Ó Gadhra or O'Gara is an
Irish surname
In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...
which originated in the kingdom of
Luighne Connacht
Luighne Connacht was a territory located in north-central Connacht, on the borders of what is now County Mayo and County Sligo, Ireland. The Tuatha of Luighne was co-extensive with the modern day boundary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Achon ...
. Variants include
Garry,
Geary,
Gerry
Gerry is both a surname and a masculine or feminine given name. As a given name, it is often a short form (hypocorism) of Gerard, Gerald or Geraldine. Notable people with the name include:
Surname
*Elbridge Gerry (1744–1814), fifth US vice pres ...
, and
Guiry.
Background
According to historian C. Thomas Cairney, the O'Garas were one of the chiefly families of the "race of
Luighne" or "
Lugh
Lugh or Lug (; ) is a figure in Irish mythology. A member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, a group of supernatural beings, Lugh is portrayed as a warrior, a king, a master craftsman and a saviour.Olmsted, Garrett. ''The Gods of the Celts and the I ...
" who came from the tribe of
Cianacht who in turn were from the
Dumnonii
The Dumnonii or Dumnones were a Britons (historical), British List of ancient Celtic peoples and tribes, tribe who inhabited Dumnonia, the area now known as Cornwall and Devon (and some areas of present-day Dorset and Somerset) in the further pa ...
or
Laigin
The Laigin, modern spelling Laighin (), were a Gaelic population group of early Ireland. They gave their name to the Kingdom of Leinster, which in the medieval era was known in Irish as ''Cóiced Laigen'', meaning "Fifth/province of the Leinste ...
who were the third wave of
Celts
The Celts ( , see Names of the Celts#Pronunciation, pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples ( ) were a collection of Indo-European languages, Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient Indo-European people, reached the apoge ...
to settle in
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
during the first century
BC.
The first O'Garas were descendants of the
Gailenga
Gailenga was the name of two related peoples and kingdoms found in medieval Ireland in Brega and Connacht.
Origins
Along with the Luighne, Delbhna, Saitne and Ciannachta, the Gailenga claimed descent from Tadc mac Cein mac Ailill Aulom. Fr ...
people. Their descendants were located in Sliabh Lugha (later known as the
barony Barony may refer to:
* Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron
* Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron
* Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...
of
Gallen Gallen may refer to:
;Places:
* Gallen (barony), a barony in Ireland
* Sankt Gallen (disambiguation), various locations in German-speaking countries
;People:
* Saint Gall, Irish missionary, ''Sankt Gallus'' in German
* Conal Gallen (b. 1955), Iris ...
), the southern part of the territory ruled by the Kings of Luighne Connacht.
In the 13th century they were expelled from the area (by the
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship
and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, a clan may claim descent from a founding member or apical ancestor who serves as a symbol of the clan's unity. Many societie ...
Mac Siúrtáin
Mac Siúrtáin, aka Mac Jordan and Jordan, is the name of a Connacht family of Hiberno-Norman, Norman-Irish origins.
Ancestry
The family take their name from the Norman knight, Jordan de Exeter, whose descendants became known as Mac Siúrtáin ...
) and moved to Cul Ui Fionn, later known as the barony of
Coolavin
Coolavin ( Irish ''Cúl ó bhFionn'') is a historical barony in south County Sligo, Ireland. It was created from the ancient túath of An Corann.
The O'Garas were originally Lords of Coolavin. They were succeeded by the MacDermotts, a famil ...
,
County Sligo
County Sligo ( , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region and is part of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in ...
.
Notable bearers of the name
*
Domhnall mac Gadhra, King of Luighne Connacht, died 931.
*
Toichleach Ua Gadhra, King of Gailenga, died 964.
*
Donn Sléibhe Ua Gadhra, King of Sliabh Lugha, died 1181.
*
Ruaidrà Ó Gadhra, last King of Sliabh Lugha, died 1256.
*
Ruaidri Ó Gadhra, Irish lord, died 1285.
*
Fearghal Ó Gadhra
Fearghal Ó Gadhra (c. 1597 – after 1660), sometimes referred to as Farrell O'Gara, was lord of Coolavin, and patron of the ''Annals of the Four Masters''.
Family background
Ó Gadhra was the son of Tadhg mac Oilill Ó Gadhra of Coolavin, loc ...
, lord of Coolavin, patron of the
Annals of the Four Masters
The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' () or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' () are chronicles of Middle Ages, medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Genesis flood narrative, Deluge, dated as 2,242 Anno Mundi, years after crea ...
, c. 1597-after 1660.
*
Oliver O'Gara, Irish soldier and politician of the 17th century
*
John Patrick O'Gara, French-born soldier in the Spanish Army
*
Nollaig Ó Gadhra (1943-2008) Irish-language activist, journalist and historian
*
Charles O'Gara (1699-1777), courtier and official of the Holy Roman Empire
*
Matt O'Gara, Irish sportsperson, fl. 1960.
*
MáirÃn Nà Gadhra, Irish broadcaster and writer,born 1971
*
Ronan O'Gara
Ronan John Ross O'Gara (born 7 March 1977) is an Irish former rugby union player and current coach. O'Gara played as a fly-half and is Ireland national rugby union team, Ireland's third most-capped player and second highest points scorer. He i ...
, Irish rugby union rugby player, born 1977.
*
Eoghan O'Gara, Irish sportsperson, born 1985.
See also
*
Ó Gadhra Chiefs of the Name
*
Kings of Sliabh Lugha
The Kings of Sliabh Lugha were rulers of the district of Sliabh Lugha located in what is now the barony of Costello, County Mayo, Ireland.
The Sliabh Lugha area was originally part of Gailenga but by the 12th-century was separately called Slia ...
*
Kings of Luighne Connacht
The Kings of Luighne Connacht were rulers of the people and kingdom of Luighne Connacht, located in what is now County Mayo and County Sligo, Ireland.
The southern area was originally known as Gailenga but by the 12th-century called Sliabh Lugh ...
*
Irish clans
Irish clans are traditional kinship groups sharing a common surname and heritage and existing in a lineage-based society, originating prior to the 17th century. A clan (or in Irish, plural ) included the chief and his Patrilineality, patrilineal ...
References
Further reading
* ''The History of the County of Mayo to the Close of the Sixteenth Century. With illustrations and three maps'',
Hubert T. Knox. Originally published 1908, Hogges Figgies and Co. Dublin. Reprinted by De Burca rare books, 1982. .
*
Irish Names and Surnames', pp. 100. Patrick Woulfe, Dublin : M. H. Gill, 1922
* ''Muintir Ghadhra'', an t-Athair Fearghus Báiréad,
OFM, pp. 45–66, ''Measgra i gcuimhne MhichÃl Uà Chléirigh. Miscellany of historical and linguistic studies in honour of Brother Michael Ó Cléirigh, chief of the Four Masters, 1643-1943'', ed. by Father Sylvester O'Brien, Assisi Press, Dublin, 1944.
* ''The Surnames of Ireland'',
Edward MacLysaght
Edgeworth Lysaght, later Edward Anthony Edgeworth Lysaght, and from 1920 Edward MacLysaght (; 6 November 1887 – 4 March 1986) was a genealogist of twentieth-century Ireland. His numerous books on Irish surnames built upon the work of Rev. Pat ...
, Dublin, 1978.
External links
*
Irish Times database
{{DEFAULTSORT:O Gadhra
Surnames
Surnames of Irish origin
Irish families
Irish-language surnames