MacCarthy Mor (No.1) family genealogy

Arms: A stag trippant, attired and unguled or. Crest: A dexter arm in armour ppr. cuffed ar. erect and couped at the wrist, holding in the hand a lizard, both also ppr. Supporters: Two angels ppr. vested ar. habited gu. winged or, each holding in the exterior hand a shield, thereon a human head affronted erased. Motto: Forti et fideli nihil difficile.

FAILBHE FLANN, son of Aodh Dubh, who is No. 94 on the "Line of Heber" (ante), was the ancestor of "MacCarthy Mór." From him the pedigree of the family is as follows:

95. Failbhe Flann (d. A.D. 633): son of Aodh Dubh; was the 16th Christian King of Munster, and reigned 40 years. He had a brother named Fingin,[1] who reigned before him, and who is said by the Munster antiquaries to be the elder; this Fingin was ancestor of O'Sullivan. (See the "Vera-O'Sullivan" pedigree.)

96. Colgan: his son; was the 21st Christian King of Munster, for 13 years. He is styled, in O'Dugan's "Kings of the Race of Heber," Colga McFalvey the Generous Chief.

97. Nathfraoch; his son; King of Munster A.D. 954.

98. Daologach: his son; had two brothers—Faolgursa and Sneaghra.

99. Dungal: his son; from whom are descended the Clann Dunghaile or O'Riordan,[2] who was antiquary to O'Carroll Ely; had a brother Sneidh.

100. Sneidh: son of Dungal. This Sneidh had five brothers—1. Algenan, the 32nd Christian King of Munster; 2. Maolguala, the 33rd King; 3. Foghartach; 4. Edersceol; and 5. Dungus, from all of whom are many families, Maolguala here mentioned had a son named Maolfogartach, who was the 34th Christian King of Munster, who was taken prisoner and stoned to death by the Danes who were then invading Ireland.

101. Artgal: son of Sneidh.

102. Lachtna: his son. This prince lived during the seven years' reign of his kinsman, the celebrated Cormac, King of Munster.

103. Bouchan: his son; left, besides other children, Gormflath, who married Donal, King of the Desii, to whom she bore Mothla O'Felan, who fell at Clontarf.

104. Ceallachan Cashel: his son; was the 42nd Christian King of Munster; reigned ten years; was a great scourge to the Danes, and at length routed them totally out of Munster. In one battle (Knock-Saingal, co. of Limerick) with a single stroke of his battle-axe he cleft the skull of Aulaf, the Danish general, through his heavy brass helmet.

105. Doncha or Duncan: his son; was the first "Prince of Desmond."

106. Saorbhreathach or Justin: his son; had two brothers—1. Foghartach or Maolfoghartach, the 43rd King of Munster after Christianity was planted there; and 2. Murcha, who was ancestor of O'Callaghan of Cloonmeen.

107. Carthach,[3] Prince of Desmond: son of Justin; a quo MacCarthaigh, anglicised MacCarthy, and MacCaura,[4] was a great commander against the Danes; was A.D. 1045, burned to death, with a great number of his kinsmen, in a house in which he had taken shelter after a conflict with some Dalcassian troops, by the son of Lonargan, the grandson of Donchuan who was brother to Brian Boroimhe. It is right to observe that MacCarthy has, in some branches of the family, become Maccartney, McCarthy, McCartie, McCarty, and Carter; and that there was in Ireland an O'Carthaigh family, which was anglicised O'Carthy, and modernized O'Carry, Carte, Cartie, and Carty.

THE MacCARTHYS.

"Come, Clan MacCarthy, honours look for you."—ROMAN VISION.

"The chiefs of Munster, of the fortress of the Shannon,

Are of the seed of Eoghan, the son of Oilliol;

MacCarthagh, the enforcer of the tributes,

Is like a storm-lifted wave lashing the shore."—O'HEERIN.

THE MacCarthys, who were the dominant family in Desmond from the period of the establishment of sirnames, down to the reign of Conn Baccach, Prince of Ulster, when they fell into comparative insignificance, branched from time to time into the following Houses:—The MacCarthys Mór; the Clan Teige Roe; the MacCarthys of Duhallow, called MacDonogh Carties; Clan Donal Fionn; Clan Dermod Oge; MacCarthy na Mona; MacCarthy Clough-Roe; MacCarthy Aglish; MacCarthy Rathduane; MacCarthy Drishane; MacCarthy of Carrignavar; MacCarthy Riabhach; MacCarthy Rabagh; Clan Dermod Reamhar; MacCarthy Duna; MacCarthy Glas; MacCarthy of Muscry; MacCarthy of Springhouse; MacCarthy of Ballynoodie; MacCarthy of Minnesota; etc.

