Gormley () is an Irish surname. It is derived from the

Gaelic Gaelic (pronounced for Irish Gaelic and for Scots Gaelic) is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". It may refer to: Languages * Gaelic languages or Goidelic languages, a linguistic group that is one of the two branches of the Insul ...

''Ó Goirmleadhaigh'' meaning 'descendant of Gormghal'. The main

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

of the clan originated in

Tyrconnell Tyrconnell (), also spelled Tirconnell and Tirconaill, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland. It is associated geographically with present-day County Donegal, which was officially named ''County Tirconaill'' between 1922 and 1927. At times it also i ...

(present day

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

) and then spread into Tyrone. The Ulster branch of the clan were chiefs of the '' Cenél Moain'' and originated in what is now 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 ...

Raphoe Raphoe ( ; ) is a small town in County Donegal in the north-west of Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. It is the main town in the fertile district of East Donegal known as the Laggan. It gave its name to the Barony of Raphoe, which was l ...

in East Donegal, an area known in

times as ''Tír Moain''. The common ancestor and progenitor of these Gormleys was Moain son of Muireadach, son of Eoghan, son of

Niall of the Nine Hostages Niall Noígíallach (; Old Irish "having nine hostages"), or Niall of the Nine Hostages, was a legendary, semi-historical Irish king who was the ancestor of the Uí Néill dynasties that dominated Ireland from the 6th to the 10th centuries. ...

Different septs and spellings

In 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 ...

'' and in the ''Topographical Poems'' of O'Dugan and O'Heerin, the name is spelt ''Ó Goirmleadhaigh''; the ''

Annals of Loch Cé The ''Annals of Loch Cé'' (also ''Annals of Lough Cé'') cover events, mainly in Connacht and its neighbouring regions, from 1014 to 1590. It takes its name from Lough Cé in the kingdom of Moylurg - now north County Roscommon - which was th ...

'' write it ''Ó Gormshuil'' and ''Ó Gormshuiligh'': the editor (William Hennessy) writing in 1871 states that the latter was then anglicised O'Gormooly, but Gormley is universal today. The name means “blue spearman”. In the

Partry Mountains The Partry Mountains () is a mountain range in western Connacht, Ireland. It is in an area known as Joyce Country, Partry, on the borders of County Mayo and County Galway. The mountains stand between Lough Mask (to the northeast), Lough Corrib ...

County Mayo County Mayo (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...

in the West of Ireland is found a sept also called Gormley, Gormaly and Gormilly. The Irish form of this family's name is ''Ó Goirmghialla'' or possibly ''Ó Gormghaille'', both Irish forms meaning “blue hostage”. They were chiefs of this area along with the Darcy or Dorcey family. The present parish of Ballyovey, also called the parish of Party, shows the location of this ancient territory in Mayo. In the area of

Lough Key Lough Key () is a lake in Ireland. It is in the northwest of County Roscommon, northeast of the town of Boyle. The lough is believed to be named after a mythical figure named Cé. Name The name ''Lough Key'' comes from the Irish ''Loch Cé''. ...

County Roscommon County Roscommon () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the province of Connacht and the Northern and Western Region. It is the List of Irish counties by area, 11th largest Irish county by area and Li ...

, we find families of the name (O') Gormaly or Gormally. O'Donovan says that these are quite distinct from the O'Gormleys of

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. Its county town is Omagh. Adjoined to the south-west shore of Lough Neagh, the cou ...

and that the Irish form of this name is ''Ó Garmghaile''. It is likely that this family is of the same stock as the Mayo sept, but it is unclear if both are related to the main sept of

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

. In seventeenth century records they are found both as O'Gormley and Mac Gormley, located chiefly in counties

Armagh Armagh ( ; , , " Macha's height") is a city and the county town of County Armagh, in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Primates of All ...

and Londonderry in modern-day

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

, but also in

and

County Westmeath County Westmeath (; or simply ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It formed part of the historic Kingdom of ...

, Republic of Ireland. Gormleys today are chiefly found in

, Northern Ireland, and surrounding areas.

Notable Gormleys

Andrew Gormley Andrew Gormley was the drummer for the band Rorschach, a hardcore band from New Jersey. Bands * Torment (thrash metal) - drums (1988) * Under Control (hardcore punk) - drums (1988) * Rorschach (band) (hardcore punk) - drums (1989–1993, reu ...

, American drummer for the band Rorschach *

Antony Gormley Sir Antony Mark David Gormley (born 30 August 1950) is a British sculptor. His works include the ''Angel of the North'', a public sculpture in Gateshead in the north of England, commissioned in 1994 and erected in February 1998; ''Another Pl ...

(born 1950), British sculptor * Beatrice Gormley (born 1942), American children's writer *

Bob Gormley Robert Gormley (August 3, 1918 – December 11, 2003) was an American soccer forward who spent seventeen years in the American Soccer League. He also earned one cap with the U.S. national team in 1954. He was inducted into the National Soccer ...

