Ó Seachnasaigh, O'Shaughnessy, collectively Uí Sheachnasaigh, clan name Cinél nAedha na hEchtghe, is a family surname of Irish origin. The name is found primarily in County Galway and

County Limerick "Remember Limerick" , image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Limerick.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Provinces of Ireland, Province , subd ...

. Their name derives from Seachnasach mac Donnchadh, a 10th-century member of the Uí Fiachrach Aidhne, which the Ó Seachnasaigh were the senior clan of. The town of

Gort Gort ( or ) is a town of around 3,000 inhabitants in County Galway in the west of Ireland. Located near the border with County Clare, the town lies between the Burren and the Slieve Aughty and is served by the R458 and R460 regional roads, wh ...

, Ireland, was the main residence of the family since at least the time of their ancestor, King

Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin (died 663) was a king of Connacht. A member of the Ui Fiachrach Aidhne and son of king Colmán mac Cobthaig (died 622). Guaire ruled at the height of Ui Fiachrach Aidne power in south Connacht. Early reign Guaire ap ...

Naming conventions

History

Castles of Connacht, Ardamullivan, Galway - geograph

Up until the late 17th century the Ó Seachnasaighs held the sub-district of Uí Fiachrach Aidhne known as Cenél Áeda na hEchtge (modern Irish, Cinéal nAedha na hEchtghe), meaning "kindred of Aedh of the

Slieve Aughty The Slieve Aughty ( ga, Sliabh Eachtaí) are a mountain range in the western part of Ireland spread over both County Galway and County Clare County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the provi ...

", which was also their clan name. Cinéal nAedha na hEchtghe / Kinelea consisted roughly of the

civil parishes In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority. ...

of Beagh, Kilmacduagh and

Kiltartan Kiltartan is a barony and civil parish in County Galway, Ireland. The southern portion of this barony was formerly known as Cenél Áeda na hEchtge or O'Shaughnessy's Country, the northern portion was called Coill Ua bhFiachrach (the territory o ...

and also parts of the civil parishes of Kibeacanty and Kilthomas. Their closest related kinsmen were the Ó Cathail / O Cahill clan, originally chiefs of eastern Kinelea, and the other clans of Uí Fhiachrach Aidhne the most prominent of which were the Ó hEidhin / O Hynes,

Ó Cléirigh O'Cleary ( ga, Ó Cléirigh) is the surname of a learned Gaelic Irish family. It is the oldest recorded surname in Europe — dating back to 916 CE — and is cognate with cleric and clerk. The O'Clearys are a sept of the Uí Fiachrach dynasty, w ...

/ O Cleary and Mac Giolla Cheallaigh / Kilkelly

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

s. Up until the mid-17th century, the O'Hynes clan were still styled lords of Uí Fhiachrach Aidhne even though the Ó Seachnasaighs had become more powerful than their kinsmen during this century. In the 1690s, Captain Roger O'Shaughnessy had his lands confiscated for supporting the Jacobite cause against William of Orange, with the lands going to

Sir Thomas Prendergast, 1st Baronet Brigadier-General Sir Thomas Prendergast, 1st Baronet ( 1660 – 11 September 1709) was an Irish politician and soldier. Early life He was the son of Thomas Prendergast (d. 1725) of Croane, County Limerick, a small Catholic landowner, and Elean ...

. A legal battle raged on into the first half of the 18th century between the Ó Seachnasaigh and the Prendergasts, the family who were granted the lands, with the Ó Seachnasaigh eventually losing the case. The senior line of the Ó Seachnasaighs may have died out in the 1900s. O'Shaughnessy castles include Gort Castle, Fiddaun Castle, Ardamullivan Castle, Newtown Castle, Derryowen, which is just inside the

County Clare County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,81 ...

border, Ballymulfaig, and a castle on one of the islands in Lough Cutra. According to a list naming the castles of County Galway and their owners, drawn up in 1574 by the English administration in Ireland, Islandmore Castle (now

Thoor Ballylee Thoor Ballylee Castle (Irish ''Túr Bhaile Uí Laí'') is a fortified, 15th-century Anglo-Norman tower house built by the septs de Burgo, or Burke, near the town of Gort in County Galway, Ireland. It is also known as ''Yeats' Tower'' because it ...