108. Muireadach: son of Carthach; the first who assumed the sirname "MacCarthy;" was lord of Eoghanacht Caisil; born 1011; became ruler of his country in 1045, and d.1092. He had a brother named Teige, who, on the death of said Muireadach succeeded to the crown of Munster, and who d. in 1123, leaving a dau. Sadhbh (Saiv); this lady m. Dermod O'Brien (See "O'Brien Lords Inchiquin" Pedigree, No. 108.) Muireadhach left three sons—1. Cormac, 2. Donogh, and 3. Teige.

109. Cormac Magh-Tamnagh, bishop-King of Caisil: his son; succeeded to the throne on the death of his uncle Teige in 1123. This Prince m. Sadhbh, the widow of Dermod O'Brien, and his uncle Teige's daughter, by whom he had, besides other children, Dermod; Teige who d. s. p.; and Finghin who was called "Lic-Lachtna," and who was killed in 1207. This Cormac, "King of Desmond" and "Bishop of the Kings of Ireland," .... was by treachery killed in his own house by Tirlogh, son of Diarmaid O'Brien, and by Dermod Lugach O'Conor "Kerry." Sometime before this Cormac, the ancient division of South and North Munster (or Desmond and Thomond) was renewed: this family retaining that of Kings of South Munster (or Desmond), and the progeny of Cormac Cas, second son of Olioll Olum, that of North Munster (or Thomond; to which they were trusting during the reigns of fifty Kings of this Sept over all Munster, from Fiacha Maolleathan down to Mahoun, son of Cenneadh, and elder brother of Brian Boromha [Boroo], who was the first of the other Sept that attained to the sovereignty of all Munster; which they kept and maintained always after, and also assumed that of the whole Monarchy of Ireland for the most part of the time up to the Anglo-Norman Invasion, and the submission of Dermod to Henry the Second, King of England.

110. Dermod-Mór-na-Cill-Baghain, Prince of Desmond, and King of Cork, A.D. 1144 to A.D. 1185: his son; was the first of the family that submitted to the Anglo-Norman yoke, A.D. 1172; was b. A.D. 1098; and m. twice, the second wife being a young Anglo-Norman lady named Petronilla de Bleete (or Bloet), "dame issue d'une noble famille d'Angleterre," with whom the family of Stack came to Ireland, and through whose influence they obtained from Dermod MacCarthy extensive possessions in the county of Kerry. Dermod was 75 years old when he contracted this second marriage.

By his submission to the English King, Dermod alienated the affections of his subjects (or clansmen), and his own children even rose against him. Cormac Liathanach, his eldest son, was proclaimed King of Munster, by the constitutional party of his people, and collected a numerous force for the expulsion of the strangers with whom his degenerate father was in alliance.

Dermod was taken prisoner and put into confinement so as to place him beyond the possibility of rendering any assistance to the Anglo-Normans who invaded Desmond. Cormac was murdered in 1177, by Conor and Cathal O'Donoghue for the killing of Maccraith O'Sullivan; his father was released, and slaughtered all those who questioned his authority and who would not submit to him; in this murdering he was aided by Raymond le Gros, to whom, in consideration of such services, he granted the whole country forming the now barony of ClanMaurice in the county of Kerry. According to the then established law of Ireland the Chief of any tribe had it not in his power to alienate any portion of the tribe lands, so Dermod was legally guilty of treason against the Constitution, and of the robbery of his people. This Raymond le Gros had a son, Maurice, from whom his descendants have been named Fitzmaurice, the head of which family is at present called "Marquis of Lansdowne." This Dermod was slain in 1185 near the City of Cork, by Theobald Fitzvvalter (Butler), and the English of that place, whilst holding a conference with them:—

"And thus did he pay for his error in woe,

His life to the Butler, his crown to the foe."

Dermod had five sons—1. Cormac, above mentioned, whose descendants are given in the Carew Collections of MSS., from 1180 to 1600; 2. Donal, who succeeded him; 3. Muircheartach, who was slain by the O'Driscolls, in 1179; 4. Teige Roe na-Scairte ("na-scairte:" Irish, of the bushes, and a quo Skerrett), from whom are descended the Clan Teige Roe; and 5. Finin, a future Prince of Desmond, who, in 1208, was slain by his nephews.

111. Donal Mór na-Curra [5] ("na curra": Irish, of the planting; "cur": Irish, a sowing; Heb., "cur," to dig), Prince of Desmond from 1185 to 1205: his son. Born 1138. Donal defeated the Anglo-Normans in Munster, and drove them out of Limerick, in 1196; and again, in 1203, he defeated them when upwards of one hundred and sixty of these free-booters were slain. He left three sons, viz.: 1. Dermod of Dun-Droghian, who d. in 1217, leaving two sons, Teige and Finin, who were killed by their uncles—Teige in 1257, and Finin in 1235; 2. Cormac Fionn; and 8. Donal Oge, alias Donal Goth [6] ("goth": Irish, straight), who was lord of Carbery, and ancestor of MacCarthy Glas, and MacCarthy Riabhach. From this Donal Mór the word "Mór" (or Great) was added to the sirname of the elder branch of this family, to distinguish them from the younger branches spread from this ancient stock.

