Byrne
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the novel by Anthony Burgess, see Byrne: A Novel.
- See also O'Byrne Cup.
Byrne, meaning "raven", is derived from the Irish name Ó Broin. It is the seventh most common last name in Ireland today. The clan's motto is the Latin phrase Certavi et Vici which means "I have Fought and Conquered". The name is traced back to ancient Celtic chieftain, Bran Mac Maolmòrrdha, the King of Leinster who died in 1052 A.D.
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[edit] Famous Byrnes
[edit] Irish history
The surname Byrne is "O Broin," in its Gaelic form, which means descendant of Bran. The family is descended from Bran, the king of Leinster who died in 1052, who, along with King Conn of the Hundred Battles descended from Cathair Mor, an earlier king of Leinster, who was also monarch of all Ireland around 200 AD.
Spelling variations include: Byrne, Byrnes, O'Byrne, O'Byrnes and others.
First found in Leinster, where they were descended from Bran, the King of Leinster who died in 1052. He was descended from Cathair Mor King of Leinster, who was also Monarch of all Ireland about 200 A.D.
Famous members of the family who were prominent in Irish history include: Fiach Mc Hugh O'Byrne, who in 1591 helped to free rebel Red Hugh O'Donnell from the Dublin Castle; Alfie Byrne, who served as Lord Mayor of Dublin (1930-1939 and 1954-1955) and is greatly remembered by the citizens of the city. James Byrne, who died from complications from hunger strike, who died November 1st 1914.
Myles Byrne was a leader in the Irish rebellion of 1798, and was one of the instruments in the creation of the short lived 'Wexford Commune' modelled after the French; and it was to France he escaped after the British Forces brutally quashed the Pikemen. Later he became a Brigadier General and leader of The Irish Brigade in the French army, a precursor to the Foreign Legion. Retiring a decorated war hero in his later years he wrote his memoirs. He died in Paris in 1867 (or thereabouts).
Oliver Byrne was an 19th century mathematician who was highly regarded for his innovative approach to Euclid's geometry. (Byrne's Euclid, 1847).
During the late eighteenth century, Charles Byrne (or O'Brien) toured Europe as "The Irish Giant", advertising his height at eight feet four inches tall. (He was in fact about a foot shorter). His skeleton remained on exhibit for many years in the London Medical Museum.
[edit] American Byrnes
Some of the first settlers of this name or some of its variants were: Dinnis Byrne, who settled in the Barbados in 1679; Adam O'Byrne, who settled in Jamaica in 1734; James and Patrick O'Byrne, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1806.
An early Byrne immigrant was Moses Byrne, born in Liverpool in 1820. After joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he sailed to America and founded the town of Piedmont in the southwest corner of Wyoming. While Piedmont is now a ghost town, the charcoal kilns Moses built to make charcoal for the smelters of Utah still stand and are on the National Registry of Historic Places.
Rev. Peter V. Byrne, was the first President of Depaul University, from 1904 to 1909, and has many living descendants in the US today (2006).
Some American descendants include Rev. Andrew Byrne, who became the first Catholic Bishop of Little Rock, and Mrs. Jane Byrne who served as the mayor of Chicago from 1979 to 1983.
Another famous Byrne is Mrs. Leslie Byrne, the first woman voted to Congress from the state of Virginia. She was elected in 1992 and served one-term. In 2005, she ran for Lieutenant governor of Virginia but lost with 49.3% of the vote, and has also served in the Virginia House of Delegates and State Senate.
Edward Abraham Byrne was Chief Engineer of the New York City Department of Plant and Structures from 1915 through 1933 as well as the first Chief Engineer of the Triborough Bridge Authority, organized in 1933.
Brendan T. Byrne was Governor of New Jersey from 1974 to 1982. His son, Tom, also is a politician in New Jersey and was chairman of the state Democratic Party in the 1990's.
[edit] Other famous Byrnes
In entertainment, famous Byrnes include the Irish actor Gabriel Byrne and the RTÉ broadcaster Gay Byrne, who hosted the world's longest running chat show, The Late Late Show, from 1962 until 1999.
In Performance, specifically stand-up comedy: Ed Byrne, Jason Byrne, and Steve Byrne.
In Music, Art, and Film: David Byrne (musician) (former Talking Heads frontman), Jennifer Byrne (award-winning journalist); SEC Byrne (literary critic), Rose Byrne (movie actor) and Debra Byrne (Australian pop singer).
Chessmasters: Donald Byrne, Robert Byrne and Timmy Byrne.
Australian outlaw Joe Byrne was an associate of Bushranger Ned Kelly.
J. F. Byrne was a friend of James Joyce who wrote the memoir Silent Years and who invented the "Chaocipher" cryptographic machine.
Damien Byrne is an ex-professional footballer, who captained St Patrick's Athletic to honours
Anthony Byrne is an Australian politician.
