Gallowglass Surnames, See if you can find the Irish surnames in your family tree in one of the sections below.

Gallowglass Surnames, Soon, Irish chiefs across Ulster, Connacht, and Munster were importing Gallowglass companies, trading land and honor for their service. They were the true mercenaries - living only to Jun 7, 2014 · According to this version, the contact begun by ‘gallowglass’ mercenaries from the Isles in the fifteenth century 1 was legitimised by the marriage of Eoin Mor MacDonnell to Marjorie Byset, and settlement followed 2. MacAulay was a gallowglass name, so perhaps some of the Donegal McCauleys are descended from these warriors. These include names such as MacNeill, Sweeney, McRory, McQuillan, McSheehy, McCabe, McDonnell, McDowel, MacDonald etc… The Gallowglasses were the true image of men resigned to war and war only. Chris McLain, administrator of the Gallowglass Project on FamilyTreeDNA (apparently our Mclean/MacPhail ancestor was part of this mercenary group in Ireland but more on that in another blog!), had this to say in a comment on Oct 1, 2025 · This “dowry of soldiers” set a precedent. Oct 4, 2016 · Irish Gallowglass warrior and Irish Kern, Marc Grunert The most prominent feature in the pretty town of Ballyshannon in south Donegal is a tall, ornate Victorian building which for very many decades has had the name of the proprietor prominently displayed across its frontage – Gallogley. Nov 4, 2011 · Between 1300 and 1600 the Irish clans of Ulster and Western Ireland hired thousands of Scottish mercenaries (known as gallowglass), many of whom settled in Ireland. See if you can find the Irish surnames in your family tree in one of the sections below. The term “gallowglass” or “galloglass” is an Anglicization of the Irish, gall óglaigh (“foreign soldiers”), incorporating the Celtic word Óglach, which is derived from oac, the Old Irish for “youths”, but later meaning “soldier”. Jun 26, 2015 · Firstly one can examine surnames, history records the most notable Gallowglass were from the Clans of McCabe, MacDonald/McDonnell, MacDougall/McDowell, MacRory, MacSheehy, MacSweeney, and McCoy. An early family of gallowglasses was the MacSweeneys, settled by the O'Donnells in north Donegal. These were followed by MacDonnells, MacAlisters, MacCabes and several other groups settled by powerful Irish nobles in different areas. Jan 29, 2025 · Irish last names that mean you're a secret royal - is yours on the list? A list of the royal families in Ireland around 1515 has recently come to light, and can highlight whether you are likely to have royal Irish blood, based on your last name. And it includes whether they had an Irish, Scottish, Gallowglass, Norman, or Viking historical association. But this was a trade that continued for over 400 years and many Scots Clans got in on the act, so how does one identify other Clans and surnames associated with Gallowglass? Luckily these Scots Jun 30, 2022 · Our focus on male surnames can actually be a stumbling block when researching the full story of our Scottish heritage. It is an unusual surname but it is a vivid reminder of the crucial role played by a fresh group of Oct 4, 2025 · The map above shows the location of over 400 of the most prominent historic clans and families in Ireland. Discover your DNA story and unlock the secrets of your ancestry and genealogy with our autosomal DNA, Y-DNA, and mtDNA tests. They were called the “galloglass”. Today, many surnames bear an aspect of this history, as they stem from Norse-Gael Gallowglass septs. But this trade continued for over 400 years and many Scots Clans got in on the act, so how does one identify other Clans and surnames ass iated with Gallowglass? Clues as to the origins of the Gallowglass can be found in the surname of the first to arrive; the MacDoughall’s, who’s surname translates as ‘son A 15th-century depiction of gallowglasses on the tomb of Feidhlimidh Ó Conchobhair, King of Connacht [1][2] The gallowglasses (also spelled galloglass, gallowglas or galloglas; from Irish gallóglach, meaning "foreign warrior") were a class of elite mercenary warriors who were principally members of the Norse-Gaelic clans of Ireland and Scotland between the mid-13th century and late 16th Start of the “surname system” 1100s Arrival of the Normans – and their surnames – who intermarry with the natives 1200s Arrival of the Galloglas (Scottish Mercenaries) – and their surnames 1500s – English take control of the island and start of major “plantations” of settlers from both England and Scotland – who bring their Mac an GHALLÓGLAIGH— VII — M'Agaloglie, MacGallogly, Gallogly, by 'translation,' English, Englishby, and by assimilation, Ingoldsby; 'son of the gallowglass' (Irish 'gallóglach'); formerly a Donegal surname; now found chiefly in Louth and Meath. It is the mission of this Y-DNA Geographic project to analyze and sort the descendants of the many mercenary families of Gallowglass (gall oglaigh: foreign soldiers) that came into Ireland between the 13th and 17th centuries from the highlands and western isles of Scotland. The Clans That Supplied the Gallowglass Several Scottish clans became synonymous with the Gallowglass tradition. These include names such as MacNeill, Sweeney, McRory, McQuillan, McSheehy, McCabe, McDonnell, McDowel, MacDonald etc… Today, many surnames bear an aspect of this history, as they stem from Norse-Gael Gallowglass septs. In this article, we look at Irish Surnames - their origins and evolution. Have you heard of the "Galloglass"? Maybe one of your Irish surnames came from this fearsome band of mercenaries? any Irish surnames derive from a group of warriors who arrived in Ireland as mercenaries from the 13th century onwards. A well-known English state paper from that time delves into the matter. . , MacSweeney, and McCoy.