112. Cormac Fionn: his son; born A.D. 1170. This prince founded the Abbey of Tracton, near Kinsale. He was earnestly solicited by the English King Henry III. to aid him in his Scottish wars. He died in 1242, and left six sons—1: Donal Roe, of whom below; 2. Donn, of Inis-Droighan, who was ancestor of MacCarthy of Acha-rassy; 3. Dermod, who was the ancestor of MacDonough, and the MacCarthys, of Duhallow; 4. Donal Fionn, who was the ancestor of the MacCarthys called "Clann Donal Fionn," of Evenaliah; 5. Doncha-an-Drumin (or Doncha the Drummer), who was the ancestor of MacDonnell of Barrotto, and a quo O'Druim, anglicised Drum, Drumin, and Drummond; and 6. Donoch Cairtneach, a quo the Viscounts MacCartney, barons of Lisanoure. This Donoch, who became King of Desmond, left two sons: 1. Donal, who joined Edward the Brace in his invasion of Ireland, and afterwards served under the standard of his brother, Robert King of Scotland, from whom he obtained a grant of lands in Argylshire, whence some of his descendants removed into Galloway, out of which a branch of the family removed into the county of Antrim, where it received a title from the English government, in the person of George Macartney, who, in 1776 was created Viscount Macartney and Baron of Lisanoure; the second son of Donoch was Teige of Dun Mac Tomain, who had a daughter Sadhbh (anglicé "Sarah"), who married Turlogh O'Brien, Prince of Thomond, who is No. 109 on the "O'Brien of Thomond" pedigree. This Cormac had a dau. Catherine, m. to Murtogh Mór O'Sullivan Mór.

113. Donal Roe MacCarthy Mór, Prince of Desmond: his son, b. 1239; d. 1302; he m. Margaret, the dau. of Nicholas Fitzmaurice, third lord of Kerry, by his wife Slaine, the dau. of O'Brien, prince of Thomond. He left, besides other children—Donal Oge; and Dermod Oge, of Tralee, who was slain in 1325 at Tralee, by his own cousin, Maurice Fitz-Nicholas Fitz-Maurice, 4th lord of Kerry; this Dermod Oge was ancestor of the MacFinghin Carthys of Cetherne and Gleneroughty, who was in 1880 represented by Randal Mac Finghin Mór—the Very Rev. Dr. MacCarthy, then Catholic Bishop of Kerry.

114. Donal Oge MacCarthy Mór: son of Donal Roe; b. 1239, d. 1307. This prince entered Carbery in A.D. 1306, and took his father's cousin-german, Donal Maol MacCarthy, prisoner; he released him soon afterwards, however, and in the close of the same year, both princes led their united forces against the Anglo-Normans, in Desmond. He left a daughter, Orflaith, who m. Turlogh Mór O'Brien, who is No. 114 on the "O'Brien of Thomond" pedigree.

115. Cormac MacCarthy Mór, Prince of Desmond: his son; b. 1271; d. 1359. This Prince m. Honoria, the dau. of Maurice FitzMaurice, 6th lord of Kerry, by his wife Elizabeth Condon, and had issue:—1. Donal; 2. Dermod Mór, created "Lord of Muscry," in 1353, and who was the ancestor of Mac Carthy, lords of Muscry (or Muskerry) and Earls of Clancarty; 3. Feach (or Fiacha), ancestor of MacCarthy of Maing; 4. Donoch, ancestor of MacCarthy of Ardcanaghty; 5. Finghin (or Florence); 6. Eoghan; 7. Donal Buidhe (pr. bhwee); 8. Teige of Leamhain; and a daughter Catherine, m. to O'Sullivan Mór.

116. Donal MacCarthy Mór, Prince of Desmond: his son; b. 1303, d. 1371. He m. Joanna, the dau. of Maurice Oge Fitzgerald, 4th earl of Kildare (d. 1391); and left issue:—1. Teige; and 2. Donal, who d. s. p., in 1409. This Donal's wife Joanna, was usually styled the "Countess of Desmond."

117. Teige na Manistreach ("na manistreach": Irish, of the Monastery): his son; b. 1340; d. 1413, in the City of Cork, and was interred there in the Franciscan Monastery, which he richly endowed.

118. Donal an Daimh ("an daimh": Irish, the poet): his son; b. 1373. This distinguished prince rebuilt the Franciscan abbey of Irrelagh or Muckross, on the borders of Lough Lene, the foundation of his ancestor, Cormac MacCarthy Mór, and dedicated it to the Holy Trinity. He died at an advanced age, leaving, besides other children, Eleanor (Nell), who m. Geoffrey O'Donoghue, chief of Glenflesk.

119. Teige-Liath: his son; born, 1407. He was slain in a battle between his own forces and those of the Earl of Desmond, in 1490.

