O'Doherty family

for people named Doherty see: Doherty (disambiguation)

The Doherty Clan (Irish: Clann Ua Dochartaigh) is an Irish clan based in County Donegal in the north of the island of Ireland.

Like clans in other cultures, Irish clans such as the Doherty's are divided into many septs and regional families. In the modern day, there are 140 noted variations in spelling of the name, of which Doherty is the most modern anglicisation. See http://www.odochartaigh.org/genealogy/name.html for history and variations of the name.

Origins

The Doherty's claim to have been named after Dochartach, the 12th in linear decent from Conall Gulban (d. AD 455), the son of the famous Niall of the Nine Hostages (Irish: Niall Noigíallach) the 5th Century High King of Ireland believed to be responsible for the kidnapping of St. Patrick, and namesake of the powerful Uí Néill dynasty. Through Niall, the Doherty's can trace their heritage back even further making a claim as one of Europe’s longest descent lines. The origins of the family however, as with the Irish people and their ancestors the Gaels, is obscured by Celtic mythology and folk tales.

The later chiefs of the clan, elected by tanistry under the Brehon Laws, were called the Lords of Inishowen as they were pushed from their original territory in the Laggan valley area of present-day Donegal, into the vacuum left by the end of Mac Lochlainn rule in the northernmost peninsula of the island of Ireland.

Modern history

Following the Flight of the Earls in 1607, the chief of the Doherty's, Sir Cahir O’ Doherty, rose up in the following year against English domination in Ireland and the plantation of protestant settlers in what is known as O’ Doherty’s Rebellion. He and his followers managed to attack Derry and burn several castles before ultimately being defeated. After this loss, Cahir was killed in 1608 and the family lost much of its power and influence. By 1784, the leading branch of the family fled the country. The chiefs have been absent from Ireland ever since.

During the 1990s, the Irish government offered some limited recognition to the chiefs of the most ancient clans, calling them the Chiefs of the Name and operating under primogeniture rather than tanistry. The chieftainship of the Doherty’s was claimed by Ramon O' Dogherty of Spain.

After a scandal involving bogus claims of Terence MacCarthy, to be the chief of that clan, the status of the chiefs in Ireland is now uncertain.

Today there are Doherty families in many parts of Ireland, and the Doherty's are an important part of the Irish diaspora. To this end, the family continues through voluntary organisations exploring family and Irish history and hosting regular family reunions. The clan herald operates a genealogy research service from Buncrana on the Inishowen Peninsula.

ÓDochartaigh reunions have been hosted in Ireland every five years since 1985, by the ÓDochartaigh Irish Reunion Committee (an amalgamation of the reunion committees from Inishowen and Derry). The next reunions are in July 2008, commemorating the 1608 death of Cahir ÓDochartaigh, and in July 2010. Reunion website.

The ÓDochartaigh (Doherty) Clann Association is North American-based (USA/Canada), offering international membership and a newsletter, family history and encouraging regional reunions. Clan assn. website.

References

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