The Tribes of Galway were wealthy merchant families who prospered from trade with continental Europe; they also dominated Galway's municipal government, the Kirwans being the wealthiest members of the tribes were considered Old English gentry, and distinguished themselves from the Gaelic peoples who lived in the hinterland of the city. However, the feared suppression of their common faith joined both sides together as Irish Catholics after the Irish Rebellion of 1641 (indeed for many Irish was a second or even first language). During the Irish Confederate Wars (1641-1653), Galway took the side of the Confederate Catholics of Ireland, and as a result the Tribes were punished following the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. The town was besieged and after the surrender of Galway in April 1652, the Tribes had to face the confiscation of their property by the New Model Army. The Galway Corporation was taken over in October 1654 by English Parliamentarians and, despite a measure of power during the reign of King Charles II (1660-1685) and the War of the Two Kings (1689-91), the Tribes had lost their power within the city. Because of the uncertain response to this dilemma by the merchant families, Cromwell's forces referred to them by the derogatory name, "The Tribes of Galway", which they themselves later adopted as a mark of defiance. Galway's urban elite enjoyed a measure of their power restored during the reign of the King Charles II (1660-1685) and his successor James II. However, Jacobite defeat in the War of the Two Kings (1689-91), marked the end of the Tribes' once overwhelming influence on the life of the city - which passed to its small Protestant population.
The first known member of Lynch family to have settled in the city was William "le Petit" de Linch in 1185; the Lynch family remained the premier Tribal family until well into the 19th century. They dominated the office of mayor from 1485 to 1654, Peirce Lynch being the first to be appointed. Captain James "Spanish" Blake (fl.1588-1635) was an agent for the English secret service during the Nine Years War (Ireland) (1594-1603) and was said to have been responsible for the assassination of Red Hugh O'Donnell in Spain in 1602 (although this is doubtful). Richard Kirwan (1733-1812), president of the Royal Irish Academy from 1791, was awarded the Copley Medal for contributions to analytical chemistry. Joseph W. Kirwan, President of Queen's University, Galway. Richard Martin (1754-1834) was a long-time advocate of Catholic Emancipation and a founder of The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Lord Killanin (1914-99), sixth president of the International Olympic Committee 1972-80, was a descendant of the Morris tribe. Ernesto "Che" Guevara, (1928-1967), Argentine-born Latin American revolutionary, was a descendant of the Lynch tribe through his father, Ernesto Rafael Guevara Lynch (1900-1987). In 2000, Angela Lynch became the 84th Lynch to serve as Mayor of Galway since 1485. All the surnames of the Tribes are still to be found in Galway City and County, although Athy, Font, Deane and Skerret are rare.
This family is of great antiquity in Galway. Traditionally, it is thought that one of this family name erected the first stone house or castle within the town. They were from the earliest times a highly respectable family, William de Athy was appointed treasurer of Connaught, 8th December, 1388. The name was also significant in other parts of Ireland. John de Athy was once sheriff of Kerry.
This family is of British extraction, and, though the name seems derived from the Saxon, Blac, a colour; yet, Debrett, in his Baronetage, says, "they are traditionally descended from Ap-lake, one of the knights of King Arthur's round table," and adds, "that in the reign of Henry II, one of this family accompanied Strongbow, and after many exploits built himself a castle, at Menlo, near Galway." --- Richard Caddell surnamed Blake, (from whom, according to Lynch's MS. the Blakes of Galway are descended,) was sheriff of Connaught, Vicecomes Conacioe, 32 and 33 Edw. I, he was also sheriff in 1306. and in 7 Edw. Il. the king's writ issued, for arrearages of his account. The arms of this family were first borne by him and descended to his posterity. The family of Ardfry, descended from Sir Richard Blake, who was speaker or chairman, of the assembly of the confederate catholics of Ireland, at Kilkenny, in 1647, was raised to the dignity of the peerage, in the year 1800, in the person of Joseph Henry Blake, Esq. who was then created Lord Baron of Wallscourt, in the kingdom of Ireland. This widely extended name is, at present, divided into the opulent and respectable families, of Ardfry, Ballyglunin, Belmont, Castlegrove, Corbally, Forbough, Frenchfort, Hollypark, Killeencastle, Mace, Menlo, Merlinpark, Moorfield, Orancastle, Rahara or Annbally, Renville, (formerly of Lehinch, in Mayo,) Tully, Waterdale and Windfield, in the County of Galway; and Ballinafad, Brookhill, Garracloone, in the County of Mayo.
