The Farrells of Co Longford

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=110 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="097f0f21egerdp.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#66334C" FACE="Arial" ><B>Our Family  Past and Present</B></FONT><B>      |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Our Family Past and Present"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id369.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Eirinn"><U>Eirinn</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id243.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Co Leitrim"><U>Co Leitrim</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id249.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Irish Speakers"><U>Irish Speakers</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id248.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Oughteragh"><U>Oughteragh</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id377.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cafferty Genealogy Chart"><U>Cafferty Genealogy Chart</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id246.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Caffertys"><U>The Caffertys</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id156.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mary Theresa Cafferty"><U>Mary Theresa Cafferty</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id59.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Creamer"><U>Creamer</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id395.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Origin of the Name OBrien"><U>Origin of the Name O'Brien</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id376.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="OBrien Genealogy Chart"><U>O'Brien Genealogy Chart</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id333.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The OBriens of Leitrim"><U>The O'Briens of Leitrim</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id375.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The OBrien Farm"><U>The O'Brien Farm</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id55.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Patrick Farrell OBrien"><U>Patrick Farrell O'Brien</U></A>   |   <B>The Farrells of Co Longford </B>   |   <A HREF="id346.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Battle of 1798"><U>Battle of 1798</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id57.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mary Farrell"><U>Mary Farrell</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id244.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="County Kerry"><U>County Kerry</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id396.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Origin of the Name Sullivan"><U>Origin of the Name Sullivan</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id58.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Florence Sullivan"><U>Florence Sullivan</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="096f2f02egerdp.jpg"> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id94.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="From the Emerald Isle"><U>From the Emerald Isle</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id57.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mary Farrell"><U>Mary Farrell</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=370 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="099f0f03.jpg"> <div> <I>The Farrells of Co Longford </I></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div>    <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#996666" FACE="Arial" ><I><IMG SRC="18225c60.gif" border=0 width="293" height="198" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></I></FONT></div> <div> by David Leahy</div> <bR> <bR> <div> County Longford is the second smallest County in Ireland, occupying almost 423 square miles, and is situated in the midlands. The population has seen a massive reduction from a peak of 115,491 in 1841 to just 30,138 in 1996 due to the potato famine of 1845-8 and subsequent emigration exceeding the rates for many of the western seaboard counties in the last century. </div> <bR> <div> Geography of Longford</div> <div> The county is uniquely situated on the border of the three provinces of Connaught, Ulster and Leinster. It has as its western boundary the longest river in Ireland, at over 150 miles, the Shannon. The county also forms part of Ireland's lake district, the most notable being Lough Ree and Lough Forbes on the River Shannon and Lough Gowna in the north of the county.</div> <div> Five counties are visible from Corn or Cairn Hill (formerly Sliabh Carbry), the highest point in the county at 912 feet. This location is said to be the burial place of Farbuidhe Fer Benn who killed Queen Maeve by a sling shot as she was at her bathing place on Inchcleraun Island in Lough Ree. </div> <bR> <div> The south-west of the county contains a large area of raised bog/peatland. Peatlands comprise over 80 square miles or one fifth of the county's area. In former times these bog areas were traversed by a series of toghers or causeways (wooden trackways). A section of one of these toghers dating from 147 BC is preserved in the Corlea Bog Centre near Keenagh village. Other toghers in the area date as far back as the Stone Age circa 3500 BC indicating that the county has been inhabited for more than 5,500 years. </div> <bR> <div> Indeed the county has been well served from the transportation point of view with the arrival of the Royal Canal, linking Dublin with the River Shannon at