GORRY/GURRY/GOREY from Geashill-Ballykean for Y-DNA Research

[ChrisMcLain]

Good evening Rootschat,

 My name is Chris McLain Beal, and have been researching my ancestors in Offaly for close to twenty years (I'll have to split this post into two parts).  I have been administering the "Cenel Brenainn" Project on FamilyTreeDNA since 2017...
https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/mc-govern/activity-feed

I've been meaning to take to this forum for a while and search for volunteers. I am looking for any O'Guaire men who have a papertrail to the Geashill-Cloneygowan area back to the early 19th century to volunteer for Y-DNA research.  As it would further our group's research and answer many questions about the where/when of our larger family, I would gladly purchase the kit and send it to the volunteer free of charge as a gracious thank you for participating.  This is a "BigY700" test from FamilyTreeDNA, so it would have to be a male on the O'Guaire line who has the ancestry back to Geashill-Cloneygowan.  I'll explain my research and why I'm looking for someone from that area.

  My McLains came from Lehinch, near Clara. However as you probably know, McLain (Mac Giolla Eain) is a name from the western isles which became scattered all over Ireland prior to 1600, as this was a "Redshank" family that began coming into Ireland c.1480.  I've known for some time now that my Y-DNA is native to the midlands, but only fairly recently have I been able to determine that I am really an Ó Guaire.  After years, I've been able to determine that MacLean mercenaries (along with a great number of Campbells and MacNeills) came into Offaly in the early 1570s, acquired by Cormac mac Brian O'Connor Faly.  Initially this large group of mercenaries were employed by Clanricarde Burke's sons in the "Mac an Iarla" rebellions, and burned Athlone in 1571. Cormac, "chief of all rebels and malefactors in the midlands", acquired many or close to all of these Redshanks by the time the Burkes were submitting to the government in 1572.   On 19th April 1573, the President of Connaught wrote to the Lord Deputy "Scots near Athlone under Cormac Oconor."  It seems that a group of MacLeans "picked up" Ó Guaire DNA at some point whether it was in a martial capacity (i.e. kerns being absorbed into a kindred of redshanks) or just one of the many endless ways this could have occurred.

 I have a small kin-group of matches. One Gorry from Tullamore, one Gurry from Clondoogan, Co. Meath, two other McLains with whom I share an ancestor with in Lehinch, and a Fraher from Waterford (who also must be a Gorry, as the name was numerous in his ancestor's area as well).  Our common ancestor, an Ó Guaire, lived sometime around the early 10th century, very likely in Offaly.  Our much greater distant relations are Ui Briuin Breifne, which is another mystery in itself.  That is, we are distantly related to the O'Rourkes, O'Reilly, MacGoverns, MacKiernans, but it seems a branch of Ui Briuin Breifne came into Offaly by the 10th century.

Until our second O'Guaire match (a Mr. Peter Gurry whose family came from Clondoogan), it was a mystery what the actual surname was, I could only tell that it was a distant Connacht>Midlands origin. But once this occurred and showed that Mr. Gorry and Mr. Gurry have an ancestor who lived about 1220-1310, things began to take off.  I even found the O'Guaire genealogy in the Book of Ballymote that proves our relation to the other Breifne kindreds.

"Brenaind son of Fearghna, had two sons, i.e. Baithin and Dubh da crich. Dubh da Chrich had six sons, i.e. Dubhthach, Dobran, Mael Bennachta, Murchadh, Guairi, and Fannan. From Dubhthach are descended the Ui Dubthaigh, from Murchadh are descended the Ui Murchadha, from Guairi are descended the Ui Guairi, from Fannan are descended the Ui Fandan. Baithin, son of Brenaind, had a son Maenach. Maenach had seven sons, i.e. Eochaid, the ancestor of the Tealach Eachath, Dunchadha, the ancestor of the Teallach Dunchadha, Finducan, the ancestor of the Ui Finducan, Braenan, Corcran, Ciarmac and Mael Duin- he was the worst of them because Dallan cursed him."

(This Brenaind corresponds with a Y-DNA mutation now called "A5902" which is what my DNA group is based on, i.e. "the Cenel Brenainn". His ancestors go through the Ui Briuin dynasty throught he kings of Connacht, with corresponding dna markers and mutations, and ultimately the individual who may be "Conn of the Hundred Battles" if he was an actual person, the myth, history and folklore seem to blend by that point).

[ChrisMcLain]

Two O'Guaire appear in the Annals of the Four Masters, and these are without a doubt in the midlands, if not Offaly itself.

962. Cairbre Ua Guaire, head of the hospitality of Leinster, died.
1032. Tadhg Ua Guaire, lord of Ui-Cuilinn, was slain by the son of maol-na-mBo.