The Bodkins of Galway, and the Earls of Desmond and Kildare, were descended from the common ancestor, Maurice Fitzgerald, Lord of Windsor, and one of the first invaders of Ireland, under Strongbow. His son, Thomas FitzMaurice, acquired ample possessions in Munster, where his descendants became Earls of Desmond. Richard, the son of Thomas, about the year 1242, held considerable properties in Connaught, under Richard de Burgo, and Thomas, his son, was the ancestor of the Bodkin family. This family name originated, according to tradition, from a victory gained by their great progenitor, Thomas Fitz Richard (about the year 1300,) over a valiant Irish knight, whom he encountered in single combat, and having, in the conflict, made use of a short spear or weapon, in Irish called, a Baudekin, he was, from that circumstance, surnamed, Buaidh Baudekin, of the victory of the Bodkin, which name was afterwards retained by his descendants. Whatever doubt may attend this traditionary relation, none can exist as to the origin and descent of the family, which are fully ascertained by the testimony of antiquaries, by ancient stone sculptures and monuments, still remaining, and from the genealogies of the Geraldines, whose arms the Bodkin family bore for many generations, and whose motto, Crom aboo, they retain to this day. Henry Bodkin, the son of Thomas, was Clericus ville in the reign of Richard II. at which time, there was a street or lane in Galway, called Baudekyn's lane. They were then possessed of large properties in and about the town, particularly at Newcastle, near the river; and at Athenry?, Toherskehine, Ballynameathagh, Kilcornan and Parke. At present the principal families of the name, are those of Annagh, Carrowbeg, Castletown, Kilcloony and Thomastown.
Philippus de Browne, is said to have come to Ireland in 1170, and, in 1172, was appointed Governor of Wexford. In 1178 he went to England, and soon after returned with 60 armed knights, and was a leader at the siege of Limerick. He had three sons, William, who settled in the territory of Clanmorris, in the County of Kerry, and Walter, who settled in the County of Galway, where his posterity still remain, the destination of the third son is not mentioned. Another account states, that 'Sir David Browne, who was cotemporary with Richard de Burgo, the Red Earl of Ulster, that he died in 1303, and had a son, named Stephen, who settled at Killpatricke, near Dublin, from whence, after a time a branch of that house settled at Brownstown, near Loughrea, and thence branched forth to Athenry and Galway.' The principal families of the name at present in the province, are those of Ardskea, Gloves, Kilskeagh, Mounthazle Moyne, Rockville and Tuam, in the County of Galway, and Ballyhowly and Castlemagarret, in the County of Mayo.
This family stands highly distinguished in the annals of the kingdom. Its descent is derived from David D’Arcy, (of an eminent family in France which deduces its origin from Charlemagne,) who took his surname from Castle D’Arcie, his chief seat, which lay within thirty miles of Paris. His son, Christopher, having, with a band of his vassals, joined the crusades, died in Palestine, leaving Thomas his heir, whose son, Sir Richard D’Arcy, accompanied William the Conqueror to England, where, after he was settled that monarch enriched him with ample possessions, which some of his posterity still enjoy. From him descended, Sir John D’Arcy, who was high in repute with Edward II. by whom he was appointed justice of Ireland in 1323. He married the Lady Jane Bourke, daughter of Richard, Earl of Ulster, from which marriage are derived all the D’Arcies of this kingdom. The Galway family is immediately descended from James Riveagh D’Arcy, who settled here about the end of the reign of Elizabeth, and, in consequence of his superior abilities and address, rapidly acquired considerable power and influence. From him sprung in a direct line the house of Kiltulla, and the families of Newforest, in the County of Galway, (formerly of Clunuane in the County of Clare), Gorteen and Houndswood, in the County of Mayo.
The first of this name, that settled in Galway, is said to have been William Allen, or Den, who came hither from Bristol in the reign of Henry VI. and was afterwards elected Provost. Members of this family, were amongst the first Mayors and chief Magistrates of the Town.
