MacDermot Roe
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MacDermot Roe (MacDiarmata Ruadh) is the name of a
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
MacDermot Mac Diarmada (anglicised as McDermott or MacDermot), also spelled Mac Diarmata, is an Irish surname, and the surname of the ruling dynasty of Moylurg, a kingdom that existed in Connacht from the 10th to 16th centuries. The last ruling king was T ...
Kings of Moylurg The Kings of or Moylurg were a branch of the , and a kindred family to the Kings of Connacht. Their ancestor, , was a brother to , King of Connacht 967–973, ancestor of the O Connor family of Connacht. is said to have made a deal of some natu ...
. Tracing their origin to 1266, the MacDermots Roe (MacDiarmata Ruadh) of Ireland served as Biatachs General of the Kingdom of
Connacht Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...
and were the principal
patrons Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...
of the Irish composer
Turlough Carolan Turlough O'Carolan ( ; 1670 – 25 March 1738) was a blind Celtic harper, composer and singer in Ireland whose great fame is due to his gift for melodic composition. Although not a composer in the classical sense, Carolan is considered by som ...
, 1670–1738. The MacDermots Roe exemplify the role played by a leading Irish family under the old Gaelic order and its fate after the consolidation of English rule in the early 17th century.


Origins

The MacDermots Roe descend from Dermot Roe (the appellation Roe or Ruadh meaning red in Irish), grandson of Cormac MacDermot, King of
Moylurg {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 Magh Luirg or Magh Luirg an Dagda, anglicised as Moylurg, was the name of a medieval Irish kingdom located in modern-day County Roscommon, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It was a sub-kingdom of the kingdom of Connach ...
, 1218–1244. Moylurg was an ancient kingdom in what is now northern
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 ...
, Ireland and lay within the Kingdom of Connacht which included the modern counties of
Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
, Leitrim, Mayo,
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
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 ...
. In 1266, Dermot Roe MacDermot, the grandson of Cormac MacDermot, King of Moylurg, was blinded by the Aedh mac Felim Ua Conchobair, King of Connacht. Thereafter, Dermot was known as Dermot Dall (Dall meaning blind in Irish). Dermot Dall had a grandson, Dermot Roe whose descendants adopted the surname Mac (son of) Dermot Roe to distinguish themselves from other members of the
MacDermot family Mac Diarmada (anglicised as McDermott or MacDermot), also spelled Mac Diarmata, is an Irish surname, and the surname of the ruling dynasty of Moylurg, a kingdom that existed in Connacht from the 10th to 16th centuries. The last ruling king was T ...
.''MacDermot of Moylurg'', p. 295


Biatach General

Cormac MacDermot Roe, who was killed in battle in 1365, was the Biatach General of Connacht. As Biatach General, Cormac was responsible for the welfare of the poor and homeless and for the provision of food and shelter to travellers throughout Connacht. Some sources state that the position of Biatach included responsibility for providing victuals to the chief's soldiers. Thus, MacDermot Roe's responsibilities as Biatach General may have been comparable to a modern Quartermaster General, as well as, head of social welfare services. Positions of this nature in Ireland were passed down within a given family. For example, the head of the MacDermot family was the hereditary
Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...
of Connacht. Such was the case with the MacDermots Roe and the office of Biatach General of Connacht.Letter from Cyril Mattimoe, author of ''Roscommon, Its People and Past'' to Kenneth MacDermotRoe dated 2 February 2000 In addition to their charitable duties as Biatachs General, the MacDermots Roe were church leaders serving as
bishops A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
,
abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...
s and
prior The term prior may refer to: * Prior (ecclesiastical), the head of a priory (monastery) * Prior convictions, the life history and previous convictions of a suspect or defendant in a criminal case * Prior probability, in Bayesian statistics * Prio ...
s. Additionally, in 1385, the MacDermots Roe established the Dominican Priory of the Holy Cross at Cloonshanville, near modern-day
Frenchpark Frenchpark, historically known as Dungar (), is a village in County Roscommon, Republic of Ireland, Ireland on the N5 road (Ireland), N5 national primary road. It was the home of Douglas Hyde, the first President of Ireland. The nearby French ...
in County Roscommon.


