Ó Conghalaigh

Ó Conghalaigh is a Gaelic-Irish surname. It derives from the forename Conghal, meaning "as fierce as a wolf". It is often anglicised as Connolly or Connelly.

Overview

A number distinct and unrelated families bore the surname in Gaelic Ireland, and with a number of spelling variants. They included:

In 1890 the surname was the twenty-third most common in Ireland, with three hundred and eighty-one births of the name, mostly in Ulster. By 1996, the ranking had slipped to thirty-third.

The variant Conneely was found exclusively in Connacht in 1890, with most occurrences in County Galway, giving Ballyconneely its name.

County Monaghan

The Ó Conghalaigh's of Airgíalla were either a branch of the Southern Uí Néill who removed to Airgíalla, or a branch of the Mac Mathghamna, kings of Airgíalla from the mid-13th century to 1590. Online DNA sources show both Ui Neill and clan Colla DNA, with Bryan O' Connolly of Meath and a couple of Conley's amongst the Southern Ui Neill and 5 Connelly's showing clan colla dna, including Constantine Connolly of Fermanagh, this can be deduced from four key markers shown on the 'Peters pioneers' website. Including a 0 at marker 425 which this Fermanagh Connolly has but Bryan O' Connolly of Meath, A Jeremiah O' Connolly, two Conley's and many others do not.[1][2]

John Grenham says of them "They are first noted as coming to prominence in the fifteenth century and are recorded as having "Chiefs of the Name" up to the 17th century. They were instrumental in organising the native Irish rebellion of 1641 and, following its failure, lost their power and possessions." Descendants of this family included William Conolly (1662–1729), James Connolly (1870–1916) and Paudge Connolly (born 1953).

County Galway

Descendants of the Ó Conghalaigh of Iar Connacht include TG4 presenter Eibhlín Ní Chonghaile; musicians John Conneely and Johnny Óg Connolly; sportspersons Aislinn Connolly, Joe Connolly, Michael Conneely and Seamus Conneely; Mayors of Galway Catherine Connolly, Martin Connolly and Pádraig Conneely; criminal Anna Mór Ní Chonghaile; scribe Micheál Ó Conghaile; writers Micheál Ó Conghaile (writer) and Seán Ó Conghaile.

County Louth

The Louth surname Connolly appears lesser known and unreferenced by the more famous genealogists such as McLysacht and Fr Woulfe, so their history has not been documented as well as others of the name, nonetheless it is very notable in the history of County Louth and very likely derived from the Conaille group of the North of the county as has been suggested by local historian Harold O'Sullivan in his book 'Dundalk and North Louth; Paintings and stories from Cuchulainns country'. This has also been documented on the Skeatra Connolly family history website, and on a piece on the McGregor clan, which goes into a bit of detail, though not without it's errors. For example it is syggested the name Connolly is Erainn or Cruithne Picts, which is not true according to the definition of Picts as associated with Scotland number one, and number two DNA records for Louth Connolly's include many non- Cruithne results. This is not unlike the Dunleavy's to the North who are held in the same regard.

Connolly was a principal name in County Louth in the census of 1659 before slipping into greater obscurity perhaps with the growth in the population in the county Louth and their lack of political and other influence in the area by this time. This has been missed by Cork university's Atlas of Ireland which includes a map mistakenly claiming no Connoly's/Connolly's were present in Louth in 1659, rather a reading of Pender's census shows 10 examples of Connoly found in Ardee and 15 in Dundalk and their presence cannot be ignored. Their significance can be read somewhat too in the place name Ballymaconnolly in North Louth in the records of the 17th century which only became Ballygoly later.

The name is found frequently in North Louth throughout the centuries under different guises including Connoly, Conly et al. This is shown in the 1663/64 Hearth Money rolls, the corn census where we find also many Connelys and Connalys all along East Louth, within the former Connaile territory which stretched from Dundalk in the north to the river Glyde in the south, and in Griffith's valuation where we see Connolly is more popular even than in Meath where previously O' Congalaig/ Connolly was supposedly of considerable importance.

These recordings, like the cluster of Conally's and Connellys's around Mullingar in the 1659 census suggest an entirely different origin and are in contrast to the O' Connoly of Western Monaghan heavily clustered around Tydavnet, Clones etc. and very seldom found even in the south or east of that county throughout the centuries. And so, both appear unlikely to have any connection to that set in what was 'Irish' Oriel, and there seems to be little chance of any connection with the former princes of Tara apparently scattered having lost their lands in the Anglo-Norman invasion. Those Westmeath Connally's and Connelly's are in similar numbers to those of Louth's two baronies of Dundalke and Atherdee, again in two baronies near Mullingar and may be of that stock.

An interesting point to be made is that the surname Cranley, and at times Cronnelly has been alleged to derive for Cronghall a Connaile chief who styled himself O' Connelly claiming descent from Cu- Uladh a prince in 576, this may be the origin of the names rendered Conaly, Connolly, etc in Louth if not coming from the later Chiefs of Muirthemne- Conglach mac Gairbitha, d. 913 or Congalach mac Meic Etig, d. 988[3][4] As stated it has been suggested that some are kin to the Mac Duinnshléibhe or other clans to the North of Ireland including McCartans and to have resided in Ireland before the Ibero-Celtic Celts. This suggestion is given some credence with the recent genetic DNA discoveries online that there are some Connolly's who match the I haplogroup DNA of these North East Ulster clans as opposed to the r1b DNA of the Monaghan McMahons for example. However many Connolly's and Dunleavys, Maginness', Lavery's etc. also record the r1b so these family's contain both types. [5][6]

[7][8] [9] [10]

See also

External links

References

  1. ↑ http://www.peterspioneers.com/colla.htm
  2. ↑ http://www.peterspioneers.com/colla.htm
  3. ↑ http://www.houseofnames.com/cranley-family-crest
  4. ↑ http://www.jbhall.freeservers.com/1740_corn_census_of_county_louth.htm
  5. ↑ http://clanmaclochlainn.com/1659cen.htm#Lowth
  6. ↑ http://www.worldfamilies.net/surnames/conley/results?raw=1
  7. ↑ http://www.skeatraconnolly.ie/
  8. ↑ http://hal_macgregor.tripod.com/gregor/IrishPicts.html
  9. ↑ http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Op51_Sc_iQwC&pg=PA72&dq=harold+o%27sullivan+dundalk+and+north+louth+connolly&hl=en&sa=X&ei=OBTTUauVFoaN7Ab26oH4Cw&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=harold%20o%27sullivan%20dundalk%20and%20north%20louth%20connolly&f=false
  10. ↑ http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=mZt3oGtk1KgC&pg=PA50&dq=connolly+1659+louth&hl=en&sa=X&ei=RRjTUbrFJ8TG7Abl14D4CA&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=connolly%201659%20louth&f=false