120. Cormac Ladhrach: his son; b. 1440; d. 1516. This prince m. Eleanor, the dau. of Edmond Fitzmaurice, 9th lord of Kerry, by his wife, Móra, the dau. of O'Connor-Kerry.

121. Donal an Drumin: his son; b. 1481. This prince concluded a peace in 15— with Leonard Grey, Lord deputy of Ireland, into whose hands he delivered Teige and Dermod O'Mahony, his kinsmen, as hostages for his future fealty. He left issue:—1. Donal; 2. Teige, whose dau. Catherine, m. Thomas Fitzmaurice, lord of Kerry; 3. Catherine, who m. Finghin Mac-Carthy Reagh; and 4. Honoria, the 4th wife of James Fitzgerald, 15th Earl of Desmond.

122. Donal MacCarthy Mór: his son; b. 1518, d. 1596. This prince m. Honoria, the dau. of his brother-in-law, James, Earl of Desmond. He was, in 1565, created by Queen Elizabeth, Earl of Clancare (or Glencare), in the "Kingdom of Kerry," and Viscount of Valentia in the same county. Glencare or Clancare is a corrupted form of "Clan Carthy"—the English Court at that time being ignorant of the language or usages of the Irish. In 1568, this Donal was looked upon by his countrymen as "King of Munster." The "honours" heaped on him by the "virgin queen" expired with him, as he left no male legitimate issue. He left an illegitimate son, Donal, who proclaimed himself "The MacCarthy Mór," but did not succeed in his designs. His only legitimate child, the Princess Elana, married the celebrated Finghin MacCarthy. At A.D. 1596 the Four Masters say of this Donal:—

"MacCarthy Mór died, namely Donal, son of Donal, son of Cormac Ladhrach, son of Teige; and although he was called MacCarthy Mór, he had been honourably created earl (of Clancare in Cork), before that time, by command of the sovereign of England; he left no male heir after him, who would be appointed his successor; and only one daughter (Elana or Ellen), who became the wife of the son of MacCarthy Riabhach, namely Fingin or Florence, and all were of opinion that he was heir to that MacCarthy, who died, namely Donal."

123. Elana: dau. and heiress of Donal The MacCarthy Mór, Prince of Desmond; m. in 1588 Fingin (or Florence) MacCarthy Riabhach ("riabhach;" Irish, brindled, swarthy), Prince of Carbery and a quo Rea, Ray, and Wray, and had issue:—1. Teige who d. s. p., in the Tower of London; 2. Donal; 3. Florence;[7] and 4. Cormac. This Florence, the husband of Elana, and son of Sir Donogh MacCarthy Riabhach, was b. in Carbery, 1579, d, in London, Dec. 18th, 1640; his burial is thus registered in St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, London:—

"MARKARKEY,

Decr. 18, 1640,

Dms. Hibernicus."

He was twice in captivity in London: the first period lasted eleven years and a few months; his second lasted thirty-nine years. His first offence was marrying an Irish Princess without Queen Elizabeth's permission; his second was "for reasons of state;" in neither case was he brought to trial. In 1600, in The O'Neill's camp at Inniscarra, near Cork, Florence was solemnly created The MacCarthy Mór, with all the rites and ceremonies of his family for hundreds of generations; which title and dignity was formally approved of by Aodh (or Hugh) O'Neill, the then virtual Ard Righ, or Ruler of the Irish in Ireland.[8]

124. Donal: [9] son of Elana and Fingin; m. Sarah, the dau. of Randal McDonnell, earl of Antrim, and widow of Nial Oge O'Neill of Killelah, and of Sir Charles O'Connor Sligo. Issue—two sons—1. Florence, who m. Elinor, dau. of John Fitzgerald, Knight of Kerry, and died without issue; and 2. Cormac.

125. Cormac MacCarthy Mór: son of Cormac; m. Honoria, dau. of John, Lord of Brittas; and was a Colonel in the army of King James II.

126. Fingin (or Florence) MacCarthy Mór: his son; m. Mary, dau. of Charles MacCarthy of Cloghroe. Issue: — 1. Randal; 2. Cormac; 3. Donal; 4. Eliza; and 5. Anne. This (1) Randal, conformed to the late Established Church in Ireland; m. Agnes, eldest dau. of Edward Herbert, of Muckross, by Frances Browne, young st dau. of Nicholas, the second lord and sister to Valentine the third lord Kenmare. Issue:—1. Charles (d. s. p. 1770), who was called The Last MacCarthy Mór, and was an officer in the Guards; 2. a dau. Elizabeth, m. to Geoffrey O'Donoghue of the Glen.

127. Cormac: the second son of Fingin; lived along the Blackwater, and at Cork; married Dela, the dau. and heiress of Joseph Welply (or Guelph), who emigrated from Wales, and settled in Cork, possessing a tract of land between the North and South Channel, with other portions of the confiscated estates of the Muscry MacCarthys, which were purchased for him. Cormac succeeded to Welply's possessions, assumed the name of his father-in-law, and was generally called "Welply MacCarthy," He died about 1761. Issue:—John, Dela, Samuel, and James.

