McGillycuddy of the Reeks
Encyclopedia
The McGillycuddy of the Reeks is one of the hereditary chiefs of the name
of Ireland. The current family head is Donough McGillycuddy, who lives in Himeville, KwaZulu-Natal
, South Africa
.
sent his trusted son, Mac Giolla, to be educated under the tutelage of Saint Mochuda at Lismore
. He hence became known as Mac Giolla Mochuda, which has been anglicised into McGillycuddy.
, Straffan
, County Kildare
, on 17 December 1939. His father, Dermot, a solicitor, joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
during the Battle of Britain
, rising to the rank of Squadron Leader. He was a keen sportsman: he was oarsman at Eton College
and Trinity College, Dublin
and played rugby. He became well known in Irish legal and sporting circles and as manager of Punchestown race course. The Chieftain's mother was the fourth daughter of an eminent Irish bloodstock breeder.
McGillycuddy was principally educated at Eton, and briefly at Neuchâtel University. He ran and rowed at Eton before joining the Irish Guards
in 1958, in which he served until 1962. He later spent a year at Le Pin-au-Haras
, headquarters of the French National Stud in Normandy
, studying bloodstock breeding and equitation. He married Wendy O'Connor Don
Spencer at Winwick
, Northamptonshire
on 4 April 1964. Her father was the late George Spencer, JP, FRS, who married Susan Ballam, born at Manorhamilton, County Leitrim
, in 1931.
McGillycuddy and his wife have four children: Piers, Lavinia, Michael and Jocelyn.
is Piers Donough Edward George McGillycuddy (born 17 April 1965 at Rowston Manor, Lincolin). Educated at Summerfields and Gordonstoun
, Piers has worked much of his life in London
and Marbella
, Spain. He has travelled widely, sailed the Atlantic and runs a company.
Other Munster families
Chiefs of the Name
The Chief of the Name, or in older English usage Captain of his Nation, is the recognised head of a family or clan...
of Ireland. The current family head is Donough McGillycuddy, who lives in Himeville, KwaZulu-Natal
Himeville, KwaZulu-Natal
Himeville is a small village/town situated in the foothills of the picturesq Southern Drakensberg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, approx 130 km from Pietermaritzburg. It is a landmark en-route to the world famous Sani Pass and the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Mythology
The McGillycuddy of the Reeks is a direct descendant of Mogh Nuaghad, King of Munster, who ruled around 125 AD, and his son, the celebrated Prince Olioll Olum (d. 234), the 43rd direct descendant of the Spanish warrior Milesius, (1284 BC).History
The name McGillycuddy originates from when O'Sullivan MórO'Sullivan
O'Sullivan or simply Sullivan is an Irish surname, associated with the southwestern part of Ireland, originally found in County Tipperary before the Anglo-Norman invasion, then in County Cork and County Kerry, which due to emigration is also common in Australia, North America and Britain...
sent his trusted son, Mac Giolla, to be educated under the tutelage of Saint Mochuda at Lismore
Lismore, County Waterford
Lismore is a town in County Waterford, Ireland. It is located where the N72 road crosses the River Blackwater.-History:It was founded by Saint Mochuda, also known as Saint Carthage. In the 7th century, Lismore was the site of the well-known Lismore Abbey. It is also home to Lismore Castle, the...
. He hence became known as Mac Giolla Mochuda, which has been anglicised into McGillycuddy.
Current chieftain
The current chieftain, Donough McGillycuddy, was born at BishopscourtBishopscourt
Bishopscourt can relate to:*Bishopscourt, a southern suburb of Cape Town, South Africa*Bishopscourt, a gothic architecture building in East Melbourne, Victoria*Bishopscourt, a historic house in Sydney, Australia....
, Straffan
Straffan
Sruthán was mistakenly cited by Thomas O'Connor in the Ordnance Survey Letters in 1837, and adopted as the Irish form of Straffan. Seosamh Laoide used it in his list of Irish names of post-offices published in Post-Sheanchas . An Sruthán gained currency among those involved in the Irish revival...
, County Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
, on 17 December 1939. His father, Dermot, a solicitor, joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve consists of a number of groupings of individual military reservists for the management and operation of the Royal Air Force's Air Training Corps and CCF Air Cadet formations, Volunteer Gliding Squadrons , Air Experience Flights, and also to form the...
during the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
, rising to the rank of Squadron Leader. He was a keen sportsman: he was oarsman at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
and played rugby. He became well known in Irish legal and sporting circles and as manager of Punchestown race course. The Chieftain's mother was the fourth daughter of an eminent Irish bloodstock breeder.