(1918–2003), U.S. soccer forward *

Brandon Gormley Brandon Gormley (born February 18, 1992) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Iserlohn Roosters of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). He was selected 13th ...

(born 1992), Canadian ice hockey player * Charles Gormley (1937–2005), Scottish film director *

Conor Gormley Conor Gormley (born 10 October 1980) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer for the Carrickmore St Colmcille's club and the Tyrone county team. With his county, Gormley won three-time All-Ireland Senior Football Championship titles and three ...

(born 1980), Irish Gaelic footballer *

Eddie Gormley Eddie Gormley (born 23 October 1968) is an Irish football coach and former player who manages Cabinteely. Early career Educated at Cabinteely Community School where he played for the School Junior & Senior teams, and also playing schoolboy fo ...

(born 1968), former Irish football player *

Enda Gormley Enda Gormley (born 8 March 1966) is a Gaelic footballer who played for the Derry county team in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. He played club football with Maghera club Glen, and currently plays with Belfast club Bredagh. Gormley was part ...

(born 1966), Irish Gaelic footballer * Francis Gormley (1899–1974), Irish politician *

Jody Gormley Jody Gormley (16 August 1971 – 9 December 2024) was an Irish Gaelic footballer who played for the Tyrone and London county teams. He also played a coaching role for Down following his retirement from inter-county play, and held the role of ...

(1971–2024), Gaelic footballer for Tyrone, and London * Joe Gormley (disambiguation), several people *

John Gormley John Gormley (born 4 August 1959) is an Irish former Green Party politician who served as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government from June 2007 to January 2011, Leader of the Green Party from June 2007 to May 2011 and Lor ...

(born 1959), Irish Green party politician * John Kenneth Gormley (born 1957), Canadian broadcaster and former politician * Joseph L. Gormley (1914–2004), chief of chemistry and toxicology for the FBI * Ken Gormley, President of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania * Ken Gormley, bass player from Australian band The Cruel Sea *

Kiera Gormley Kiera Gormley is a model from Belfast in Northern Ireland. She caught the eye of Mario Testino, leading to shoots for ''Vogue'' UK and Italy, '' ID'', Burberry, Aquascutum, Aveda Aveda Corporation ( ) is an American cosmetics company founded ...

, Irish model *

Mark Gormley Mark Donan Gormley (May 7, 1957 – May 24, 2024) was an American singer-songwriter from Pensacola, Florida, who achieved internet fame for his music videos on YouTube. Early years Gormley learned to play the guitar as a teenager and later wro ...

, singer-songwriter from Pensacola, Florida * Mary Gormley, Irish beauty contestant * Niall Gormley, Gaelic footballer in County Tyrone *

Paddy Gormley Patrick Joseph Gormley (1916 – August 2001) was an Irish nationalist politician. Born in Claudy, Gormley was educated at St Columb's College and then St. Patrick's College, Maynooth ( NUI). In 1945, he was elected to the Londonderry County C ...

(1916–2001), Irish nationalist politician * Patsy Gormley (1932–2022), Gaelic footballer in County Londonderry *

Phil Gormley Philip Michael Christopher Gormley, (born 8 March 1963) is a British former senior police officer. He is the current CEO for EACH (East Anglia Childrens Hospices) based in Norfolk, England. Early life Gormley was born on 8 March 1963 in Redhil ...

(born 1963), former Chief Constable of

Police Scotland Police Scotland (), officially the Police Service of Scotland (), is the national police force of Scotland. It was formed in 2013, through the merging of eight regional police forces in Scotland, as well as the specialist services of the Scottis ...

Rowan Gormley Rowan Gormley (born 8 June 1962) is a South African-born entrepreneur, who founded Naked Wines. Early life Gormley studied at Selborne College, East London and the University of Cape Town. He trained as an accountant with the firm Arthur Ande ...

(born 1962), South African-born entrepreneur *

Tad Gormley Francis Thomas "Tad" Gormley (December 23, 1883 – December 5, 1965) was an American athletic trainer, coach and official. He was a native of Cambridge, Massachusetts and was the head of the New Orleans Gymnastics Club and Amateur Athletic Union ...

(1884–1965), former head of the New Orleans Gymnastics Club and Amateur Athletic Union * Tom Gormley (1916–1984), politician in County Tyrone, served in the

House of Commons of Northern Ireland The House of Commons of Northern Ireland was the lower house of the Parliament of Northern Ireland created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920. The upper house in the bicameral parliament was called the Senate. It was abolished with the ...

* Tom Gormley, American professional football player * Tony Gormley (1962–1987), member of the

Provisional Irish Republican Army The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA), officially known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA; ) and informally known as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary force that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland ...

(PIRA) * William T. Gormley, professor of Government at Georgetown University

References

External links

Origins of the Gormleys
{{Uí Néill Surnames Surnames of Irish origin Irish families