Irish clans
Encyclopedia
Irish clans are traditional kinship groups sharing a common surname and heritage and existing in a lineage based society prior to the 17th century.
family were poetically known as Clann Dalaigh, from a remote ancestor called Dalach.
Clann was used in the later Middle Ages both to provide a plural for surnames beginning with Mac meaning Son of. For example "Clann Cárthaigh" for the men of the MacCarthy family and "Clann Suibhne
" for the men of the MacSweeny family. Clann was also used to denote a subgroup within a wider surname, the descendants of a recent common ancestor. For example, the Clann Aodha Buidhe or the O'Neills of Clandeboy whose ancestor was Aodh Buidhe died in 1298. Such a 'clan' if sufficiently closely related, could have common interests in landownership, but any political power wielded by their chief was territorially based.
From ancient times Irish society was organised around traditional kinship groups or clans. These clans traced their origins to larger pre-surname population groupings or clans such as Uí Briúin in Connacht, Eóghanachta
and Dál gCais in Munster, Uí Neill in Ulster, and Fir Domnann in Leinster. Within these larger groupings there tended to be one sept (division) who through war and politics became more powerful then others for a period of time and the leaders of some were accorded the status of royalty in Gaelic Ireland. Some of the more important septs to achieve this power were Ó Conor in Connacht, MacCarthy of Desmond and Ó Brien of Thomond in Munster, Ó Neill of Clandeboy in Ulster and MacMorrough Kavanagh in Leinster.
The largely symbolic role of High King of Ireland tended to rotate among the leaders of these royal clans. The larger or more important clans were led by a Taoiseach or Chief who had the status of royalty and the smaller and more dependent clans were led by Chieftains. Under Brehon Law the leaders of Irish clans were appointed by their kinsmen as custodians of the clan and were responsible for maintaining and protecting their clan and its property. The clan system formed the basis of society up to the 17th century.
When the Kingdom of Ireland
was created in 1541, the Dublin administration wanted to involve the Gaelic chiefs into the new entity, creating new titles for them such as the Earl of Tyrone
, or Baron Inchiquin
. In the process they were granted new coats of arms from 1552. The associated policy of surrender and regrant
involved a change to succession to a title by the European system of primogeniture
, and not by the Irish tanistry
, where a group of male cousins of a chief were eligible to succeed by election. This change to the inheritance system was also taken up by the Scottish clan
s in the 17th and 18th centuries. .
The early 17th century was a watershed in Ireland. It marked the destruction of Ireland's ancient Gaelic aristocracy following the Tudor re-conquest and cleared the way for the Plantation of Ulster
. In 1607 the senior Gaelic Chiefs of Ulster left Ireland to recruit support in Spain but failed, and instead eventually arrived in Rome where they remained for the rest of their lives (See: Flight of the Earls
). After this point, the English authorities in Dublin established real control over all of Ireland for the first time, bringing a centralised government to the entire island, and successfully disarmed the native clans and their lordships.
In the 1940s Edward MacLysaght, the Chief Herald of Ireland, drew up a list of over 240 Irish clans. The first modern Irish “clans“ were reformed in the latter half of the 20th century. Today such groups are organised in Ireland and in every continent around the world.
In 1989 an independent organisation, Clans of Ireland
, was formed under the leadership of Rory O'Connor, Chieftain of the “O'Connor Kerry Clan“, with the purpose of creating and maintaining a Register of Clans. A Register of Irish Clans can be consulted on its website.
History
The Irish word clann is a borrowing from the Latin planta, meaning a plant, an offshoot, offspring, a single child or children, by extension race or descendants. For instance the O'DalyÓ Dálaigh
The Ó Dálaigh were a learned Irish bardic family who first came to prominence early in the 12th century, when Cú Connacht Ó Dálaigh was described as "The first Ollamh of poetry in all Ireland" .-Name derivation:The name Ó Dálaigh means 'descendant of Dálach'...
family were poetically known as Clann Dalaigh, from a remote ancestor called Dalach.
