www.callaghan.info
The surname Callaghan
can be traced back to Ceallachán Caisil,
the name of the formidable Chief of the Eóganachta tribe and King of Munster
(in Ireland) from AD 935 until 954 who, amongst many other famed
accomplishments, is said to have defeated the father of Brian Boru of the Dal
gCais, in battle! Caellachán is
thought to be a diminutive form of the Gaelic word Ceallach, the origin of which is unknown, but suggestions for its
meaning(1) include bright-headed
(as a personal name) or strife/war
(in the sense of fight or contention for superiority). Ireland spent much of its
life occupied by foreign powers that anglicised Irish names giving rise to many
variants. Moreover, the lack of standardised spelling (the first dictionary,
written by Robert Cawdrey, wasn’t published until 1604!) meant the process of
converting what may be identical oral sounds into written words also generated
numerous variations. Added to this, Irish names contain many prefixes(2)
and silent letters that clerks of occupying powers, or those involved in
immigration procedures, would often drop somewhat randomly. These situations
created multiple alternatives of surnames. In the case of Ceallachán this gave rise to versions such as Ceileacháin,
Ceilahan, Callachan, Calachan, Ceilaghan, Ceallaghan, Cellachain, Cellachan,
Cellaghan, Callaghan, O'Callaghan,
Callahan, O'Callahan, Calahan, Callagan, Calagan, Callighan, Kalahan,
Kallaghan, Kallahan, O'Kallaghan, Kellaghan, Kelleghan, Kellahan, Kelahan,
Keelaghan, Kealahan & Keelan. Some variants of names can be related to particular septs as, for
example, Ó Ceileacháin is especially
popular with septs found in the Irish counties of Armagh, Louth, Meath and
Monaghan whereas, in Munster (Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary &
Waterford), Ceallachán is favoured
over Ceileacháin (perhaps because of
the direct mapping of the name to the ancient king, although some argue the
spoken sound of Ceallachán better
matches the variants of 'Callaghan'
found in Munster). The most
widespread anglicised version is, perhaps, Callaghan
with the first written record of that particular spelling being held in the
Birth Records of County Cork, dated
1605, for one John O' Callaghan. In the 2011
census, the total number of people bearing either the name O'Callaghan or
Callaghan in Ireland was of the order 13,000 (not as large as you might
imagine!), but it still placed the name in the top-40 of Irish surnames in use. Older hereditary
records(3) place the original location of the sept bearing the name Ceallachán
as being in the barony of Kinlea, in County Cork, an area they lost during the
Anglo-Norman conquest under Strongbow (12th century) causing them to
relocate to the vicinity of Mallow in the North of the county (with their main
strongholds being castles at Clonmeen and Dromaneen). Here they experienced
some four centuries of dominance, enjoying many earlier Gaelic customs such as
the creach or cattle-raid; one chief
of the Callaghan family (Donncha O'Callaghan, 1537-1578) was
reputed to have conducted more than two hundred raids across Ireland. They
remained in Cork until the Cromwellian plantation period (and the Irish
rebellion of 1641) where, following the final surrender of 1652, they lost
their ancestral lands and were transported to East Clare (in the barony of
Tulla, where the name of Clare village of "O'Callaghans Mills" remains in testament to that
resettlement). In further testament to those troubled times, just prior to
being forcibly evicted from their Cork lands, it is reported that at least
seventeen Callaghan’s had been declared outlaws! 20,000 acres (of 24,000 acres)
confiscated from the Callaghan’s were recorded as belonging to one Donncha O'Callaghan, making him the
most important Callaghan at that
time to be dispossessed of property. It seems that other members of the sept
either remained as tenants of the newly-installed English owners or fled to
Europe. Interestingly, the Dublin Genealogical Office (in 1994) supported Don
Juan O'Callaghan of Tortosa, Spain, in his claim to be the closest modern male
descendant of Donough O'Callaghan
adding supporting evidence to the exodus of many Callaghan’s to Europe during
the turbulent years (giving rise to the oddity that the surname Callaghan is a reasonably well known in
Spain!). In more modern times the descendants of the Callaghan sept have joined the broader Irish diaspora, being found
in almost every country of the world. Meanwhile, back home in Ireland, and in
an interesting twist to the story(4), the 20th Century,
saw a branch of the Callaghan family
returning to live in the ancestral land they were evited from in the
mid-fifteenth century! Talking of
miraculous things, apparently there was a Saint Callaghan, or Ceallachán,
who was a monk at Clontibret (County Monaghan, Ireland) with a feast day of the
24th of September. Of course it needs to be remembered that many of
these tales come from a very misty past, so they are not without contention
(none more so than names). Therefore, it is not surprising that academics (and
others) take positions based on arguments of sept history or Gaelic
language/grammar but the reality is that, what truths that may have existed,
are somewhat obscured by mists of history and so, in many respects, the legends
and facts will probably always be inseparably intertwined but hopefully that
will not diminish their value in our lives!
In terms of the Callaghan
Coat-of-Arms, such adornments have a somewhat chequered history, sometimes
having associations with occupying powers and specific strands of families.
