Ó hEidirsceoil
Encyclopedia
Ó hEidirsceoil, Gaelic
-Irish
surname
, anglicised as Driscoll
.
The original Eidirsceol from whom descent is claimed is reputed to have lived in the mid tenth century.
The family are of Érainn, descent, specifically the Corcu Loígde
population group. By the time the family began using the surname, the territory known as Corcu Loígde (roughly the same as the diocese of Ross
) in south-west County Cork
, was identified as their homeland, with the town of Baltimore
been their seat. From the 1100's the Ó hEidirsceoil's were recorded as kings of Corcu Loígde.
Been driven so far south by the Gaelic Eóganachta
and the Anglo-Norman
s, the family became expert sailors and pirates. According to John Grenham:
They are described by Donnchadh Ó Corráin
as follows:
Though the landowners of the clan lost all of their possession during the 17th century, most of those bearing the name in Ireland are still to be found living in the old family homeland.
Forenames associated with the family included Finn and Con/Mac Con. From the late medieval era, they were anglicized as Florence and Cornelius.
. AI=Annals of Inisfallen
.
Gaels
The Gaels or Goidels are speakers of one of the Goidelic Celtic languages: Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx. Goidelic speech originated in Ireland and subsequently spread to western and northern Scotland and the Isle of Man....
-Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
, anglicised as Driscoll
Driscoll (surname)
Driscoll is one derivation of the Irish Gaelic surname O'Driscoll. The Irish for O'Driscoll is Ó hEidirsceoil. It originates from Cork in the province of Munster where the O'Driscolls were, in ancient times, a powerful clan. They descend from an early High King of Ireland known as Lugaid mac Con...
.
Overview
The surname derives from the forename Eidirsceol, who was alive in the early-to-mid 10th century. The word itself, eidirsceol, means "go-between" or "bearer of news".The original Eidirsceol from whom descent is claimed is reputed to have lived in the mid tenth century.
The family are of Érainn, descent, specifically the Corcu Loígde
Corcu Loígde
The Corcu Loígde , meaning Gens of the Calf Goddess, also called the Síl Lugdach meic Itha, were a kingdom centered in West County Cork who descended from the proto-historical rulers of Munster, the Dáirine, of whom they were the principal royal sept...
population group. By the time the family began using the surname, the territory known as Corcu Loígde (roughly the same as the diocese of Ross
Diocese of Ross
The Diocese of Ross was an ecclesiastical territory or diocese in Scotland in the Middle Ages and Early Modern period. The Diocese was led by the Bishop of Ross, and was based at Fortrose. The diocese had only one Archdeacon, the Archdeacon of Ross, first attested in 1223 with the appearance of...
) in south-west County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
, was identified as their homeland, with the town of Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
been their seat. From the 1100's the Ó hEidirsceoil's were recorded as kings of Corcu Loígde.
Been driven so far south by the Gaelic Eóganachta
Eóganachta
The Eóganachta or Eoghanachta were an Irish dynasty centred around Cashel which dominated southern Ireland from the 6/7th to the 10th centuries, and following that, in a restricted form, the Kingdom of Desmond, and its offshoot Carbery, well into the 16th century...
and the Anglo-Norman
Anglo-Norman
The Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. A small number of Normans were already settled in England prior to the conquest...
s, the family became expert sailors and pirates. According to John Grenham:
- From the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries they struck an alliance with the Powers of Co. WaterfordWaterfordWaterford is a city in the South-East Region of Ireland. It is the oldest city in the country and fifth largest by population. Waterford City Council is the local government authority for the city and its immediate hinterland...
in their long feud with the burgesses and merchants of Waterford city, and many of their leaders were killed in battle on land and sea. One of the best known incidents occurred in 1413, when the Mayor of Waterford, Simon Wicken, arrived in Baltimore on Christmas Day and was invited to join in the Christmas festivities. He did, and enjoyed the company so much that he took O’Driscoll and his family back to Waterford, as prisoners. From the fifteenth century on, the family struggled to retain their lands and power against the English. By 1610, Baltimore had become an English port and there is some evidence that the family may have had a hand in the notorious pillage of the town by AlgerianAlgeriaAlgeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
pirates in 1631; a year earlier there had been reports of one Cornelius O’Driscoll "an Irish pirate with his rendezvous in Barbary". [1]
They are described by Donnchadh Ó Corráin
Donnchadh Ó Corráin
Donnchadh Ó Corráin is an Irish historian and Professor Emeritus of Medieval History at University College Cork. He is an early Irish and mediaeval historian and has published on the Viking Wars, Ireland in the pre-Hiberno-Norman period and the origin of Irish language names.-Works:Ó Corráin's...
as follows:
- In general, the seafaring peoples of the south and west coast — Ua hEtersceóil, Ua Muirchertaig, Ua Conchobair Chiarraige, Ua Domnaill of Corcu Baiscind, Ua FlaithbeartaigO'FlahertyÓ Flaithbertaigh, Gaelic-Irish surname, anglicized as O'Flaherty-Overview:This Gaelic-Irish surname is written as "Ua Flaithbertach" or "Ua Flaithbertaig" in Old Irish and Middle Irish texts....
, Ua Dubda, and others served as commanders of the king’s fleets. [2]
Though the landowners of the clan lost all of their possession during the 17th century, most of those bearing the name in Ireland are still to be found living in the old family homeland.
Forenames associated with the family included Finn and Con/Mac Con. From the late medieval era, they were anglicized as Florence and Cornelius.
Annalistic references
U=Annals of UlsterAnnals of Ulster
The Annals of Ulster are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years between AD 431 to AD 1540. The entries up to AD 1489 were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, under his patron Cathal Óg Mac Maghnusa on the island of Belle Isle on Lough Erne in the...
. AI=Annals of Inisfallen
Annals of Inisfallen
The Annals of Inisfallen are a chronicle of the medieval history of Ireland. There are more than 2,500 entries spanning the years between AD 433 and AD 1450, but it is believed to have been written between the 12th and 15th centuries...
.
- U944: Cairpre son of Mael Pátraic, king of Uí, Liatháin, and Finn son of Mután, king of Corcu Laígdi, were killed by the men of Mag Féine.
- AI1103: Conchobar Ua hEtersceóil, king of Corcu Laígde, died in Ros Ailithir.
- AI1103: The son of Ua hEtersceóil, king of Corcu Laígde, went to sea with a crew of twenty-five, {and unknown is their faring or their end thereafter}.
- AI1126: Ciarmac Ua hEtersceóil died.
- AI1178: Muirchertach, grandson of Domnall Ua Carthaig, was treacherously slain by Ua hEtersceóil {in Móin Cluana Cuarbáin and Hector(?)
- AI1179: The son of Finn Ua hEtersceóil was slain.
- AI1229: Donnchad Ó hEtersceóil, king of Corcu Laígde, died.
External links
- http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~irlkik/ihm/ire1100.htm
- http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm?fuseaction=Go.&UserID= [1]
- http://www.libraryireland.com/articles/GarryowlCastleIDJ/index.php
- http://www.fluckers.com/family/driscoll/
- http://www.ucc.ie/celt/nation_kingship.html [2]