigh (Finnaghty or Fennerty);

  • Ó Laidhin (Lyne or Lyons);

  • Ó Lorcain (Larkin);

  • Muintir Madadhain (O’Madden); to be distinguished from Síl Anmchadha  (O’Madden), also of Hy Many

  • Ó Maeilalaidh (Mullally or Lally);

  • Ua Maenaigh (Mooney);

  • Ó Nechtain (O’Naughton);

  • Ó Rodaighi (Roddy), distinguish from Roddy of Leitrim;

  • Ó Ruairc (O’Rourke), distinguished from Breifne O’Rourke;

  • Ó Sidhachain ( Sheehan);

  • Mac Uallachan (McCouleghan or Coulahan)

 

There were other family names which originated in Uí Maine, but were considered by John O’Donovan to have become extinct and are thus not recorded on this list.

 

Bibliography:

The Tribes and Customs of Hy Many, commonly called O'Kellys Country,  first published from the Book of Lecan, a Manuscript in the Library of the Royal Irish Acadamy, with a translation and notes, and a map of Hy Many, by John O'Donovan.

Book of the O’Kellys; aka Book of Uí Maine; Book of Uí Mhaine; aka Liber Ó Dubhagáin ; https://www.ria.ie/library/catalogues/special-collections/medieval-and-early-modern-manuscripts/book-ui-mhaine-book-hy

Links:

http://www.clansofireland.ie/baile/?q=Clan_Register;

www.okellyofhymany.com ;

www.clanegan.org;

We welcome any communications concerning the Kellys of Ui Maine
​
Please send emails to:
​
gforce@indigo.ie
A 1916 Remembrance
Aileen Dowell O Kelly

 

Aileen Dowell O Kelly, A Heroine of 1916

 

For as long as I remember, a well-polished handsome writing desk sat smartly in the corner of my parents’ sitting room. Inside a brass plate bore the inscription: “Presented to Miss Aileen Dowell O’ Kelly by students of her First Aid and Home Nursing classes in recognition of her undoubted Ability and Sterling Qualities”.   Underneath was the date: “1916”.  

 

At the moment preparations are under way in Ireland to commemorate the centenary of the Easter Rising of 1916, which led on to the war of independence.

So who was this Aileen O’Kelly?

 

And so to dad - the family’s historian, and to Google. What I found there surprised me. Aileen, my father’s aunt and eldest of six girls in a family of ten, had been prominently involved in the St. Johns Ambulance brigade (No. 12 Irish District) during the Rising of Easter 1916.  She and at least two of her sisters were active members of the St. John Ambulance Brigade in Ireland, a voluntary organisation providing first aid in emergency situations. Dad showed me a medal she was given for her gallantry in 1916. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An Irish Times obituary from 1949 remembered her:  “Miss Aileen Dowell O’Kelly will be remembered chiefly for her first-aid work in the two war-time periods. In 1914-1918 she trained thousands of Dublin men and women and, in addition, when the influenza outbreak was at its height, went nursing at night to relieve overworked nurses. The St. John Ambulance Brigade in 1916 awarded her a medal for treating, under fire, a wounded man – one of three such medals awarded in Ireland”.

 

It continued: “In 1939, when the position in Ireland was most uncertain, she resumed her first-aid classes and many people who were competent to give first aid received their training from her.”  Dad tells me that then she taught first aid privately in Harcourt Street.

 

In the 30’s she rented a garden in Roebuck (in which my father also worked), to grow chrysanthemums and tomatoes, which she sold through Burke Moran in Dublin city.

 

The Irish Times continues:  “A skilful hockey player, Miss O’Kelly, through her association with the Leinster Hockey Union, encouraged competition for the Schools’ Hockey Cup and, for 29 years, taught hockey, tennis and basketball in Irish schools”.

 

The obituary ends with: “After the First World War Miss O’Kelly was associated with the United Irish Women and toured Ireland, lecturing, with Miss Whitty. Subsequently, when in Belgium, she studied the organisation of “Cercles Fermiers”.  The United Irish Women subsequently became the Irish Countrywomen’s Association.  

 

Grand-aunt Aileen died in 1949, of pneumonia, having picked wild mushrooms in the rain after a hockey coaching session.

 

Cathy O’Kelly

 

 

 

 

    Clontuskert Abbey

© 2013 by euesireland@live.ie

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