O'Callaghan
O'Callaghan (/əˈkæləhən, oʊ-, -hæn, -ɡən, -ɡæn/[1][2]), Ó Ceallacháin, or simply Callaghan without the prefix, is an Irish surname. Often when Irish migrated to the United States and the "g" was removed from the spelling in the ships' manifests.[3]
Origin and meaning
Munster
The surname means descendent of Ceallachán who was the Eóganachta King of Munster from AD 935 until 954. The personal name Cellach means 'bright-headed'. The principal Munster sept of the name Callaghan were lords of Cineál Aodha in South Cork originally. This area is west of Mallow along the Blackwater river valley. The family were dispossessed of their ancestral home and 24,000 acres (97 km2) by the Cromwellian Plantation and settled in East Clare. In 1944, Don Juan O'Callaghan of Tortosa was recognised by the Genealogical Office as the senior descendant in the male line of the last inaugurated O'Callaghan.[4]
The O'Callaghan land near Mallow, forfeited by Donough O'Callaghan after the Irish rebellion of 1641, came into the hands of a family called Longfield or Longueville, who built a 20-bedroom Georgian mansion there. In a twist of history, 500 acres (2.0 km2) of the ancient O'Callaghan land returned to O'Callaghan hands in the twentieth century, when Longueville House was bought by a descendant of Donough O'Callaghan.[5] The ancestral estate of the O'Callaghans, now a luxury hotel, is owned by William O'Callaghan.
Oriel
An entirely different sept, Ó Ceileacháin in Irish, is to be found in the counties Armagh, Louth, Meath and Monaghan. It has been anglicised as Callaghan, Kelaghan, Keelaghan, Kealahan and other variants. In County Meath, where it is widespread but has been found mainly in the parishes of Kells, Trim and Athboy, it is mainly anglicised as Callahan, Callaghan or O'Callaghan (with local spelling variants). In County Westmeath it is found in the form Kellaghan and Kelleghan. In County Monaghan it is often found as Keelan.[6]
Members of the Ó Ceileacháin family were mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters as being lords of Uí Breasail, a district on the southern shore of Lough Neagh, and priors of Armagh in the 11th century.[7]
People
- Barry O'Callaghan (born 1969), CEO of Riverdeep Interactive Learning
- Bill O'Callaghan (1868–1946), Irish hurler
- Billy O'Callaghan (born 1974), Irish short story writer
- Con O'Callaghan (decathlete) (born 1908), Ireland's first Olympic decathlete; brother of Dr. Pat O'Callaghan
- Christopher Callaghan, 2006 Republican candidate for New York State Comptroller
- Daniel J. Callaghan (1890–1942), Rear Admiral, US Navy
- David O'Callaghan (dual player) (born 1983)
- David O'Callaghan (Kerry Gaelic footballer) (born 1987)
- Denis O'Callaghan (born 1949), Australian rules footballer
- Donncha O'Callaghan (born 1979), Irish international rugby union player
- Edmund Bailey O'Callaghan (1797–1880), doctor, journalist, and leader of political movements in Ireland and Quebec
- Ernie Callaghan (1910–1972), association footballer
- Fred Callaghan (born 1944), footballer with Fulham
- Gary O'Callaghan, (1933–2017), Australian radio announcer
- Sir George Callaghan (1852–1920), officer in the Royal Navy
- Georgina Callaghan, who performs as Callaghan, British musician
- Guy Callaghan (born 1970), New Zealand butterfly swimmer
- James Callaghan (1912–2005), British prime minister during the Winter of Discontent
- John Carter Callaghan (1923–2004), Canadian cardiac surgeon
- John O'Callaghan (Medal of Honor) (1850–1899), American soldier and Medal of Honor recipient
- John O'Callaghan, Irish musician and DJ
- John Callaghan, Principal & Chief executive Solihull College & University Centre, Birmingham
- John O'Callaghan, lead singer of The Maine
- José O'Callaghan Martínez (1922–2001), Spanish Jesuit Catholic priest
- Joseph T. O'Callahan (1905–1964), Captain, US Navy, Jesuit priest, Medal of Honor recipient
- Leanne Callaghan (born 1972), British ski mountaineer and mountain climber
- Marissa Callaghan (born 1985), football player from Northern Ireland
- Mary O'Callaghan, executive
- Miriam O'Callaghan (camogie), 26th president of the Camogie Association
- Miriam O'Callaghan (media personality) (born 1957), Irish television current affairs presenter with RTÉ
- Morley Callaghan (1903–1990), Canadian writer, playwright, and media personality
- Patrick Callaghan (1879–1959), Scottish footballer
- Seán O'Callaghan (born 1954), from Tralee, County Kerry; IRA informer
- Sheila Callaghan (born 1973), American playwright
- Steve Callaghan, writer of Family Guy TV series
- Stuart Callaghan (born 1976), Scottish footballer
- Tabby Callaghan (born 1981), Irish guitarist and singer-songwriter
- Therése O'Callaghan, a camogie player captain
- William M. Callaghan (1897–1991), Admiral, US Navy; commander of the battleship Missouri
Places
- O'Callaghans Mills, County Clare, Ireland
- Callaghan, New South Wales, a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales and home of the University of Newcastle, Australia
- Liscallaghan, old Irish name for Fivemiletown, County Tyrone
- Callaghan, Virginia, a census-designated place in the US
Other
See also
- Irish nobility
- Eóganachta
- Eóganacht Chaisil
- Irish royal families
- Chief of the Name
- Callahan (disambiguation)
- Callaghan (disambiguation)
- Callihan
- Other Munster families
References
- ^ Wells, John C. (2008), Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.), Longman, p. 557, ISBN 9781405881180
- ^ Jones, Daniel (2003) [1917], English Pronouncing Dictionary, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 3-12-539683-2
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- ^ "MS UR 051345". sources.nli.ie. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ Longueville House
- ^ Edward McLysaght: Irish Families, Their Names, Arms and Origins
- ^ Annála Rioghachta Éireann: Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland
Further reading
- Bugge, Alexander (ed. and tr.), Caithreim Cellachain Caisil: The Victorious Career of Cellachan of Cashel Christiania: J. Chr. Gundersens Bogtrykkeri. 1905.
- Curley, Walter J.P., Vanishing Kingdoms: The Irish Chiefs and their Families. Dublin: Lilliput Press. 2004.
- O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees. Dublin. 5th edition, 1892.