"Head of the hospitality" infers a bishop or abbot, and "of Leinster" would seem to infer that this is the church at Kildare, as it was the head church of the kingdom of Leinster.  It's vague, which is probably why it's not in the offical abbott/bishop lists. However at this time, St. Brigid's church at Cill Dara lie within the kingdom of Ui Failghe, which extended almost all the way to Newbridge, Co. Kildare prior ot the Norman invasion.  This period is especially violent, as it was in the Viking Age. Kildare was being consistently looted and burned by Vikings sailing up the Liffey (much of the monastic community slaughtered). There certainly could have been a circumstance of an interloper kin-group muscling their way into an ecclesiastic office circa 960.
The Tadhg Ua Guaire in question was killed by Dermot mac Maol-na-mBo, king of the Ui Cennsalaigh and soon afterwards king of Leinster.  The location of "Ui Cuillinn" is lost to history. Cuilinn is a corruption of the given name Cuilen (now Coileain), which was extremely popular in Offaly and peculiar to the O'Dempseys of Clanmaliere, who had many chiefs of the name. There are many townland names in Offaly and Laois denoting an Ui Cuilen/Ui Coileain kin group, whether there were multiple or which may have been associated with the O'Guaire is a mystery.  A side-note: I think it's certainly possible "McLain" could be an odd variant of MacCoileain, however once I was able to find O'Connor Faly hiring Redshanks, I had to take my name for face value barring a match to a "Cullen" or
"Killan" etc.

Now to the name in the Fiants...
"Guaire" was pronounced "Goo-uh-reh" initially, with a rolled "R", it gave the impression "Guwoodeh".  This pronunciation went on in Offaly through the 16th century, but outside of here, the "Goouhree" was dominant, which probably had something to do with the English language being more prevalent.  Interestingly, the mac-prefix was dominant in the midlands. The name is quite corrupted and bastardized by the english pen, from "Garre" to "Guowde", and sometimes the G blends into the hard consonant of the "Mac".  It's clear the writer is guessing as to what the last syllable or vowel really is.

28 Aug 1551  Molmore M'Iguowde, kern  (possibly Geashill, but many listed are O'Dempsey kern)
28 Oct 1562  Murrough macGarre   (w Lysagh m'Morrough O'Connor, who held pt of Geashill)
11 Jun 1575  James Maguodo, kern (w Cormac mac Brian O'Connor, who employed Scots)
28 Aug 1575  Donough m'Edm. M'Korroe (w Owen mac Hugh O'Dempsey of Cloneygowan)
5 Apr 1578  James M'Guoode, Cohegre M'Guoode (w M'Gillapatrick sept, who held Geashill)
4 Dec 1600  Donogh M'Gorro, of the Carrick, Co Kildare
28 May 1601  Carbry, Donnell, and Ferral M'Ewery, husbandmen, of Castleton, Co Westmeath
1 Jul 1601  Conoulough M'Guode of Philipstown (Daingean).

Based on these pardons, it seems the bulk of the O'Guaire prior to 1600 were in Geashill under either the "Mac Giolla Padraig" or "Mac Laoiseach" septs of the O'Connor Faly, or in Cloneygowan area under O Diomosach.  Something interesting with the first fiant in 1551: the surname seems to indicate "Mac Ui Guaire", meaning Son of the descendant of Guaire. This was something that was sometimes done to differentiate one branch of the family from another which it had split off from, perhaps in another district.  Many of the individuals listed in that fiant are listed later on as kern with Owen mac Hugh O'Dempsey.  Perhaps a branch of the Ui Failghe O'Guaire went to Clanmaliere?  Just a theory.

In the 1659 census, there are 6 "GARRE" families in Coolestown barony, which are probably represented by the great number of Gorrys in Clonsast parish in modern times.  I've attached a map I've put together of the Gorry/Gorey/Gurry baptisms 1825-65. Three large clusters develop, that is Kilbeggan, Clonbulloge, and Summerhill. One Gorry tester is from Tullamore which seems to be an offshoot of the Kilbeggan cluster, while the other is from the Summerhill group.  It's my opinion that since there are no pardons in the Clonbulloge area, that all three of these groups probably diverged from Geashill-Cloneygowan in the plantation era.  However it's worth mentioning that part of Clonbulloge RC parish's district comprises of half of Ballykean, so many of these baptisms are probably from there.

  I'd like to find a participant from Geashill/Cloneygowan because it's a theoretical likelihood of the family's origin. Although I'm hoping to find a closer Gorry from my branch, its possible someone from here could branch off from any part of this family that has developed.

  So I'll close with a pre-emptive thank you for reading, and if you have any O'Guaire relatives who you'd like to send this link to, you can either reply, or PM me.  Feel free to click on the thumbnails I've added of some maps I've put together.

[ChrisMcLain]

Thumbnail:


If I plot out everything geographically, there's a geographic area that has both relevant placenames (Ui Guaire and maybe Ui Cuilinn), population, pardons, and a possible Annals entry.  And that is "Clanmaliere", i.e. Clann Mhaoilughra, or "O'Dempsey's Country".
Ballycullenbeg, may be the only "Cullen" placename of the bunch that denotes a kin-group and not a personal name.  Tullygorey in Narragh barony Co. Kildare existed on the fringes of Clanmaliere in the 12th century and was also in Archibishop Alen's register of having a church in 1297, and was Cluain Ard Mhic Guaire, i.e. Mac Guaire's high meadow.

[ChrisMcLain]

Edit: I've decided to go ahead and expand this request to all of E. Offaly, and W. Kildare since it would still help quite a lot, i.e. the areas which constituted O'Connor and O'Dempsey territories.  Anyone with a papertrail to the baronies of:

Coolestown
Warrenstown
Philipstown Upper
Philipstown Lower
Geashill

is welcome to participate. Thank you!