The O'Kellys are a branch of the Clan Colla of Orgiall in Ulster, and of the same descent as the Maguires, lords of Fermanagh, the MacMahons, lords of Monaghan, the O'Hanlons, chiefs of the Oirior in Armagh, and some other clans of whom an account has been given in the note on Orgiall.
In the fourth century, Main Mor, or Main the great, a chief of the Clan Colla, having collected his forces in Orgiall, on the borders of the present counties of Tyrone, Monaghan and Armagh, marched to Connaught, and having conquered a colony of the Firbolgs who possessed the territory called Magh Seachnoile, expelled the Firbolgs; and that territory, which was possessed by his posterity, he gave the name of Hy Maine, which has been latinised to Hy Mania and I-Mania. This extensive territory comprised, according to O'Flaherty and others, a great part of south Connaught in the present county of Galway, and was afterwards extended beyond the river Suck to the hannon, in the south of Roscommon, and comprehended the baroines of Ballyoe, Tiaquin, Killian and Kilcommel, with part of Clonmacnoon in Galway, and the barony of Athlone in Roscommon.
The O'Kellys were styled princes of Hy Maine, and their territory ws called O'Kelly's country. Hy Mania is thus described by O'Dugan : --
Moirthrian Chonnacht an clarr sin,
Ui Maine na mordhail sin,
O Shionainn sreabha sidhe,
Go Cnoc Meadh na morrighe
A great division of Connaught is that plain,
Of Hy Maine of vast assemblies,
Extending from the Shannon of fairy streams
To Knoc Meadh of the great kings.
According to the Dissertations of Charles O'Connor, the O'Kellys held the office of high treasurers of Connaught, and the Mac Dermotts that of marshals. Several celebrated chiefs of the O'Kellys are mentioned in the course of these Annals from the tenth to the sixteenth century, and amongst these Tadhg or Tiege O'Kelly one of the commanders under Bryan Boroimhe at the battle of Clontarf. '=
Moirthrian Chonnacht an clarr sin,
Ui Maine na mordhail sin,
O Shionainn sreabha sidhe,
Go Cnoc Meadh na morrighe
A great division of Connaught is that plain,
Of Hy Maine of vast assemblies,
Extending from the Shannon of fairy streams
To Knoc Meadh of the great kings.
According to the Dissertations of Charles O'Connor, the O'Kellys held the office of high treasurers of Connaught, and the Mac Dermotts that of marshals. Several celebrated chiefs of the O'Kellys are mentioned in the course of these Annals from the tenth to the sixteenth century, and amongst these Tadhg or Tiege O'Kelly one of the commanders under Bryan Boroimhe at the battle of Clontarf. '=
The O'Kellys had castles at Aughrim, Garbally, Gallagh, Monivea, Moylough, Mullaghmore and Aghrane, now Castele-Kelly in the county of Galway, and at Athlone, Athleague, Corbeg, Galy and Skryne in the county of Roscommon. The chiefs of the O'Kellys, according to some accounts wre inaugurated at Clontuskert, about five miles from Eyrecourt in the county of Galway, and held their rank as princes of Hy Maine to the reign of Elizabeth. There are still many highly respectable familys of the O'Kellys in Galway, Roscommon and other parts of Connaught. [Commentary in Owen Connellan's translation of the The Four Masters Annals of Ireland 1845 p130]
DNA proves we are descendants of William Boye O'Kelly. This is a Y-DNA connection and thus our main surname is Kelly rather than Madden. We branch off from known Kelly's perhaps eighteen generations ago, The Kelly DNA project is hard at work trying to pin down the diverging families....with luck we will eventually get a clearer picture....
This connection with the Kellys is much later in time than the split of the O'Madden's and the O'Kelly's shown in generation eight below.
Lineage:
Places:
Galey Castle
Kilconnell Abbey
Clonmacnoise
More:
DNA proves we are descendants of William Boye O'Kelly. This is a Y-DNA connection and thus our main surname is Kelly rather than Madden. We branch off from known Kelly's perhaps eighteen generations ago, The Kelly DNA project is hard at work trying to pin down the diverging families....with luck we will eventually get a clearer picture....
This connection with the Kellys is much later in time than the split of the O'Madden's and the O'Kelly's shown in generation eight below.
Lineage:
- Maine Mor was born in 350 (1)
- Bresal was born in Ui Maine (2)
- Dallan was born in Ui Maine (5)
- Lughaidh was born in Ui Maine (7)
- Feradhach was born in Ui Maine Ireland (8)
- Cairpri Crom was born in Ui Maine (10)
- Cormac was born in Ui Maine (12)
- Eoghan Finn (Northern Ui Maine) brother of Eoghan Buac (Southern Ui Maine - O'Maddens)
- Dicholla was born in Ui Maine
- Diuthach was born in Ui Maine
- Fithchellach was born in Ui Maine
- Innrachtach was born in Ui Maine
- Oiloill was born in Ui Maine
- Finnachta was born in Ui Maine
- Ceallach Chief of Ui Maine died about 874 in Ui Maine. He was progenitor of the family of O'Kelley.