) was listed as being owned by a John O'Shaughnessy. The last ''de facto'' Ó Seachnasaigh lord of Kinelea died at

after returning home from the

Battle of Aughrim The Battle of Aughrim ( ga, Cath Eachroma) was the decisive battle of the Williamite War in Ireland. It was fought between the largely Irish Jacobite army loyal to James II and the forces of William III on 12 July 1691 (old style, equivale ...

on 12 July 1691. Thousands of bearers of the name still survive both in their homeland and further abroad.

Notable O'Shaughnessys

Notable people with this surname include: Arthur O'Shaughnessy - portrait 2

* Andrew O'Shaughnessy (historian), historian *

Andrew O'Shaughnessy (hurler) Andrew O'Shaughnessy (born 30 November 1984 in Kilmallock, County Limerick) is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Kilmallock and was a member of the Limerick senior inter-county team from 2002 to 2011. Biography And ...

(born 1984), Irish hurler * Andrew O'Shaughnessy (politician) (1866–1956), Irish politician and Industrialist *

Arthur O'Shaughnessy Arthur William Edgar O'Shaughnessy (14 March 184430 January 1881) was a British poet and herpetologist. Of Irish descent, he was born in London. He is most remembered for his poem " Ode", from his 1874 collection ''Music and Moonlight'', which ...

(1844–1881), British poet and herpetologist * Barney O'Shaughnessy (1912–2007), Australian cricketer * Bob O'Shaughnessy (1921–1995), American basketball player * Daniel O'Shaughnessy (born 1994), Finnish footballer * Darren O'Shaughnessy (born 1972), Irish author, nom de plume Darren Shan * Edward O'Shaughnessy (1860–1885), English cricketer * Eileen O'Shaughnessy (1905–1945), the first wife of George Orwell * James O'Shaughnessy (born 1960), American author and investor * James O'Shaughnessy, Baron O'Shaughnessy (born 1976), British politician *

Margaret Heckler Margaret Mary Heckler (née O'Shaughnessy; June 21, 1931 – August 6, 2018) was an American politician and diplomat who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1967 until 1983. A member of the Republican Party, she als ...

(born 1931, Margaret Mary O'Shaughnessy), US lawyer and politician * Michael O'Shaughnessy (1864–1934), Irish civil engineer * Nicholas O'Shaughnessy, professor, author and political commentator * Patrick O'Shaughnessy (born 1993), Finnish footballer * Roger O'Shaughnessy (died 1690), Captain in the Army of James II of England *

Ryan O'Shaughnessy Ryan O'Shaughnessy (born 27 September 1992) is an Irish singer and former actor from Loughshinny, Skerries, Dublin. He portrayed Mark Halpin in the popular TV series ''Fair City'' for nine years (2001–2010). In January 2012, he appeared in th ...

(born 1992), Irish singer-songwriter * Tam O'Shaughnessy (born 1952), American author and educator * Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy, general, United States Air Force http://www.af.mil%2FAbout-Us%2FBiographies%2FDisplay%2FArticle%2F108497%2Flieutenant-general-terrence-j-oshaughnessy%2F&usg=AFQjCNEwMtKrJMq5V0ovsev_spv1m0qwfA * Tony O'Shaughnessy (born 1930), Irish hurler * Thomas O'Shaughnessy (1850–1933), Recorder of Dublin * Sir Roger O'Shaughnessy of Kinelea (died 1569) * William O'Shaughnessy (1673–1744), Major-General and Chief of the Name * William Brooke O'Shaughnessy (1809–1889), Irish toxicologist (introduced medical cannabis in Europe), chemist and inventor (telegraph)

Notes

Some with relation to the O'Shaughnessy clan may spell it O'Shaughnessey or Shaughnessy.

References

* John O'Donovan,
The Descendants of the Last Earls of Desmond
, Ulster Journal of Archaeology, Volume 6, 1858. (contains passage regarding the knights O'Shaughnessy of Kinelea) * John O'Donovan
The Genealogies, Tribes, and Customs of Hy-Fiachrach
Dublin: Irish Archaeological Society. 1844. Pedigree of O'Shaughnessy, pp. 372–91 * Robert S. Rait
The Story of an Irish Property
Oxford: The University Press. 1908. Chapter III: The O'Shaughnessys, pp. 42–65

External links