Expansion of the MacDermots Roe

In 1455 and again 1471, the MacDermots Roe are described as Lords of Coilte Conchoghair, a small territory between the Feorish and Arigna Rivers, now the northern portion of Kilronan Parish, County Roscommon. By the 16th century, the MacDermots Roe, apparently displacing the MacManus family, controlled all Kilronan including valuable iron mines and iron works around
Arigna Arigna (, formerly ''Carn an Ailt'') is a village in the far north of County Roscommon in the west of Ireland. It is near Lough Allen (on the River Shannon), on a designated scenic route between Keadue and Sliabh an Iarainn. Arigna is situated ...
. While the family eventually spread, not only, throughout Moylurg, but also, further south in County Roscommon, their headquarters remained in Kilronan at Alderford, formerly Camagh, near Ballyfarnon. By the end of the Gaelic period, the MacDermots Roe accounted for about one third of the MacDermot Clan. The MacDermots were vigorous supporters of Ireland's
Nine Years War The Nine Years' War was a European great power conflict from 1688 to 1697 between France and the Grand Alliance. Although largely concentrated in Europe, fighting spread to colonial possessions in the Americas, India, and West Africa. Relat ...
against England and were conspicuous in the Irish victory at the Battle of Curlew Pass in 1599. However, the MacDermots Roe were more cautious. In a report dated September 1597, Sir Conyers Clifford, English President of Connacht, wrote that the MacDermots Roe had come to him and were living about
Boyle Abbey Boyle Abbey () is a ruined Cistercian friary located in Boyle, County Roscommon, Ireland. It was founded by Saint Malachy in the year 1161 but not consecrated until 1218 (work was interrupted by the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland and it wa ...
.


English colonial period

In 1607 Conor MacDermot Roe, a cousin of Ferghal, the last MacDermot Roe
chieftain A tribal chief, chieftain, or headman is a leader of a tribe, tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies There is no definition for "tribe". The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of weste ...
elected under the Gaelic brehon legal system, surrendered MacDermot Roe lands in Kilronan to
King James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) * James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) * James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu * James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334†...
and received them back in
fee simple In English law, a fee simple or fee simple absolute is an estate in land, a form of freehold ownership. A "fee" is a vested, inheritable, present possessory interest in land. A "fee simple" is real property held without limit of time (i.e., pe ...
as a grant from the King. In the grant, Conor is referred to merely as a "representative" of the family. The 1607 surrender and re-grant to Conor MacDermotRoe was illustrative of the eclipse of the Gaelic order. The English abolished the Irish brehon legal system and along with it the Irish system of clan land ownership and the Irish practice of electing clan chiefs. Henceforth, the chief's property and his title passed to the eldest son under
primogeniture Primogeniture () is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn Legitimacy (family law), legitimate child to inheritance, inherit all or most of their parent's estate (law), estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some childre ...
. The MacDermots Roe were Jacobites, supporting James II against William of Orange following the 1688 English Revolution. Sir Terence Dermott served as
Lord Mayor of Dublin The Lord Mayor of Dublin () is the honorary title of the chairperson ( ) of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The incumbent, since December 2024, is Fine Gael councillor Emma ...
in 1689 under James II. Later, Sir Terence followed James II into exile at
Saint-Germain-en-Laye Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the ÃŽle-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. ...
, France where the King made him a captain of a
privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...
vessel. Henry MacDermot Roe was a Jacobite captain in the army of James II. Despite their support for the
Stuarts The House of Stuart, originally spelled Stewart, also known as the Stuart dynasty, was a royal house of Scotland, England, Ireland and later Great Britain. The family name comes from the office of High Steward of Scotland, which had been hel ...
, the MacDermots Roe of Alderford continued to have substantial landholdings in Kilronan while remaining
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
. However, following the death of Charles MacDermot Roe in 1759, Charles' brother John, who had become a
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
, evicted Charles' family from Alderford. John's descendants became officials of the
Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the State rel ...
government. Thomas Charles MacDermot Roe was High Sheriff of Roscommon and Justice of the Peace in Counties Roscommon and Sligo in 1875. His line became extinct in 1917.


Patrons of Carolan

The MacDermots Roe were the principal patrons of the Irish composer Turlough Carolan. Carolan is often referred to as the last of the great bards and is considered by many to be Ireland's national composer. The MacDermots Roe patronage of Carolan was particularly significant since it came at a time when Gaelic culture was vigorously suppressed by English measures such as the
Penal Laws Penal law refers to criminal law. It may also refer to: * Penal law (British), laws to uphold the establishment of the Church of England against Catholicism * Penal laws (Ireland) In Ireland, the penal laws () were a series of Disabilities (C ...
. Since ancient times, Irish
bard In Celtic cultures, a bard is an oral repository and professional story teller, verse-maker, music composer, oral historian and genealogist, employed by a patron (such as a monarch or chieftain) to commemorate one or more of the patron's a ...
s played an important cultural role preserving Irish myths, histories and genealogies in the
oral tradition Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication in which knowledge, art, ideas and culture are received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another.Jan Vansina, Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (19 ...
. Bards served as officials of kings and chiefs and, like Carolan, they travelled the kingdom composing songs for notables.


Coat of arms

The
coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...
of the MacDermot Roe of Alderford was: :Dark Blue: 3 boars’ heads :Gold: Crosses, circles, boars’ tusks and bristles :Red: Band or chevron, boars’ tongues :White: Main part of shield While the
motto A motto (derived from the Latin language, Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian language, Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a Sentence (linguistics), sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of a ...
of the MacDermot Roe of Alderford was "Honor Probataque Virtus", an American branch of the MacDermots Roe has published the motto "Justice and Charity" reflecting the family's Biatach tradition.