Clann was used in the later Middle Ages both to provide a plural for surnames beginning with Mac meaning Son of. For example "Clann Cárthaigh" for the men of the MacCarthy family and "Clann Suibhne
Clan Sweeney
Clan Sweeney is an Irish clan of Scottish origin. The clan did not permanently settle in Ireland before the beginning of the 14th century, when they became Gallowglass soldiers for the O'Donnell dynasty of Tyrconnell...
" for the men of the MacSweeny family. Clann was also used to denote a subgroup within a wider surname, the descendants of a recent common ancestor. For example, the Clann Aodha Buidhe or the O'Neills of Clandeboy whose ancestor was Aodh Buidhe died in 1298. Such a 'clan' if sufficiently closely related, could have common interests in landownership, but any political power wielded by their chief was territorially based.
From ancient times Irish society was organised around traditional kinship groups or clans. These clans traced their origins to larger pre-surname population groupings or clans such as Uí Briúin in Connacht, Eóghanachta
Eóganachta
The Eóganachta or Eoghanachta were an Irish dynasty centred around Cashel which dominated southern Ireland from the 6/7th to the 10th centuries, and following that, in a restricted form, the Kingdom of Desmond, and its offshoot Carbery, well into the 16th century...
and Dál gCais in Munster, Uí Neill in Ulster, and Fir Domnann in Leinster. Within these larger groupings there tended to be one sept (division) who through war and politics became more powerful then others for a period of time and the leaders of some were accorded the status of royalty in Gaelic Ireland. Some of the more important septs to achieve this power were Ó Conor in Connacht, MacCarthy of Desmond and Ó Brien of Thomond in Munster, Ó Neill of Clandeboy in Ulster and MacMorrough Kavanagh in Leinster.
The largely symbolic role of High King of Ireland tended to rotate among the leaders of these royal clans. The larger or more important clans were led by a Taoiseach or Chief who had the status of royalty and the smaller and more dependent clans were led by Chieftains. Under Brehon Law the leaders of Irish clans were appointed by their kinsmen as custodians of the clan and were responsible for maintaining and protecting their clan and its property. The clan system formed the basis of society up to the 17th century.
Basis
Often, clans are thought of as based on blood kinship alone; in fact Irish clans would be better thought of as akin to the modern-day corporation. Their ruling structure, whether ruled by a single lord or a council, changed according to needs and the qualities of their membership. As with a modern corporation, the power of clans grew and shrank. Once-powerful clans could in time decline in stature and be amalgamated into once-smaller ones. How this "merger" would be dealt with would be a matter of negotiation based on the respective power of each party. Consequently, Irish clans were composed of those who were related by blood but also by those who were adopted and fostered into the clan as well as those who joined the clan for strategic reasons such as safety or combining of lands and resources.Sept or Clan
Scholars sometimes disagree about whether it is better to use the terms "sept" or "clan" when referring to traditional Irish family groups. Historically, the term 'sept' was not used in Ireland until the nineteenth century, long after any notion of clanship had been eradicated. It is often argued that the English word 'sept' is most accurate referring to a sub-group within a large clan; especially when that group has taken up residence outside of their clan's original territory. (O'Neill, MacSweeney, and O'Connor are examples.) Related Irish septs and clans often belong to larger groups, sometimes called tribes, such as the Dál gCais, Uí Néill, Uí Fiachrach, and Uí Maine. Recently, the late Edward MacLysaght suggested the English word 'sept' be used in place of the word 'clan' with regards to the historical social structure in Ireland, so as to differentiate it from the centralized Scottish clan system.[1] This would imply that Ireland possessed no formalised clan system, which is not wholly accurate. Brehon Law, the ancient legal system of Ireland clearly defined the clan system in pre-Norman Ireland, which collapsed after the Tudor Conquest. The Irish, when speaking of themselves, employed their term 'clan' which means "family" in Irish.The end of the clan system
In the 16th century English common law was introduced throughout Ireland. Together with a centralized royal administration in which the county and the sheriff replaced the 'country' and the Clan Chief.When the Kingdom of Ireland
Kingdom of Ireland
The Kingdom of Ireland refers to the country of Ireland in the period between the proclamation of Henry VIII as King of Ireland by the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 and the Act of Union in 1800. It replaced the Lordship of Ireland, which had been created in 1171...
was created in 1541, the Dublin administration wanted to involve the Gaelic chiefs into the new entity, creating new titles for them such as the Earl of Tyrone
Earl of Tyrone
The Earl of Tyrone is a title created three times in the Peerage of Ireland.It was first created as part of the Tudor attempt to establish a uniform social structure in Ireland by converting the Gaelic kings and chiefs into hereditary nobles of the Kingdom of Ireland...