128. John MacCarthy Mór (alias Welply): son of Cormac; married Elizabeth Minheer, by whom he had issue three sons, and eight daughters. The sons were—1. William, who is 129 on this pedigree; 2. John,[10] of Bengour, parish of Murragh, co. Cork, who married a Miss Norwood; 3. Joseph, who died unmarried. Of the daughters, one was married to Alderman Sparks; one to Alderman Penlerrick, of Cork, one to—Baldwin, of Ballyvorney; one (Abigail, who d. 20th Sept., 1722) to John Nash (d. 1725), of Brinney, near Bandon; one to Sir John Crowe; one to—Bellsang of Bandon; and another to Walter Philips of Mossgrove, Kilnalmeaky.

129. William:[11] son of John MacCarthy Mór (alias "Welply"), The MacCarthy Mór; m. Anne Harris of Bandon. On the death of his parents, in Cork, he removed to one of his possessions called Crahallah, barony of Muscry, and subsequently to Lower Bellmount, parish of Moviddy, where, in 1833, he died aged 91 years, divested of nearly all his property; his wife died in 1836, aged 81 years; both buried at St. Helen's, Moviddy. Issue, three sons and six daughters:—I. John (No. 130 on this stem); II. Marmaduke; III. William; IV. Elizabeth V. Mary; VI. Jane; VII. Catherine; VIII. Anne; and IX. Sadhbh (or Sarah).

(II.) Marmaduke: second son of William; m. Jane Uncles of Carbery, resided in Cork city, and d. s. p.; interred at Moviddy.

(III.) William of Crookstown: third son of William; m. twice; 1st, to Ellen, dau. of John and Joanna Holland his wife; 2ndly, to Ellen Collins of Mitchelstown (d. Feb., 1873). Issue only by 1st wife:—1. Annie, b. 15th March, 1833, m. 4th March, 1850, to John Spence, has two sons, and six daus., some of them married, they reside in London, Canada West, North America. 2. Elizabeth-Jane; second daughter of William; b. 12th April, 1835, m. 10th June, 1860, at St. Luke's Church, Chelsea, London, to James Howell. Issue:—three children—1. James-Philip-Edward, b. 24th June, 1861; 2. Arthur-William, b. 22nd Feb., 1864; and 3. Elizabeth Ellen (Bessie), b. March 8th, 1866. James Howell, d. 21st Feb., 1870, and this Elizabeth-Jane, m. secondly James Lidbetter, of Buckland, near Hastings, Sussex, August 13th, 1877, at St. Peter's Church, Pimlico, London; he died s. p. May 11th, 1881, buried at Fulham Cemetery. This Elizabeth-Jane and her three children are alive in London in 1887. 3. Mary Anne; third dau. of William; b. Nov. 11th, 1842, m. Feb. 9th, 1862, Joseph Topley, at St. Philip's Church, Kensington, London. Issue:—One dau., Elizabeth-Jane, b. August 13th, 1864, d. Jan. 24th, 1874. Joseph Topley d. Jan. 3rd, 1871. This Mary-Anne m. secondly to Richard Cole of Nighton, Radnorshire, at St. Paul's Church, Hammersmith, Feb. 4th, 1873. Issue:—One son—Charles Alfred, b. April 7th, 1874. This Richard Cole d. July 28th, 1874. Mrs. Cole and her son are living at Old Brentford, Middlesex, in 1887. William ("Welply") MacCarthy Mór; died May 12th, 1873, aged 73 years, and was buried at Hammersmith cemetery.

(IV.) Elizabeth, m. twice; 1st, to George Good (or O'Guda), of Reen, parish of Murragh, co. Cork; issue extinct, the last being Anne of Crooks-town, d. 5th Nov., 1881, and buried at Moviddy. This Elizabeth m. 2ndly, to John Payne, only son of Thomas Payne,[12] of Garryhankard, near Bandon: surviving issue being Jane-Elizabeth, m. John Curran of Coothill, who was subsequently teacher in Fermoy College, more lately Manager of the Turkish Baths of Bray, and lastly of Lincoln Place Baths, Dublin, where he d, in 1886, leaving no issue; this Jane-Elizabeth lives (1887) at Rath-core Rectory, Enfield, co. Meath.

(V.) Mary, m. William Rose, of Ballincollig, near Cork, both d., leaving issue: Alexander, and Mary: Alexander (d. 1879), m. twice: 1st, to a Miss Lee, by whom he had a numerous issue; by his 2nd wife, Miss Kelleher, he had no issue: Mary, m, Cornelius Sporle, of Essex, England; only surviving issue is Louisa, m. to Joseph Rainsbury.

(VI.) Jane, m. Richard, son of Walter De Val (or Wall) of Lower Bellmount; d. leaving an only dau. Jane-Anne, who m. Robert O'Neill, alias, "Payne,"—See the "O'Neill" Prince of Tyrone pedigree, No. 133.