McGillycuddy was principally educated at Eton, and briefly at Neuchâtel University. He ran and rowed at Eton before joining the Irish Guards
Irish Guards
The Irish Guards , part of the Guards Division, is a Foot Guards regiment of the British Army.Along with the Royal Irish Regiment, it is one of the two Irish regiments remaining in the British Army. The Irish Guards recruit in Northern Ireland and the Irish neighbourhoods of major British cities...
in 1958, in which he served until 1962. He later spent a year at Le Pin-au-Haras
Le Pin-au-Haras
Le Pin-au-Haras is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.-References:*...
, headquarters of the French National Stud in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, studying bloodstock breeding and equitation. He married Wendy O'Connor Don
O'Conor Don
The Ó Conchubhair Donn is the hereditary Prince and Chief of the Name of the Royal Family of Connacht, the Clan Ó Conchubhair.-Overview:...
Spencer at Winwick
Winwick
Winwick may refer to:*Winwick, Cambridgeshire, England*Winwick, Cheshire, England*Winwick, Northamptonshire, England...
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
on 4 April 1964. Her father was the late George Spencer, JP, FRS, who married Susan Ballam, born at Manorhamilton, County Leitrim
County Leitrim
County Leitrim is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the county...
, in 1931.
McGillycuddy and his wife have four children: Piers, Lavinia, Michael and Jocelyn.
The next generation
The designated táinisteTanistry
Tanistry was a Gaelic system for passing on titles and lands. In this system the Tanist was the office of heir-apparent, or second-in-command, among the Gaelic patrilineal dynasties of Ireland, Scotland and Man, to succeed to the chieftainship or to the kingship.-Origins:The Tanist was chosen from...
is Piers Donough Edward George McGillycuddy (born 17 April 1965 at Rowston Manor, Lincolin). Educated at Summerfields and Gordonstoun
Gordonstoun
Gordonstoun School is a co-educational independent school for boarding and day pupils in Moray in North East Scotland. Named after the estate originally owned by Sir Robert Gordon in the 1600s, the school now uses this estate as its campus...
, Piers has worked much of his life in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Marbella
Marbella
Marbella is a town in Andalusia, Spain. It is situated on the Mediterranean Sea, in the province of Málaga, beneath the La Concha mountain. In 2000 the city had 98,823 inhabitants, in 2004, 116,234, in 2010 approximately 135,000....
, Spain. He has travelled widely, sailed the Atlantic and runs a company.
See also
- Irish nobilityIrish nobilityThis article concerns the Gaelic nobility of Ireland from ancient to modern times. It only partly overlaps with Chiefs of the Name because it excludes Scotland and other discussion...
- EóganachtaEóganachtaThe 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...
- Eóganacht ChaisilEóganacht ChaisilEóganacht Chaisil were a branch of the Eóganachta, the ruling dynasty of Munster during the 5th-10th centuries. They took their name from Cashel which was the capital of the early Christian kingdom of Munster...
- O'SullivanO'SullivanO'Sullivan or simply Sullivan is an Irish surname, associated with the southwestern part of Ireland, originally found in County Tipperary before the Anglo-Norman invasion, then in County Cork and County Kerry, which due to emigration is also common in Australia, North America and Britain...
- Irish royal familiesIrish Royal FamiliesThe Irish Royal Families were dynasties who ruled large overkingdoms and smaller petty kingdoms on the island of Ireland over the last two millennia.-Locality:...
Other Munster families
- O'Callaghan
- O'DonoghueO'DonoghueDonoghue or O'Donoghue is an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of the Gaelic Ó Donnchadha or Ó Donnchú ‘descendant of Donnchadh’, a personal name composed of the elements donn = ‘brown-haired man’ or ‘lord’ + cath = ‘battle’....
- O'DonovanO'DonovanO'Donovan or Donovan is an Irish surname, as well as a hereditary Gaelic title. It is also written Dhonnabháin in certain grammatical contexts, and Donndubháin, being originally composed of the elements donn, meaning lord or dark brown, dubh, meaning dark or black, and the diminutive suffix án...
- O'Brien, Prince of ThomondBaron InchiquinBaron Inchiquin is one of the older titles in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1543 for Murrough O'Brien, Prince of Thomond, who was descended from the great high king Brian Boru)...
- O'Grady of Kilballyowen