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Brief History of the O'Byrne ClannThe Clann O'Byrne traces its origin to Bran, or Braen,
meaning "Raven"who was a son of Maelmorda and died in the year 1052. His father,
Maelmorda, was King of Leinster (the Southeastern part of Ireland which includes
Co.Wicklow) and died after the Battle of Clontarf in 1014. Maelmorda had led the
Leinster Irish in alliance with the
The O'Byrnes originally lived on the flat plains
bordering the River Liffey in the northern part of present day Co.Kildare. A
little over a century after the death of Bran, the O'Byrnes as well as their
closely related allies the O'Tooles were forced to move from their homes by the
Norman invasion of Strongbow and the English in the late Twelfth Century. This
invasion was prompted by a struggle over the same Kingship of Leinster which
previously been held by Bran, our ancestor. Strongbow's invasion route to
capture Dublin was right through the territory of the O'Byrnes and O'Tooles who
were easily defeated. A few years after the Normans defeated the Leinster Irish,
the O'Byrnes and their allies the O'Tooles moved to the protection of the wild
and rugged mountains of Wicklow. These mountains provided them the sanctuary
which enabled them to increase in size and strength. After the initial conquest
of Ireland by England, the power of the English Kings and their representatives
in Ireland decreased. Despite periodic forays into the countryside and
occasional English victories, the rule of English law and custom was only secure
inside the "Pale", a small area surrounding Dublin. For almost three hundred
years the O'Byrnes and their allies the O'Tooles were the most powerful force
south of Dublin. The O'Byrne's Country known in Irish as "Crioch Branach" began
in the very north of Co.Wicklow near Delgany and extended south along the sea to
just north of Arklow. The O'Byrne's Country spread into the mountains and
included the territory of the "Gabhal Raghnaill" or Ranelagh which was centered
in Ballinacor. The O'Byrnes were led by Chiefs who were elected from a small
group of eligible clansmen. The O'Byrne Chiefs were "Chief of the Name" and were
titled "O'Byrne" or "The O'Byrne." They were inaugurated near Delgany on a high
hill near the sea called Dun Caillighe Bearre. This was the site of an ancient
hill fort or Dun. Today it is known as Downs Hill, and from its top one can see
the Irish sea and much of O'Byrnes Country. In addition to the small leadership
group which contributed eligible candidates for election as Chiefs, there were
other significant groups of subordinate O'Byrne families known as Septs. The
greatest of these Septs was the O'Byrnes of Ranelagh or "Gabhal Raghnaill".
Another Sept was the O'Byrnes of Clonmore, County Carlow from which descends our
current elected Chieftain, Val Byrne of Bray, Co.Wicklow. The new Stewart King, James I, who took the throne
after Elizabeth's death in 1603 was intent on enforcing strict English control.
This included forcing all of Ireland to abandon Gaelic language, customs and law
and replacing them with those from England. In order to preserve their control
over Ireland, England destroyed the Clann system. Chiefs no longer served the
same function as leaders, and all of the Irish Clans ceased to inaugurate their
Chiefs by the early Seventeenth Century. The last inauguration of an O'Byrne
Chief was in 1578. Clan owned lands were forfeited and transplanted with English
and Scots. Religion was used as a litmus test of ones loyalty to the English
Crown. Byrnes would continue to contribute to the history of Ireland, but after
the end of the Tudor reign the O'Byrne clan and all of its Septs would cease to
exist as an entity. In 1641, 1689 and 1798 the Irish would rebel against the
rule of England, and in every instance the revolts were effectively put down.
The Byrnes of Ballymanus, Co.Wicklow played an important leadership role in the
1798 uprising. After each of the unsuccessful rebellions many Irish, Byrnes
included, were forced to emigrate. After the 1689 rebellion, many O'Byrnes
went to France as part of the Irish International Brigade known as the Wild
Geese. After the unsuccessful 1798 rebellion, Australia, and to a lesser extent,
America, would become the recipient of numerous Byrnes. Unsuccessful rebellions
were not the only cause of emigration for Byrnes. Economic conditions in Ireland
in the Nineteenth Century, especially the Famine of the 1840's caused the
greatest amount of emigration. In the Twentieth Century, Byrnes played their
part in achieving the independence for Ireland in 1922. Pat Byrne OTHER HISTORICAL DATA Settlement and Social Life in Feagh McHugh O'Byrne's Ballinacor by Harry Long Feagh
McHugh O'Byrne; Forgotten Leader of the Nine Years War
By David Edwards |
Norse of Dublin
against Brian Boru. This battle is usually portrayed as the Irish united against
the foreign invaders; in fact it was a mere power struggle. After Maelmorda was
killed in 1014, his son Bran became King of Leinster, but he only ruled for four
years. In 1018 Bran was blinded by a rival named Sihtric. This disabling of Bran
made him ineligible to be King, since under the ancient Irish Brehon laws only
eligible family members who were physically unblemished could serve as leader
(King or Clann chief). He later died in a monastery in Cologne, Germany in
1052. Bran's descendants referred to themselves as "O'Bran" meaning grandson
or descendent of Bran. "O'Bran" became "O'Broin" (pronounced "O'Brin") in Gaelic
and in later centuries became somewhat anglicized as O'Byrne. When our ancestors
told us that we were descended from Kings, they were right! 
In
the Sixteenth Century the O'Byrne Chief, Thady O'Byrne, and the Clan leadership
living on the plains near the sea submitted to English rule. The subordinate
Sept of Ranelagh living in the mountains and led by Hugh McShane O'Byrne refused
to follow their Chief and would not submit to English rule. Thady O'Byrne died
in 1578 and was succeeded as Chief by Dunlaing O'Byrne who also was unwilling to
resist the English. In 1580 both the new Chief Dunlaing and the mountain warrior
Hugh McShane O'Byrne died. Hugh was