- Aedh Mic Ceallaigh
- Murchadh Ua Ceallaigh was born in Ui Maine. He died in 960. First in Ui Maine to use Ua Ceallaigh
- Tadhg Mor Ua Ceallaigh (Teige O'Kelly) was born in 955 in Ui Maine. He died Killed in the Battle of Clontarf, Good Friday in 1014.
- Conor Ua Ceallaigh was born in Ui Maine. He died in battle slain by the men of Tefia in 1030.
- Conor Ua Ceallaigh
- Tadhg Ua Ceallaigh was born in Ui Maine. He died in 1074.
- Diarmaid Ua Ceallaigh was born in Ui Maine
- Conchobar Moenmoy Ua Ceallaigh was born in Ui Maine. He was a Chief of Ui Maine for 40 years. He died in the Battle of the Conors in 1180 in Co Galway.
- Tadhg Ua Ceallaigh of Tailtean (Co Meath) died in the Battle of the Conors in 1180 in Co Galway Ireland.
- Domnhall Mor Ó Ceallaigh was born in 1172 in Co Galway. In 1203 he was a Chief of Hy-Many. Ancestor of all but four Chiefs who came after him.
- Conchobhar Mar "Connor Mor" Ó Ceallaigh was born in 1201 in Ui Maine Ireland. In 1247 he was a Chief of Hy-many which had been made smaller by the English invasion and the ending of the O'Kelley of Bregia in Meath and Hy-Many was now comprised of only Co Roscommon and Galway.1 He died in 1268. Connor Mor married a O'Heyne.
- Donnchadh Muimhneach Ua Ceallaigh was born in 1240 in Hy-Many Ireland. In 1297 he was a Chief of Ui Maine.1 Donnchadh died in 1307 in Ahascragh Castle, Co. Galway, Ireland.
- Uilliam Mac Donnough Moyneagh (Buide) Ó Ceallaigh
- Maol Eachlainn Ó Ceallaigh
- Donnchadh Ua Ceallaigh 1374 Gailey Castle, Roscommon - 1424 buried in Abbey of Rindun. Chief of Hy Many and 24th O'Kelley in 1410 after the death of his brothers Conchobhar (d. 1403) and Tadhg Og (d 1410). He was slain by arrow from a son of his grandfather Uilliam. (7th grandson) DNA connection at least to here.
- unk 1400
- unk 1435
- unk 1470
- unk 1505 probable connection to 1440 to here
- unk 1540
- unk 1575
- unk 1610
- unk 1645
- unk 1680
- unk 1715
- unk 1750
- James Madden abt 1785 m. Mary See the Madden Page for links etc.
- James Madden @1818 Limerick, Co. Clare - 1894 Albany, New York m. Anna Fitzsimmons
- Thomas Francis Madden 1854 NY - 1903 MI m. Elizabeth Silbereisen
- Francis Martin Madden 1896 MI - 1966 CA m. Isabel Louise Haffey
- James Howard Madden 1924 MI - 1998 WA m. Jean Ann English
- My siblings and me
- Our children
- Our grandchildren
Places:
Galey Castle
Kilconnell Abbey
Clonmacnoise
More:
- TheTribes and Customs of Hy-Many: Commonly Called O’Kelly’s Country by John Donovon – full text
- Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society ,Vol. IV, pp. 92-96, 1905-6 Notes on the Book of HyMany
- Letters of John O'Donovan, Eugene O'Curry and a few others to D.H. Kelly, mainly relating to Hy Many and the O'Kelly family, 1837-62 Wish list at Lib of Ireland
- THE Ó CEALLAIGH RULERS OF UÍ MHAINE -A GENEALOGICAL FRAGMENT, c. 1400 NOLLAIG Ó MURAÍLE Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society Vol. 62 (2010), pp. 51-77 (28 pages)Published By: Galway Archaeological & Historical Society
- Transcription from "Inrolments tempore Elizabeths," in the Auditor General's Office Dublin 6th Aug 1585 (Rick O'Kelley website)
- Boyle, Elizabeth & Ruairi O hUiginn (eds) Book of Ui Mhaine : Codices Hibernenses Emimii III
Kelly Family Biography:
Seamus and Micheal O'Kelly (Leinster Leader - CLANN May 2015 pg 211. graphic from the Book of Ui Mhaine
Stumbled across this. I recently traced my lineage through my Mother's Mother's side to the Ui Maine through Jane Kelly who I think is the daughter or granddaughter of Donnchadh Ua Ceallaigh.
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