This family settled in Galway in the beginning of the fifteenth century, they sprung from an ancient English family of Leicestershire, and, are said, to have been established in Athenry, in the County of Galway, as early as the reign of King John. The name is now nearly extinct. Geoffry Ffont, who died near Galway, in 1814, aged 105 years, is supposed to have been the last survivor of the Galway branch of this family.
This family is descended from Sir Maximilian Ffrench, the first of the name, whose descendants accompanied their kinsman, William the Conqueror, into England. Their original place of settlement in Ireland, together with many other English and Anglo-Norman adventurers, was the County of Wexford; from whence, in process of time, they gradually spread throughout the other parts of the kingdom. Two families of the name settled at different periods in Galway, the first, with Walter French, in the reign of Hen. VI. about the year 1425, and the other, with Henry Begg Ffrench, in the reign of Elizabeth; since which time, they have ranked amongst the most considerable in the Province. The family of Castle Ffrench, near Ahascragh, in the County of Galway, was raised to the dignity of the Peerage, in the year 1798. The Right Honorable Charles Baron Ffrench, of Castle Ffrench is the present Lord. The other branches of this respectable name, are those of Ballinahalla, now of Beagh, Carrorea, Elmhill, Ffrenchgrove, Monivea, Portcarn, Rahasane and Tyrone in the County of Galway, Ballykeneave and Culliane in the County of Mayo, and Foxborough, Frenchpark, Port, Rocksavage and Snipehill, in the County of Roscommon
This old Galway family is of ancient and honourable English descent, and was allied to the Welch and British princes Thomas Joyes, the first of the name that came to Ireland, sailed from Wales in the reign of Edward I. and arrived with his fleet at Thomond in Munster, where he married Onorah O’Brien, daughter of the chief of that district; from thence, putting to sea, he directed his course to the western part of Connaught, where he acquired considerable tracts of territory, which his posterity still inhabit. While on the voyage, his wife was delivered of a son, whom he named Mac Mara, son of the sea, he extended his father's acquisitions, and from him descended the sept of the Joyces, a race of men remarkable for their extraordinary stature, who, for centuries past inhabited the mountainous district, in Iar Connaught, called, from them, Duthaidh Sheodhoigh, or Joyce country, now forming the barony of Ross, in the County of Galway, and for which they were formerly tributary to the O'Flaherties. Walter Jorse, Jorze or Joyce, brother of Thomas, Cardinal of Sabina, of this name and family, was Archbishop of Armagh, he resigned in 1311, and was succeeded by his brother Roland. The former was confessor to Edward II. and was author of several works. The families of Joyes-grove in the County of Galway, Oxford in Mayo, and Woodquay in the town of Galway, with that of Merview, near the town, are the present descendants of this old family.
This name and family are Irish, and the heralds have gone very far back indeed to deduce their origin. They tell us, that Maoldabhreac, son of Fiobhrann, son of Finghin, descended from Heremon, second son of Milesius, was father of Ciorrovan or Kirrovan, from whom the Kirwans are descended. They appear to have settled in Galway, in the reign of Henry VI. about which time, the name first occurs in its modern form, mention being then made of William Kirwan and his children. Some think them much more ancient, supposing them to be the family of Kirwicke, already enumerated amongst the more early inhabitants of the town; and this supposition is very probable, as the orthography of the name has undergone various changes, viz. O’Quirivan, Kyrvan, Kerovan, Kirevane, etc. but it is now generally written Kirwan. To this name and family, Ireland is indebted for two individuals, of the first order of genius, men whose splendid talents have raised their native country to a most elevated point in the scale of literature and science; by those the reader may easily anticipate, are meant the celebrated Dean Kirwan, and his distinguished relative and friend, the late Richard Kirwan, Esq. of Cregg; the former, acknowledged to have been the first christian orator of his day, and the latter, one of the greatest philosophers of the age in which he lived. Biographical accounts of these eminent men, will be found in another part of this volume. The families of Blindwell, Castlehackett, Cregg, Gardenfield, Glan, Hillsbrook and Woodfield, in the County of Galway; and Dalgin, in the County of Mayo, are the principal of the name.