Cloondara, County Longford and completed in 1818. Longford is also on the main Sligo to Dublin railway which was constructed as far as Longford in 1855. The canal, railway, and both the army barracks and police barracks were responsible for the introduction of many new surnames to the county over the past couple of centuries. </div> <bR> <div> The placenames of the county reflect not only their Gaelic origin such as Longford, the county town, which takes its name from Longphuirt Ui Fheargail or 'Fortress of the Farrells', but also their planter/settler origin, with Edgeworthstown being named after the Edgeworths, Lanesborough after the Lanes and Newtownforbes after the Forbes. These latter three places are also known by their earlier Gaelic names of Mostrim, Ballyleague and Lisbrack, respectively. Other towns such as Granard and Ballymahon as well as several villages including Ardagh (National Tidy Town winner in 1989 and 1996), Ballinamuck (scene of the famous battle in 1798 in which the British forces defeated a combined French and Irish force of United Irishmen), and Newtowncashel (National Tidy Town winner in 1980) are dispersed throughout the county. </div> <bR> <div> Longford History</div> <div> Up to the eighth century County Longford was formerly known by the names Conmaicne and Anghaile (Annaly) as well as Teathbha (Teffia) up to the formation of the present county in 1570. Having formerly belonged to the province of Connaught and later Meath (or North Leinster) it currently belongs to the province of Leinster. </div> <bR> <div> Prior to circa 1100 AD, the inhabitants of Ireland were known by names which reflected their paternal descent e.g. Cormack McKiernan McFeargal meaning Cormack the son of Kiernan who in turn was the son of Feargal. Cormack's son Domhnall would have been known as Domhnall McCormack McKiernan (or Domhnall O'Kiernan meaning Domhnall, grandson of Kiernan). Thus, at the evolution of the surname structure as we know it today members of the same family or clan could have adopted differing surnames thus passing them onto their descendants. </div> <bR> <div> O'Hart's Pedigrees and Stem of the Irish Nation gives the genealogies of many of the Clans of Ireland from the creation of Adam. `The Annals of the Four Masters' and the 'Annals of Clonmacnoise', written in 1636 and 1627, document the historical events in Ireland from the creation of Adam up to the years 1408 and 1616. The latter contains more references to the areas around County Longford.The O'Farrells were Chieftains of Annaly and the Foxes (alias Kearney/Carney) were Kings of Teffia from the eleventh century up to the break up of the Irish Clan structures at the end of the sixteenth century. </div> <bR> <div> Surnames</div> <div> According to James P. Farrell's Historical Notes of County Longford and Edward MacLysaght's Irish Families, the clans/septs holding territory in County Longford circa 1550 were: McHugh, Masterson, Flood, Gaynor, Sheridan, Feeny, Conway, Slevin, Murtagh, </div> <div> Longford History</div> <div> Up to the eighth century County Longford was formerly known by the names Conmaicne and Anghaile (Annaly) as well as Teathbha (Teffia) up to the formation of the present county in 1570. Having formerly belonged to the province of Connaught and later Meath (or North Leinster) it currently belongs to the province of Leinster. </div> <bR> <div> Prior to circa 1100 AD, the inhabitants of Ireland were known by names which reflected their paternal descent e.g. Cormack McKiernan McFeargal meaning Cormack the son of Kiernan who in turn was the son of Feargal. Cormack's son Domhnall would have been known as Domhnall McCormack McKiernan (or Domhnall O'Kiernan meaning Domhnall, grandson of Kiernan). Thus, at the evolution of the surname structure as we know it today members of the same family or clan could have adopted differing surnames thus passing them onto their descendants. </div> <bR> <div> O'Hart's Pedigrees and Stem of the Irish Nation gives the genealogies of many of the Clans of Ireland from the creation of Adam. `The Annals of the Four Masters' and the 'Annals of Clonmacnoise', written in 1636 and 1627, document the historical events in Ireland from the creation of Adam up to the years 1408 and 1616. The latter contains more references to the areas around County Longford.The O'Farrells were Chieftains of Annaly and the Foxes (alias Kearney/Carney) were Kings of Teffia from the eleventh century up to the break up of the Irish Clan structures at the end of the sixteenth century. </div> <bR> <div> Surnames</div> <div> According to James P. Farrell's Historical Notes of County Longford and Edward MacLysaght's Irish Families, the clans/septs holding territory in County Longford circa 1550 were: McHugh, Masterson, Flood, Gaynor, Sheridan, Feeny, Conway, Slevin, Murtagh, Gilna, Gilchriest, Tuite, Leavy, McCormack, O'Farrell, Quinn, Gaffney, Mulroy, Gilligan and Cronin. </div> <bR> <div> In 1901 there were 46,672 inhabitants living in the county - 42,742 being Catholics, 3,403 Church of Ireland, 256 Presbyterians, 203 Methodists and 68 members of other religions. </div> <bR> <div> Population of County Longford: </div> <div> 1659 : 5,392; 1841: 115,491; 1851: 82,348; 1891: 52,647; 1901: 46,672; 1996: 30,138 </div> <bR> <div> Anglicised Surnames</div> <div> The following names have been used synonymously in various County Longford records: Baxter (Buchannan), Grey (Colreavy), Black (Duff), Prior (Friary), Smith (McGowan), Summers (Hourican) and Jordan (Sheridan). </div> <bR> <div> David Leahy, writer of this article, is the author of two books which are of great value to those researching ancestors who came from County Longford. </div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>