Folan (Irish: Ó Cualáin or Ó Culáin), is an Irish family name. They were a Brehon family in County Galway. The Folan family are of Conmhaícne origin.
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It is most numerous in County Galway, and adjoining areas in County Mayo, in Connacht, Ireland. This locality stretching from Galway City to Clifden is where the majority of Folans are still concentrated today. The Gaelic spelling used in the Irish-speaking Gaeltacht of Galway is Ó Cualáin, despite Mac Fualláin and O Fualláin being attributed to it by Edward Mac Lysaght and other Irish surname scholars. It is also often incorrectly listed as a variation of other Irish names Fallon, Phelan, or Foley. Many Irish Emigrants to the USA americanised the name as Foley.
There was a well known Brehon family called O'Folan in County Galway in the sixteenth century.[1]
Servreagh O'Folan, Gentleman, was a signature to an official fiant in 1585, called "Indentures of Composition, The Country of the O'Flaherty's of Eyre Connacht, A.D. 1585", which listed him as a landowner in Moyrus in the Barony of Ballynahinch, County Galway.
Nehemias Folan of the Newtone, Gentleman, was listed as a landowner near Loughrea, County Galway, in a fiant, "Indentures of Composition, The Part of Connacht Called Clanrickard, A.D. 1585". In a later fiant, "Carta Dermicci O'Halloran, A.D. 1594", written in Latin, he is described as "in Christo Nehemian Ffolan, generosum, meum attornatum"[2]. In a deed dated 1594, he purchased land from Dermot O'Shaughnessy for 100 pounds, to "To hold for ever of the chief lord of the fee, by the service thereout due and of right accustomed"[3]. He also gave a deposition in a trial in 1615, concerning the inheritance of Sir Roger O'Shaughnessy and his sons, in Loughrea, County Galway. He is described as "Nehemias Folan, of Balladowgan, County Galway, Esquire, 60 years old"[4].
Feargananim Folan, in a deed for the O'Flahertys in 1614, entitled "Donogh McMoyler et al., is dede A.D. 1614", FFargananym McServreagh of Moyrish, is described as "our true and lawfull attorney", and signs as Forinan Folan[2].
Several O'Folans are mentioned in Elizabethan fiants as being pardoned for rebel activities, following the Rebellion by Hugh O'Neill, 2nd Earl of Tyrone.
Salamon Folan was active during the Irish Rebellion of 1641, and was cited as one of the group of men led by Colonel Edmond O'Flaherty at the siege of Tromroe Castle in County Clare.[5]
Ferdinando Follin, (a misspelling of Feargananim Folan), of Moyrus, Carna, County Galway, is listed as owner of parcels of lands consisting of 3,678 acres (14.88 km2), and 193 acres (0.78 km2). Following the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in 1651,he had his lands confiscated for rebellious activities.[6]
Many Folans served in the Connaught Rangers Regiment of the British Army.
Patrick Folan was killed at the Battle of Inkermann 5 November 1854, during the Crimean War[7].
Another Patrick Folan was killed in action in the Gallipoli Campaign on August 27, 1915, his brother John Folan was Killed in Action in France in 1918, and a Joseph Folan died in Mesopotamia in 1918. All were serving with the Connaught Rangers during World War I.
John Folan won the Distinguished Conduct Medal for Gallantry while serving in Mesopotamia in 1916 with the 3rd Battalion of the Connaught Rangers[8].
Peter Folan died while serving with the Royal Navy in 1919[9].
Joseph Folan was killed in action during World War II, while serving with the Royal Artillery in Malaysia, in 1945[10].
John Folan was awarded the Dewey Medal while serving with the United States Navy in the Battle of Manila Bay in the Spanish-American War in 1898[11].
Several Folans also served during the American Civil War.
John Folan, was killed in action at Spotsylvania Court House, VA on 19 May 1864, while serving with the New York, I Co. 6th HA Regiment. Bartholomew Folan, serving with the B Co. 16th Inf Regiment. NH died from disease at New Orleans, LA on 7 June 1863. James J Folan, from Boston, Massachusetts, served as 1st Lieutenant with the 48th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, of the Union Army. Captain A.H. Folan served with the 18th North Carolina Infantry Regiment of the Confederate Army.
Colonel John B. Folan flew during the Berlin Airlift in 1948, with the United States Air Force.
James Folan, Woodquay, Galway, was the Battalion Quarter-master of the Galway Brigade of the Old IRA during the Irish War of Independence. The Black and Tans raided the family home in 1920, while searching for him, shooting dead his brother Christy and injuring another brother.[12]
Although Folan is not a well known surname, there are many Folans prominent today in different walks of life in Ireland and abroad.
The name is mainly confined to Connacht, as seen by the birth registrations: 63 were recorded in 1866, 62 of which were in County Galway; in 1890 the number was much less, only 28, but 23 of these were in County Galway and the other 5 in County Mayo. It is stated that the name is Mac Fualláin in Irish; but it may be Ó Fualláin. In a fiant of 1584 relating to County Galway the name MacFolane appeared once, whereas O'Folane is frequent: in a fiant of 1577 an area in County Roscommon called Grange O'Folan is specifically termed O'Folan's country. O'Folan and O'Fallon have been confused in records: "O'Folan's country" was in County Roscommon, "O'Fallon's country" in County Galway.
In the Composition Book of Connacht eight years later, several O'Folanes of County Galway are mentioned. O'Phelan (in Irish, Ó Faoláin) was often entered in early medieval records as Offolan and later. as Follon, Follan etc., e.g. in Petty's "census", giving the impression that Folane is a Waterford or Kilkenny name. A good example of this is to be seen in the person of the Bishop of Limerick (1489–1521) whose name is given by Canon Begley as John Folan alias Whelan (Whelan is the same as Phelan). Eugenius O'Folan, Bishop of Kilmacduagh from 1409 to 1418 and then Bishop of Killaloe, was of the Ó Fualláin sept.[15]