This is one of the most ancient, and, until the middle of the seventeenth century, was one of the most leading families in Galway. In the old volume of pedigrees, preserved in the Heralds office, it appears, that, 'William le Petit, came to Ireland, in 1185, with Sir Hugh de Lacy, who granted him, by his charter, Macherithirnar, etc. (now the barony of Macherydernan, in the County of Westmeath,) except the Logh and Town of Dysart; that they were palatine barons of Molingare, and that William le Petit, had a son, Nicholas, who was ancestor to the family of Lynch of Galway. William, (or according to other accounts,) John de Lynch, was the first settled of the name in Galway, he was married to the daughter and sole heiress of William de Mareschall, and, it is stated, that the eldest branch of the family, was called Mareschall, until the male line became extinct. During the greatest part of the 15, 16 and 17th centuries, they possessed the principal authority within the town. Dominick Lynch Fitz John, commonly called Dominick dubh, in 1484 solicited and procured the charter of Richard III. under which he caused his blother, Pierce, to be elected first Mayor, and was himself the second. His son Stephen, at the same time, sued out and obtained the bull of Innocent VIII. which established here that singular ecclesiastical jurisdiction, the wardenship. Thomas Lynch Fitz Ambrose was the last catholic mayor in 1654, when the ancient inhabitants were dispossessed by Cromwell; and during a period of 169 years, 84 members of this family, were mayors of Galway. The eldest line of the Lynches from which the younger branches sprung, was distinguished by the appelation of Cranmore, which means, the great tree or stock; and the house of Newcastle, descended from Emon-a-Tuane, who lived in 1342, claimed this distinction. The present lineal descendants of this family, are, the Count Lynch late Mayor of Bourdeaux, (who so eminently distinguished himself in the cause of the royal family of France, against Buonaparte,) and his relative, John Lynch Alexander, Esq. of Galway. The respectable families of Barna, Cartron, Clough, Drimcong, Lavally, Lydican, Moycullen, Rathglass, and Shannonbridge, in the County of Galway, Duras in the County of Clare, and Ballycurren, Castlecarra or Ball, Clogher and Partry in the County of Mayo, are now the principal of the name.
This family is of early origin in Galway. Their pedigree relates, that Oliver Martin was the first of the name, that settled in Ireland, that he was a follower of Strongbow, and that the name was derived from Martius, warlike. Some antiquaries, however, are of opinion, that they were of ancient Irish descent. O’Brien and Vallancey, say, "they are derived from the belgian firbolg, or Martini, Ir. Mairtinigh, respectable remains of which still subsist, in the Cities of Limerick and Galway." Richard Martin of Dangan or Ballinehinch Castle, Esq. is descended from the eldest branch of this family, and the houses of Curraghmore, Ross, Spiddle and Tullyra are numbered amongst the most respectable in this Province.
This family first settled in Galway, in 1485, the name was then written Mares, it was afterwards changed to Morech, and finally assumed its present form, Morris. Nothing particular occurs on record relating to this family, except that several of its members served the offices of Mayor and Sheriffs, and were otherwise active and distinguished in the affairs of the former corporation. Their descendants reside at present, in the town, and at Spiddle, in the County of Galway.
This old and respectable family is of considerable antiquity in Galway, the name was originally Huscared; and they derive their origin from a noble English family, one of whom, Roger Huscared, is mentioned by Dugdale, as a judge, at a very early period. Robert Huscared, or Scared, held lands in Connaught, under Richard de Burgo, in 1242. In the registry of the monastery of Athenry, Walter Huscared and Johanna his wife, are mentioned amongst the principal benefactors of that foundation, and Richard Scared or Skeret, who is supposed to have been their son, was Provost of Galway, in 1378. To him belonged, the estate of Ardfry, in Mearuidhe, and other lands about Clare-yn-dowl, now Clare Galway to the friars minors; of which convent, he bestowed a piece of ground, on which, part of their monastery was built. Some of these lands are held by his descendants to this day. The principal branches of this name, at present, are those of Ballinduff, Carnacrow, Drumgriflin and Nutgrove in the County of Galway and Finvarra and Funchien in the County of Clare.
