The Moriarty Family

Moriarty family crest

(Crest. No. 249. Plate 44.)

THE Moriarty family is descended from Milesius, King of Spain, through the line of his son Heber. The founder of the family was Cormac, King of Munster, A. D. 483.

The Moriartys belonged to the Eoganacht tribe, founded by Eogan More, or Eogan the Great, son of Olliol Ollum, first absolute King of Munster, A. D. 177, and his consort Sabia, daughter of Con of the Hundred Battles. The ancient name was Moircheart and signifies “Justice.”

The possessions of the Moriartys were located in the present County of Kerry, where they were Chiefs of Aes Asdi of Orlar Eltaigh, a district that comprised the parish of Templenoe, in the barony of Dunkerron.

The name is still numerous in Ireland and the United States. The Hon. Thaddeus Moriarty, the well-known New York merchant, is a descendant of this family.