The Gahagan Family - Family History

Variations of the Name:

MacGeoghegan, McGeoghegan, M'Geoghegan, Mageoghegan, Geoghegan, Geoghan, Geoghagan, Geogan, Geohegan, Gahegan, Gahagan, Gahigan, Gehegan, Gaghegen, Gagan, Gegan, Geaghan, Geagan

Meaning of the Coat of Arms:
Blazon of arms:

Argent a lion rampant between dexter hands couped at the wrist gules.

Crest:

A greyhound passant or.
Much of the symbolism on the Geoghegan coat of arms is derived from the O'Neill arms, the Geoghegans being part of the Southern Ui Neill. The greyhound was a symbol of nobility. In ancient times only those of royal blood were permitted (or could afford to) own one. The or (gold or yellow) colour denotes generosity, valour and perseverance. The argent (silver or white) of the shield represents nobility and serenity. The lion rampant symbolises bravery, while its gules (red) colour represents fortitude and creative power. The severed red right hand is a feature of many coats of arms for families of the Uí Neill (i.e descendants of Niall). This same symbol is associated with the province of Ulster and appears on the Arms of that province and on the modern flag of Northern Ireland. There are at least two explanations of its origins. The first relates to the name of the son of Bolg or Nuadu, the Sun God of the Celts, and by some accounts the divine progenitor of all Celts. This son was know as Labraid Lámhdhearg (Labraid of the Red Hand). The association of the symbolic red hand with the Sun God, therefore makes it an appropriate heraldic icon. The second explanation is somewhat more fanciful. It notes that the hand is always the right hand and never the left (the only arms I have ever seen depicting a left hand are those of Devaney, a family associated with the north-west of Ireland). The story tells of a pact among the seven sons of Miledh of Esbain, the Celtic king who sons conquered Ireland, that the ruler of the new land would be whoever among them first tough the soil of the island. As the flotilla approached the shore, one of the sons took his sword, cut off his right hand and threw it to land, thus becoming the ruler. He must have been either left handed or pretty stupid (or both), otherwise it is unlikely that he could have thrown the severed hand well enough to accomplish his purpose. Certainly, he was left handed for the rest of his life. The story, if true, may relate to Erimhon who is reputed to have been the first Celtic ruler of the northern part of Ireland. His brother Ebher ruled the southern half. They were the only two of the seven brothers who survived the conquest.

History of the Name:

The sept of the MacGeoghegans is of the southern Uí Neill and of the stock of the famous King Niall of the Nine Hostages. Niall was High King of Ireland from 377 to 404 AD (approximately). His father was Eochaidh Muigh-Medon, of the Celtic line of Erimhon, one of the sons of Esbain who took Ireland from the Tuatha de Danann. Niall's mother was Carthann Cas Dubh, daughter of the king of Britain. Niall's first wife was Inné, mother of his son Fiacha, from who the Geoghegans are descended. He also had seven other sons with his second wife, Roighnech. Niall's ancestry can be traced back to Miledh of Esbain, King of Spain, whose wife was the daughter of the Egyptian Pharaoh Nectonibus. From there the line goes back fifteen generations to Niul (from whom the river Nile got its name) who was married to the daughter of Pharaoh Cingris (who drowned in the Red Sea when Moses rejoined the parted waters after the Israelites had made good their escape). As High King of Ireland, Niall reigned from the ancient Irish royal seat at Tara, in modern Co. Meath. During his reign he conquered all of Ireland and Scotland and much of Britain and Wales. He took a royal hostage from each of the nine kingdoms he subjugated, hence his famous nickname. He gave each of his sons a territory to govern. Fiacha was given a large area in the midlands. His descendants were known as Cenel Fiachaigh, anglicised at Kenaleagh and their territory was known by that name until Elizabethan times when it became the present barony of Moycashel, Co. Westmeath. Niall is also famous for bringing St. Patrick to Ireland as a slave. Patrick eventually escaped but returned to bring Christianity to the land of his captivity. It is said that when the saint was preaching the gospel in the Westmeath area, he was so badly received by Fiacha (his soldiers attacked Patrick's followers) that Patrick placed a curse on him to the effect that none of his descendants would ever be kings of Ireland. It is also said that Fiacha refused baptism from the good saint himself at Carn, near CastletownGeoghegan. The old name for this place was Carn Fhiachaigh, or Fiacha's burial mound.

(On the other hand, there is an ancient book called the Leabhar Breach, in which it is claimed that the Geoghegans are descended, not from Fiacha, son of Niall, but from a plebeian, Fiacha son of Aedh. This claim so enraged the descendants of Fiacha, that they killed the author of the passage, even though he was under the protection of Suanach, the abbot of the monastery of Rahin - and rightly so!)

The MacGeoghegan's, descendants of Fiacha, were of considerable importance up to the time of Cromwell when they suffered severely through war and confiscation. Fifteen MacGeoghegans, chiefs of Cenel Fiachaigh or Kinaleagh, sometimes called lords thereof, are mentioned in the 'Annals of the Four Masters' between 1291 and 1450, besides many others of the name, the last of these being Richard MacGeoghegan, who, after fighting with great gallantry, was killed at the siege of Dunboy in 1602. The military tradition was long maintained. Five of the sons of Charles MacGeoghegan of Sinan, Co. Westmeath, were killed during the Jacobite War in Ireland; and in the eighteenth century MacGeoghegans appear as soldiers on the continent, mostly in the service of France. The MacGeoghegan estates in Co. Westmeath were very extensive and were held by a number of different branches of the chiefly family. The most important of these properties was at Castletown, now called Castletown-Geoghegan. By the end of the seventeenth century the bulk of these vast estates had been confiscated or their owners, who ranked among the leading gentry of the county, outlawed.

Meaning of the Name:

In Irish the name is Mac (or Mag) Eochagáin, from Eochaidh, i.e. the now almost obsolete, but once common, Christian name Oghy. It will be observed that the initial 'G' of Geoghegan comes from the prefix Mag, a variant of Mac and the anglicised form Mageoghegan was formerly much used.

About the Clan:

The MacGeoghegan Family Society was founded by Jack Gargan in the late 1980's and issued its first newsletter in 1989. At that time it had about 500 members from all over the world. Through its efforts, there was a grand family gathering in CastletownGeoghegan in 1992, at which we inaugurated the same Jack as head of the family - The MacGeoghegan. Since then, in Jack's own words, 'interest has flagged' and the society has become somewhat dormant. In attempt to revive some interest and to provide a resource to all clan members and other Geoghegans, a web site has recently been set up. This includes lots of information relating to the name plus a visitors book where you can leave your contact information and short messages.