Ó Cléirigh

O'Cleary
Ó Cléirigh
Parent house Uí Fiachrach Aidhne
Country Kingdom of Connacht
Ethnicity Irish, Scottish
Founder Cleireach mac Ceadach
Final ruler Mhic Mac Comhaltan Ua Cleirigh
Titles
Cadet branches Coulton
Kilkelly
Hynes

O'Cleary (Irish: Ó Cléirigh) is the surname of a learned Gaelic Irish family whose members appear in historical records dating to the mid-Medieval Period. The O'Clearys were descended from the Connachta's Uí Fiachrach kindred and had been rulers of Uí Fiachrach Aidhne, a kingdom in what is now the south of County Galway. The name of the family means descendent or son of the cleric.

The family were subsequently expelled from their land by their cousins, the Clan Ó Seachnasaigh (O'Shaughnessy). From the early 11th or 12th century, they were based in Tír Chonaill, located in modern-day County Donegal, where they served as poet-historians, scribes and secretaries to the O'Donnell dynasty of Tyrconnell. They authored the Ó Cléirigh Book of Genealogies. The clan Cleary and its branches also appeared in Scotland (sometimes known as McCleary), due to the historical connection and exchange between the two countries, much like the Campbells.

Naming conventions

The name has been Anglicised variously as O'Clery, Cleary, Clark, Clarke and Clarkson.

Male Daughter Wife (Long) Wife (Short)
Ó Clérigh[1] Ní Chlérigh Bean Uí Chlérigh Uí Chlérigh

People

Notable members of the clan included:

Ó Cléirigh

O'Clery

Cleary

Clarke

Other institutions

See also

References

  1. "Ó Clérigh". Sloinne. 5 December 2015.

Bibliography

  • Oxford Concise Companion to Irish Literature, Robert Walsh, 1996. ISBN 0-19-280080-9
  • Mícheál Ó Cléirigh, His Associates and St Anthony's College Louvain, Nollaig Ó Muraíle (editor), Four Courts Press, Dublin, 2007. ISBN 978-1-84682-082-3
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