(VII.) Catherine d. unm.

(VIII.) Anne, m. Michael Cunningham, of Bantry, subsequently of Lower Bellmount:—Issue —1. Michael, who m. three times: 1st, to Mary Lynch, 2nd to Mary Healy, and 3rd to Mary Broe; issue by the first marriage extinct; by the 2nd marriage he had: 1. John (in Boston), m. and has issue; (2.) Maria (d.), m. a Mr. Kelly. Issue:—Annie, Frederick, Cecilia; 3. Annie (d), m. a Mr. Graham. Issue:—Arthur-John-George; 4. Marmaduke, d. an infant; 5. Patrick (in Boston), unm. in 1887; 6. Nora (in Chicago), unm. in 1887; issue by the 3rd marriage —7. Nelly (or Eleanor), b. 3rd Sept., 1865; 8. Edward, b. 8th June, 1876; 9. Sadhbh (or Sarah) d. an infant; and 10. Alexander, b. 12th Dec., 1871; these three with their mother live at Lr. Bellmount, 1887. 2. William, the second son of Anne, m. a Miss Jeffers, of Waterford; lives (1887) in Dublin, and has issue. 3. Daniel, the third son of Anne, lives in England. 4. Margaret, d. unm.

IX. Sadhbb (or Sarah), m. Richard Swords, of Bandon; lived and died in Cork; buried at St. Finn Barr's. Issue—William, Robert, Edward, Joseph, Mary-Anne, Sarah, Elizabeth, and Jane; Richard Swords, d. in Cork; Mary-Anne (1887) lives in Cork; the others reside in Washington, U.S. America.

130. John: eldest son of William; m. Anne O'Crowly, of Kilbarry, barony of Muskerry; d. leaving issue—I. John; of whom presently; II. Joseph; III. Duke; IV. Margaret; V. Anne. II. Joseph, is unm. III. Duke has been a Captain in the U.S. Army; resides at Oxford, Ohio, U.S.A., and is married. IV. Margaret, m. and d. leaving a dau. Maggie. V. Anne, m. Thomas Walsh, of Kilmurry; alive in Cincinnatti, 1886, no issue.

131. John MacCarthy Mór,[13] alias "Welply:" his son; m. a Miss Lane a native of Moss Grove Commons, co. Cork, and emigrated to America about forty-six years ago; living in Cincinnatti in 1887; has six surviving children.

Notes

[1] Fingin: According to O'Dugan and O'Heerin, who lived in the 14th century. we find that Fingin was the elder son. He was elected joint King of Munster, with Cairbre, upon the death of Amalgaidh and in the lifetime of Failbhe. His name also appears on the Regal Roll before that of his brother; and he represented his native province in the Assembly at Dromceat (the Mullogh, in Roe Park, near Limavady, in co. Derry), convened by Hugh, Monarch of Ireland, and honoured by the presence of St. Columbcille.

The MacCarthys owned the prominent position which they held in Desmond at the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion not to primogeniture, but to the disturbed state of the province during the Danish wars, in which their immediate ancestors took an active and praiseworthy part; to the impartial exercise of the authority enjoyed by those ancestors by usurpation and tanistic right; the possession of that authority at an eventful period, namely the arrival in Ireland of Henry II., by whom MacCarthy, upon his submission, was acknowledged as King of Desmond; and the prostrate condition to which the Danish wars had brought the collateral branches of the family, who had, at least, an equal claim on the allegiance of the inhabitants of South Munster. O'Sullivan Mór always presided at meetings of the Munster chiefs, even when MacCarthy attended; and it was he whose voice made MacCarthy—"THE MACCARTHY MÓR."

[2] O'Riordan: This name has by some of the family been lately render Ritherdan.

[3] Carthach: This word may be derived from cartha or carrthadh, a pillar; or from cathrach, the gen. case of cathair, a city. In the latter case the word carthach would imply that this Prince of Desmond was "the founder of a city."—See Note "Carthage,"p. 31.

[4] MacCaura: The following Stanzas respecting the Clan of MacCarthy or MacCaura are here given, as the author's tribute of respect to the memory of the late lamented D. F. MacCarthy, one of the sweetest of Ireland's poets:

THE CLAN OF MACCAURA.

By Denis Florence MacCarthy.

I.

Oh! bright are the names of the chieftains and sages,

That shine like the stars through the darkness of ages,

Whose deeds are inscribed on the pages of story,

There for ever to live in the sunshine of glory—

Heroes of history, phantoms of fable,

Charlemagne's champions, and Arthur's Round Table—

Oh! but they all a new lustre could borrow

From the glory that hangs round the name of MacCaura!

II.

Thy waves, Manzaneres, wash many a shrine,

And proud are the castles that frown o'er the Rhine,

And stately the mansions whose pinnacles glance

Through the elms of old England and vineyards of France

Many have fallen, and many will fall—

Good men and brave men have dwelt in them all—

But as good and as brave men, in gladness and sorrow,

Have dwelt in the halls of the princely MacCaura.

