Home › Irish Surnames › O'Flaherty

Irish surname

O'Flaherty: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Flaithbheartaigh · 'descendant of Flaithbheartach' (bright ruler)

Woulfe (1923) gives O'Flaherty and Flaherty as anglicised forms of Ó Flaithbheartaigh, 'descendant of Flaithbheartach' (bright ruler), a Connacht family originally seated on the east side of Lough Corrib who, after being expelled by the English in the 13th century, obtained extensive possessions in the barony of Moycullen and were styled lords of Iar-Connacht. Separately, O'Donovan's translation of the Four Masters calls O'Flahertys 'lord of West Connaught' as early as 1079. The historian Roderic O'Flaherty, author of the Ogygia, was born at Moycullen Castle in 1629 (Webb).

Shop O'Flaherty crest giftsRead the history
Coat of arms associated with the O'Flaherty surname
Irish formÓ Flaithbheartaigh
Meaning'descendant of Flaithbheartach' (bright ruler)
CountiesGalway, Kerry
Other spellings4

Origin of the O'Flaherty name

Woulfe: a Connacht family, originally chiefs of Muinntear Mhurchadha (Muntermorroghoe), east of Lough Corrib in the barony of Clare, Co. Galway; expelled by the English in the 13th century, they settled across Lough Corrib in the barony of Moycullen and were styled lords of Iar-Connacht. A Thomond family of the name was 'of an entirely different stock'.[1]

  1. 1079Aedh Ua Flaithbheartaigh, lord of West Connaught, slain (Four Masters).[8]
  2. 1178Hugh O'Flaherty, Lord of West Connaught, died at Annadown (Four Masters).[9]
  3. 1241Murtough O'Flaherty, Bishop of Annadown, died (Four Masters).[10]
  4. 1652Roderic O'Flaherty included in the general Cromwellian proscription (Webb).[11]
  5. 1690'O FLAHERTY' appears in Sir James Terry's list of Irish septs.[6]
  6. 189088 Flaherty entries, 47 in Galway, 16 Kerry; separately 16 spelled O'Flaherty.[3][4][7]

Where in Ireland

Co. GalwayMuntermorroghoe, barony of Clare, Co. Galway (Woulfe); 47 Flaherty entries in Galway in 1890.[1][3]
Co. Kerry16 Flaherty birth entries were in Kerry in the 1890 birth indexes.[3]

Notable people named O'Flaherty

Roderic O'Flaherty1629–1718Historian and antiquary born at Moycullen Castle, Galway; author of the Ogygia and A Description of West Connaught (Webb).[11]
Hugh O'Flahertyd. 1178Recorded by the Four Masters as Lord of West Connaught; died at Annadown.[9]

Other spellings

Flaherty · O Flagherty · Flagherty · Flaverty[1][5]

The O'Flaherty coat of arms

'O FLAHERTY' is printed in the 'List of Names of Irish Septs as given in the Book of Arms, compiled by Sir James Terry, Athlone Herald (1690)', as reproduced by Matheson. The list gives sept names only; it does not describe any arms, and it does not mean that everyone named O'Flaherty is entitled to a coat of arms.[6]

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the O'Flaherty surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

O'Flaherty crest gifts

Clan Flaherty Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap XK67 Flaherty Coat Of Arms Irish Cap Flaherty Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap£26.00Clan Oflaherty Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap DI63 Oflaherty Coat Of Arms Irish Cap Oflaherty Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap£26.00Clan Oflaherty Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapRE74 Classic Cap - Oflaherty Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Oflaherty Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00Clan Flaherty Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapFL99 Classic Cap - Flaherty Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Flaherty Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00

O'Flaherty surname: questions

What does the surname O'Flaherty mean?

Woulfe gives O'Flaherty as a form of Ó Flaithbheartaigh, 'descendant of Flaithbheartach', a personal name he glosses as 'bright ruler'.[1]

Where in Ireland is the O'Flaherty name from?

Woulfe places the Connacht family first east of Lough Corrib in the barony of Clare, Co. Galway, and later in the barony of Moycullen, where they were styled lords of Iar-Connacht. In 1890, 47 of the 88 Flaherty births were in Galway and 16 in Kerry.[1][3]

Is Flaherty the same name as O'Flaherty?

Woulfe lists both O'Flaherty and Flaherty as anglicised forms of Ó Flaithbheartaigh. He also notes that the Galway name Ó Fathartaigh (Faherty) is 'sometimes disguised under the anglicised form of Flaherty', so he gives two different Irish names behind the spelling Flaherty.[1][2]

Who was Roderic O'Flaherty?

Webb describes him as a historian and antiquary, born at Moycullen Castle, Galway, in 1629, whose father Hugh was 'last chief of the race'. His great work was the Ogygia; he died in 1718.[11]

Sources

  1. Ó Flaithbheartaigh — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/of/o-flaithbheartaigh.php
  2. Ó Fathartaigh — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/of/o-fathartaigh.php
  3. Flaherty — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/flaherty.php
  4. O'Flaherty — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/oflaherty.php
  5. Flaherty — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/626.php
  6. List of Names of Irish Septs (Terry, 1690) — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/irish-septs.php
  7. Table Explanation — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/table-explanation.php
  8. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1079 (part 18) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005B/text018.html
  9. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1178 (part 1) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005C/text001.html
  10. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1236–1241 (part 7) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005C/text007.html
  11. Roderic O'Flaherty — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/RodericOFlaherty.php

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).