, or Baron Inchiquin
Baron Inchiquin
Baron Inchiquin is one of the older titles in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1543 for Murrough O'Brien, Prince of Thomond, who was descended from the great high king Brian Boru)...
. In the process they were granted new coats of arms from 1552. The associated policy of surrender and regrant
Surrender and regrant
During the Tudor conquest of Ireland , "surrender and regrant" was the legal mechanism by which Irish clans were to be converted from a power structure rooted in clan and kin loyalties, to a late-feudal system under the English legal system...
involved a change to succession to a title by the European system of primogeniture
Primogeniture
Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings . Historically, the term implied male primogeniture, to the exclusion of females...
, and not by the Irish tanistry
Tanistry
Tanistry was a Gaelic system for passing on titles and lands. In this system the Tanist was the office of heir-apparent, or second-in-command, among the Gaelic patrilineal dynasties of Ireland, Scotland and Man, to succeed to the chieftainship or to the kingship.-Origins:The Tanist was chosen from...
, where a group of male cousins of a chief were eligible to succeed by election. This change to the inheritance system was also taken up by the Scottish clan
Scottish clan
Scottish clans , give a sense of identity and shared descent to people in Scotland and to their relations throughout the world, with a formal structure of Clan Chiefs recognised by the court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms which acts as an authority concerning matters of heraldry and Coat of Arms...
s in the 17th and 18th centuries. .
The early 17th century was a watershed in Ireland. It marked the destruction of Ireland's ancient Gaelic aristocracy following the Tudor re-conquest and cleared the way for the Plantation of Ulster
Plantation of Ulster
The Plantation of Ulster was the organised colonisation of Ulster—a province of Ireland—by people from Great Britain. Private plantation by wealthy landowners began in 1606, while official plantation controlled by King James I of England and VI of Scotland began in 1609...
. In 1607 the senior Gaelic Chiefs of Ulster left Ireland to recruit support in Spain but failed, and instead eventually arrived in Rome where they remained for the rest of their lives (See: Flight of the Earls
Flight of the Earls
The Flight of the Earls took place on 14 September 1607, when Hugh Ó Neill of Tír Eóghain, Rory Ó Donnell of Tír Chonaill and about ninety followers left Ireland for mainland Europe.-Background to the exile:...
). After this point, the English authorities in Dublin established real control over all of Ireland for the first time, bringing a centralised government to the entire island, and successfully disarmed the native clans and their lordships.
Later developments and "revival"
However, despite the loss of their traditional lands and forced emigration into the service of Catholic monarchs across Europe, the spirit of the Irish clans remained. To this day the majority of Irish people in Ireland and around the world can tell you the name of the clan from which they descend. The growing influence of the Gaelic League at the turn of the 20th century rekindled an interest in Gaelic culture and prompted a cultural revival.In the 1940s Edward MacLysaght, the Chief Herald of Ireland, drew up a list of over 240 Irish clans. The first modern Irish “clans“ were reformed in the latter half of the 20th century. Today such groups are organised in Ireland and in every continent around the world.
In 1989 an independent organisation, Clans of Ireland
Clans of Ireland
Clans of Ireland is an independent organisation established in 1989 with the purpose of creating and maintaining a Register of Clans.-Background:...
, was formed under the leadership of Rory O'Connor, Chieftain of the “O'Connor Kerry Clan“, with the purpose of creating and maintaining a Register of Clans. A Register of Irish Clans can be consulted on its website.
See also
- Scottish clans
- List of Irish clans
- List of Celtic tribes
- The Standing Council of Irish Chiefs and ChieftainsThe Standing Council of Irish Chiefs and ChieftainsThe Standing Council of Irish Chiefs and Chieftains is an organisation which was established by the then President of Ireland to bring together the Chiefs of the Name of the Gaelic nobility of Ireland as then recognised by the Chief Herald of Ireland....