III.

Montmorency, Medina, unheard was thy rank

By the dark-eyed Iberian and light-hearted Frank,

And your ancestors wandered, obscure and unknown,

By the smooth Guadalquiver, and sunny Garonne—

Ere Venice had wedded the sea, or enrolled

The name of a Doge in her proud "Book of Gold;"

When her glory was all to come on like the morrow,

There were chieftains and kings of the clan of MacCaura!

IV.

Proud should thy heart beat, descendant of Heber,

Lofty thy head as the shrines of the Guebre.

Like them are the halls of thy forefathers shattered,

Like theirs is the wealth of thy palaces scattered.

Their fire is extinguished—your flag long unfurled—

But how proud were you both in the dawn of the world!

And should both fade away, oh! what heart would not sorrow

O'er the towers of the Guebre—the name of MacCaura!

V.

What a moment of glory to cherish and dream on,

When far o'er the sea came the ships of Heremon,

With Heber, and Ir, and the Spanish patricians,

To free Inis-Fail from the spells of magicians!

Oh! reason had these for their quaking and pallor,

For what magic can equal the strong sword of valour?

Better than spells are the axe and the arrow,

When wielded or flung by the hand of MacCaura.

VI.

From that hour a MacCaura had reigned in his pride

O'er Desmond's green valleys and rivers so wide,

From thy waters, Lismore, to the torrents and rills

That are leaping for ever down Brandon's brown hills;

The billows of Bantry, the meadows of Bere,

The wilds of Evaugh, and the groves of Glencare—

From the Shannon's soft shores to the banks of the Barrow—

All owned the proud sway of the princely MacCaura!

VII.

In the house of Miodhchuart, by princes surrounded,

How noble his step when the trumpet was sounded,

And his clansmen bore proudly his broad shield before him

And hung it on high in that bright palace o'er him;

On the left of the Monarch the chieftain was seated,

And happy was he whom his proud glances greeted,

'Mid monarchs and chiefs at the great Feis of Tara

Oh! none was to rival the princely MacCaura!

VIII.

To the halls of the Red Branch, when conquest was o'er,

The champions their rich spoils of victory bore,

And the sword of the Briton, the shield of the Dane,

Flashed bright as the sun on the walls of Eamhain—

There Dathy and Niall bore trophies of war,

From the peaks of the Alps and the waves of the Loire

But no Knight ever bore from the hills of Iveragh

The breast-plate or axe of a conquered MacCaura!

IX.

In chasing the red-deer what step was the fleetest,

In singing the love-song what voice was the sweetest—

What breast was the foremost in courting the danger—

What door was the widest to shelter the stranger—

In friendship the truest, in battle the bravest,

In revel the gayest, in council the gravest—

A hunter to-day, and a victor to-morrow?

Oh! who, but a chief of the princely MacCaura!

X.

But oh! proud MacCaura, what anguish to touch on

That one fatal stain of thy princely escutcheon—

In thy story's bright garden the one spot of bleakness—

Through ages of valour the one hour of weakness!

Thou, the heir of a thousand chiefs sceptred and royal—

Thou, to kneel to the Norman and swear to be loyal—

Oh! a long night of horror and outrage and sorrow

Have we wept for thy treason, base Diarmuid MacCaura!

XI.

O! why, ere you thus to the foreigner pander'd,

Did you not bravely call round your Emerald standard

The chiefs of your house of Lough Lene and Clan Awley,

O'Donogh, MacPatrick, O'Driscoll, MacAuley,

O'Sullivan Mór, from the towers of Dunkerron,

And O'Mahon, the chieftain of green Ardinteran?

As the sling sends the stone, or the bent-bow the arrow,

Every chief would have come at the call of MacCaura!

XII.

Soon, soon, didst thou pay for that error, in woe—

Thy life to the Butler—thy crown to the foe—

Thy castles dismantled and strewn on the sod—

And the homes of the weak, and the abbeys of God!

No more in thy halls is the wayfarer fed—

Nor the rich mead sent round, nor the soft heather spread—

Nor the clairseach's sweet notes—now in mirth, now in sorrow—

All, all have gone by but the name of MacCaura!

XIII.

MacCaura, the pride of thy house is gone by,

But its name cannot fade, and its fame cannot die—

Though the Arigideen, with its silver waves shine

Around no green forests or castles of thine—

Though the shrines that you founded no incense can hallow—

Nor hymns float in peace down the echoing Allo—

One treasure thou keepest—one hope for the morrow—

True hearts yet beat of the clan of MacCaura!

[5] Donal Mór na-Curra: From whom is derived the title MacCarthy Mór. It may be here observed that, according to Windele, the MacCarthy Mór was inaugurated at Lisban-na-Cahir, in Kerry; at which ceremony presided O'Sullivan Mór and O'Donoghoe Mór. His Captains of war were the O'Rourkes, probably a branch of the O'Rourkes, princes of Brefney; the MacEgans were his hereditary Brehons (or Judges): and the O'Dalys and O'Duinins were his hereditary poets and antiquaries.