The MacDermots Roe Today

After the 17th century, the use of the appellation Roe went into steep decline and the Roe was generally dropped outside County Roscommon. While a substantial portion of the thousands of MacDermots living today descend from the MacDermots Roe, only a handful in Ireland, the United States and Australia have retained the appellation in their name. One branch of the family who emigrated to the United States in the late 19th century dropped the MacDermot and the family become known as Roe. To the extent the name has survived in modern times, it is expressed as one word: :McDermottroe - (
Maria McDermottroe Maria McDermottroe () is an Irish people, Irish actress, known for her work across screen and stage. She portrayed Molly Ivors in John Huston's 1987 film ''The Dead (1987 film), The Dead'', based on the James Joyce novella The Dead (Joyce short ...
) :MacDermott-Roe :MacDermotRoe :McDermott-Roe


Notable MacDermots Roe


Manus MacDermot Roe

In 1380, Manus was the Abbot of the
Premonstratensian The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular in the Catholic Chur ...
(reformed Augustinian)
monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...
on Trinity Island in Loch Ce in northern Roscommon.


Bernard MacDermot Roe

Bernard was Prior of the Dominican
Priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. They were created by the Catholic Church. Priories may be monastic houses of monks or nuns (such as the Benedictines, the Cistercians, or t ...
at Cloonshanville in 1698 when he was forced into exile.


Ambrose MacDermot Roe

In April 1707, King James II of England, in exile at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France recommended Ambrose as Bishop of Elphin to
Pope Clement XI Pope Clement XI (; ; ; 23 July 1649 â€“ 19 March 1721), born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 November 1700 to his death in March 1721. Clement XI was a patron of the arts an ...
. Ambrose, who served as Bishop 1708–1717 during the Penal Laws, reported in 1714 that he had ordained 32 priests in his
Diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...
.


Thomas MacDermot Roe

Thomas, the third son of Carolan's patrons, was Bishop of Ardagh, 1747–1751.


Owen MacDermot

Owen was the secretary of the Dublin
Society of United Irishmen The Society of United Irishmen was a sworn association, formed in the wake of the French Revolution, to secure Representative democracy, representative government in Ireland. Despairing of constitutional reform, and in defiance both of British ...
. The United Irishmen, a nationalist group led by
Wolfe Tone Theobald Wolfe Tone, posthumously known as Wolfe Tone (; 20 June 176319 November 1798), was a revolutionary exponent of Irish independence and is an iconic figure in Irish republicanism. Convinced that, so long as his fellow Protestantism in ...
, sparked the unsuccessful
Irish rebellion of 1798 The Irish Rebellion of 1798 (; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ''The Turn out'', ''The Hurries'', 1798 Rebellion) was a popular insurrection against the British Crown in what was then the separate, but subordinate, Kingdom of Ireland. The m ...
.


Thomas MacDermot

Brother of Owen, Thomas, born circa 1751, was Colonel of the
Athleague Athleague () is a village and a parish in the Diocese of Elphin on the River Suck in the west of Ireland in County Roscommon, near the town of Roscommon. The village is in a townland and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish of the same name. ...
Rangers, a Roscommon
militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...
organisation. During the French Revolution, Thomas joined
Lord Edward Fitzgerald Lord Edward FitzGerald (15 October 1763 – 4 June 1798) was an Irish aristocrat and revolutionary proponent of Irish independence from Britain. He abandoned his prospects as a distinguished veteran of British service in the American War of Ind ...
and other Irish nationalists in Paris to enlist French support for Irish resistance to English rule.


Cornelius MacDermot Roe

Cornelius was
George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
's mason at
Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is the former residence and plantation of George Washington, a Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States, and his wife, Martha. An American landmar ...
from 1784 to 1788. After leaving Washington's service, Cornelius was hired to lay the foundation for one wing of the
United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called the Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the Seat of government, seat of the United States Congress, the United States Congress, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, federal g ...
but did not complete the project due to a contract dispute.''Ibid'', pp. 138–140


See also

*
Chiefs of the Name The Chief of the Name, or in older English usage Captain of his Nation, is the recognised head of a family or clan ( Irish and Scottish Gaelic: ''fine'') in Ireland and Scotland. Ireland There are instances where Norman lords of the time like ...
*
Kings of Moylurg The Kings of or Moylurg were a branch of the , and a kindred family to the Kings of Connacht. Their ancestor, , was a brother to , King of Connacht 967–973, ancestor of the O Connor family of Connacht. is said to have made a deal of some natu ...


References


External links


MacDermot Roe Biatach Home Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macdermot Roe Surnames MacDermot family