Thus, while what is often regarded as a coat-of-arms for all Callaghan's, in
reality was associated with a particular sept. However, modern times have seen
a more generous adoption by the wider Callaghan
fraternity. In the case of the Callaghan
coat-of-arms, the official description is “Argent
in base a mount vert, on the dexter side a hurst of oak trees, therefrom
issuant a wolf passant towards the sinister all proper”. According to one
plausible explanation, the oak trees shown on the coat of arms, depict an oak forest that played a vital role in aiding the inauguration of Ceallachán as king (and were a
backdrop to the scene), with the wolf being an Irish wolfhound, a royal animal.
The dexter and sinister, are terms for right and left. Alternatively, (or maybe
as well as) the druids (whose influences had left their mark) believed the oak
tree was the most noble and ancient of trees forming a connection between the
real and otherworld and so it had special meaning. The motto which is often attached is “Fidus et audax” (Faithful and bold) with bold being strong or determined.
Finally, if you bear the name Callaghan, or perhaps have ancestors that bore the name somewhere
in your family tree, then you are joined to a fraternity whose shared genes or
spirit drive the dreams that make us who we are, and who we will be; while we
may never meet, we are all part of a great adventure whose story is still
unfolding :-)
Appendix:
The following web-links provide some
information on people bearing the 'Callaghan' family name (including all its
variants). If you would like to be included, or to include a deceased relative,
please email an A4 description, preferably in Microsoft WORD format but
other formats are acceptable (there is no cost). Include a minimum of: full
name, date/place of birth/death, photo & summary of life (you don't need to
be famous or have done special things to be included - both female and male
lines are equally welcome). The ambition for this project is to provide a
record (or memorial) to as many people bearing this family name (and all
variants) as possible, hopefully one that will outlive all our mortal lives!
Some Examples:
·
Cellachán mac Buadacháin (Ceallachán Caisil)
·
Leonard James
Callaghan (Jim Callaghan)
Notes:
(1)
Concerning the meaning of Callaghan, another view is that it was
derived from or "frequenter
of churches"
(2)
Prefixes to Irish names are formed as follows;
Bean Uí means wife of, ní in a girl’s
name means daughter of and ó means descended from (eg grandfather or earlier ancestor). Originally the
most common form was O’Callaghan
although the “O” was frequently
dropped to simplify official record keeping (especially when immigrating to
countries like the USA where clerks frequently dropped the “O” prefix to simplify filing).
(3)
Hereditary surnames are said to have
been introduced to Ireland sometime after 1100. For example, in the case of the
Callaghans, Murchadh Ua Ceallachán who lived in the
early eleventh century, and a grandson of the original King Ceallachán, was the first to
transit the surname hereditarily.
(4)
After the Ceallachán/Callaghan sept forfeited their Cork land it was taken
over by the Longfield family who, in 1720, built a grand house on original Ceallachán/Callaghan land. Reinforcing
the vigour of these changes, in 1795, Richard Longfield became Baron
Longueville. However, in a twist of fate,'Longueville House' and land was returned to the Callaghans in
1938, when it was purchased (from the Longfields) by Senator William O'Callaghan whose son Michael and wife Jane opened
it to the public in in 1969 as a simple Bed & Breakfast. More recently,
their eldest son William, with his wife Aisling, now run it as a luxurious guesthouse, with William O'Callaghan acting as head chef in its highly
acclaimed restaurant specialising in 'field-to-fork' food (food from
its working farm). The family are direct descendants of Donough O'Callaghan who fought in 1640 rising. This surely
was an amazing twist of fate that took these lands and the families concerned
on an adventure through numerous generations that was beyond the wildest
imagination of all but those harbour indestructible dreams and who never lose
fate!
Useful Sources of
Information:
·
Chris O'Callaghan “Book of The
Callaghan“, 365 pages, Co.
Cork, Ireland, 2014, ISBN: 978-0-9565354-2-9 - The first in-depth factual account of Ceallachán Caisil, the formidable Chief of the Eóganachta tribe and
King of Munster during the period 934-954. The book details 6 years of research
to reveal a successful and popular king whose legendary exploits have given him
a special place in Irish history
·
Joseph F.O Callaghan, "Clan Callaghan: The
O Callaghan Family of County Cork", 302 pages, publisher
Genealogical.Com, Inc, published 23 Nov 2020 (revised edition), ISBN: 9780806359168, 2020 (revised) - A well-researched book that traces the O'Callaghans (and variants of
the name) from their beginnings in Munster Ireland through the upheavals of history
which have seen their progeny scattered around the world.
·
Wikipedia Entry - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O'Callaghan
·
Edward MacLysaght, "Irish Family Their
names, Arms and Origins", Irish Academic Press, 1957, 1982,
1991, ISBN 0-7165-2364-7
·
Longueville House
– In case you are planning a visit to the Blackwater Valley, where the O'Callaghan clan lands were, this
small hotel has is situated on property confiscated by Cromwell in 1650 but
which returned to the O'Callaghans in 1938, when the Longfield family sold the
property to Senator William O'Callaghan, and continues
to be run by his descendants.
Last Updated: 29 July 2021