[6] Goth: Some descendants of this Donall Goth have called themselves Gott.

[7] Florence: This Florence, the third son of Elana and Fingin, married Mary, dau. of O'Donovan, and had issue—Donogh (or Denis). This Donogh m. Margaret Finch, "an English lady of distinction," and by her had two sons, viz: 1. Florence, his eldest son, who followed James II. to France, and was there father (of other children as well as) of Charles MacCarthy, living in 1764, and then in the French service; and 2. Justin, his second son, who remained at Castlelough: and by his second wife Catherine Hussey, dau. of Colonel Maurice Hussey, of Cahirnane, said Donogh had Randal of Castlelough, who sold his estate to Crosbie in the reign of Geo. II. Randal had several sons who became very poor; and some of his descendants are now living.

[8] See Life and Letters of Florence MacCarthy Mór, by Daniel MacCarthy Glas (London: Longmans, Green, Reader and Dyer; Dublin: Hodges and Smith).

[9] Donal: This Donal succeeded as MacCarthy Mór, and he inherited nearly all of his grandfather Donal's estates; together with those of his father Finin, in Carbery. In Munster this Donal and his brothers were still styled "THE ROYAL FAMILY."

[10] John: This John of Bengour had by his wife, amongst other children, Samuel (d. 1885) of Kilronan, near Dunmanway. The distinguished J. J. Welply, Esq., M.D., Bandon, co. Cork, is (1887) son to this Samuel; he is m. to Miss Jagoe, and has issue.

[11] William: Old Sam Welply of Macroom was a brother's son of this William. This Sam had four sons and three daughters. The sons were James, Daniel, John, Sam. James was married to Mary Collins, sister of Bishop Collins, of Limerick; Daniel was married to a Miss Fegan. Samuel was married to Dorcas, daughter of Major Crowe, of Limerick. John's wife was a Miss Richardson, sister-in-law of the Rev. Simon Davis, Rector of Macroom, and aunt of William Hutchinson Massey, of Mount Massey, Macroom. Of the three Miss Welplys, two were married to two first cousins—Patrick, and Charles Riordan, of Macroom; and the third to a Mr. Hennessy, of Mill Street.

Another cousin to No. 129, also named William, lived at Prohurus, near Macroom, and was married to a Miss Scriviner, from Kerry. Of their children, Henry, the eldest, was married to a Miss Slattery, of Thurles; Ellen, to a Mr. White, of Thurles; Anne, to Mr. Lynch of Kilmurry, Barony of Muskerry; Jane, to the late James Baldwin, of Macroom; Eliza, to a Mr. Murphy, of Macroom; and Samuel, to a Miss D'Esmond, of Cork.

One of these Mrs. Riordans, had two daughters—Mary Anne, and Catherine; Mary Anne married a Mr. Feely, Bank Manager in Tramore, co. Waterford, and had a son Maurice, a Barrister-at-Law; Catherine married her cousin, Daniel O'Connell Riordan, Q.C. This Catherine died in June, 1879.

[12] Payne: Thomas Payne was married to Rebecca, daughter of the Rev. Mr. Harrison, of Limerick, and Rector of Kilbrogan, Bandon. This Thomas had a brother named George, who had issue two sons. The late Rev. Somers Payne, of Upton, was this Thomas Payne's uncle's son. The Rev. Somers Payne's mother was sister of John and Henry Shears, Merchants, in the City of Cork, who perished on the scaffold for alleged "high treason" at the opening of the present century.

This family of "Payne" is, we understand, now represented by John-Warren Payne, Esq.. J.P., Beach House, Bantry; James Henry Payne, Esq., J.P., Beachmount, Upton; and the Rev. Somers H. Payne (Vicar Gen., Killaloe), Upton. A few others reside in parts of West Cork, and in Bandon, as farmers and shop-keepers. About forty years ago Richard, son of John, son of Thomas Payne, emigrated, and now lives in Cincinnatti, Ohio, U. S. America.

The ancestors of the gentlemen here alluded to were natives of the south-east of England; and, as early as A.D. 1400, settled in Ireland. "Seon Pauint" (John Payne), was bishop of Meath in 1500. On the confiscation of the lands of The O'Mahony and MacCarthy Riabach, portions were purchased by the ancestors of this family. The head of the name is Sir Coventry Payne, Bart., Wootton House, Essex, England. There are various gentlemen of the name in the south of England, and in London.

[13] MacCarthy Mór: There is now (1887) in Hanley, Staffordshire, England, a Mr. MacCarthy, a Wine Merchant, who claims to be the lineal descendant of "The MacCarthy Mór;" he is the son of Thomas, son of Justin, son of Donall, but we regret that we are at present unable to trace the lineage back any farther.

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