Feely (Irish: ''Ó Fithcheallaigh'') is an Irish Gaelic clan or family from northern Connacht, Ireland, primarily the counties of

Sligo Sligo ( ; , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of 20,608 in 2022, it is the county's largest urban centre (constituting 2 ...

Roscommon Roscommon (; ; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60 road (Ireland), N60, N61 road (Ireland), N61 and N63 road (Irelan ...

and Leitrim. They are a member of the Síol Muireadaigh, a tribal confederation of clans that descend from a common ancestor. The Síol Muireadaigh are the leading group of the Uí Briúin Ai, who ruled Connacht for over 700 years with only one exception. The Síol Muireadaigh claim descent from Muiredach Muillethan (meaning the broad-crowned sea warrior) King of Connacht (died 702). The Feely family are closely linked with the

O'Conor Don The O'Conor dynasty (Middle Irish: ''Ó Conchobhair''; Modern ) are an Irish noble dynasty and formerly one of the most influential and distinguished royal dynasties in Ireland. The O'Conor family held the throne of the Kingdom of Connacht up ...

family and share the same clan crest, only without the motto.

Modern usage

Connaught Rangers and Boyle

The Feely clan has a long history of enlistment with the

Connaught Rangers The Connaught Rangers ("The Devil's Own") was an Ireland, Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army formed by the amalgamation of the 88th Regiment of Foot (Connaught Rangers) (which formed the ''1st Battalion'') and the 94th Regiment of Fo ...

("The Devil's Own') of Boyle, Roscommon. A Feely is noted as being involved in the Connaught Rangers Mutiny in India of 1920, saying to Captain LC. Badham "''Private Feely said to me 'You are not going to shoot down any more innocent unarmed Irishmen' or words to that effect.".'' The mutiny was in response to the many atrocities being committed by the British army in Ireland during the

War of Independence Wars of national liberation, also called wars of independence or wars of liberation, are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) ...

. Many Feelys lived in Boyle and continue to live there today. Feelystone, a stone masonry business open since 1780, was founded by Christy Feely.

The Irish War of Independence and other conflicts

James E. Feely is noted as being involved in one of the first engagements of the Irish war of Independence, an Irish Republican Brotherhood raider during the Rockingham raid. Henry J. Feely is noted as being a Prisoner of War and Commandant of the Irish Republican Army. Many Feelys were active in the IRA and IRB during the War of Independence. Colonel Peter Feely was one of three platoon commanders in the now infamous Siege of Jadotville during the

United Nations Operation in the Congo The United Nations Operation in the Congo (, abbreviated ONUC) was a United Nations United Nations peacekeeping, peacekeeping force which was deployed in the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville), Republic of the Congo in 1960 in response to th ...

of 1961.

Other spellings

Anglicized versions of the original ''Ó Fithcheallaigh'' spelling include but are not limited to Feeley, Feely, O'Feely, O'Feeley, Fehilly, O'Fehilly, and Field.

Notable people

* Tom McFeely (born 1949), "Commanding Officer" of the IRA men imprisoned in H Block at Long Kesh * Frank Feely (21st century), Northern Irish politician * Herta Feely, writer and child safety activist * Jay Feely (born 1976), American football placekicker *

John J. Feely John Joseph Feely (August 1, 1875 – February 15, 1905) was a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from Illinois. Born on a farm near Wilmington, Will County, Illinois, Wilmington, Illinois, Feely attended the public sc ...

(1875–1905), American politician * Orla Feely (born c.1964), Professor of Engineering * Terence Feely (1928–2000), British screenwriter * Rory Feely (born 1997), Irish footballer

References