O'Hanlon History References

Some useful references are listed below for those interested in learning more about the origins of the Ua h-Anluain sept and its 1,000 year history. Links are also included for some major events in Irish history which affected the Clann.

Please note that a full account of Clann O'Hanlon's history is presented on the O'Hanlon History page (contents listed below for information).

This page is purely a list of links to references for further reading.

History Contents

Heraldry

Coats of Arms, Crests, Mottoes

• County Louth Archaeological and Historical Journal - external link
  Table of contents of the journal which lists an article entitled "O�Hanlon tomb and arms in Newtown lordship" by Seumas Ua Cuinn (J. Quinn), found in volume II part 1 (1908), pages 57-61. Note: I have a copy of this article if anybody would like more details.
  
  
• Family Mottoes - external link
  A personal webpage listing various family mottoes taken from "The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales" by Sir John Bernard Burke, and from Irish Family Mottoes by Tom�s � Baoill.
  
  
• www.irishsurnames.com - external link
  A commercial site with excellent quality graphics. Images are copyright, but licence is granted to use one image on a homepage for personal, non-commercial use. The O'Hanlon coat of arms used throughout the Hanlon Homepage comes from this site, with thanks.
  
  
• http://www.araltas.com/heraldry/ - external link
  A commercial site with some very nice coats of arms. Images are copyright Eddie Geoghegan, with permission to use up to ten images for non-commercial purposes. The O'Hanlon coat of arms with an ermine boar comes from this site, with thanks.
  
  
• Dundalk Coat of Arms - external link
  A fourteenth century coat of arms for the city of Dundalk, incorporating the O'Hanlon boar. Part of Ralph Hartemink's International Civic Arms website. With thanks to Ralph for his permission to reproduce the coat of arms on this site.

Ancient History

The Three Collas, Oriel and Orior

Clann Ua h�nluain is descended of Colla da Crioch, one of three brothers who were known as The Three Collas. These brothers conquered a large part of Ulster which became known as Airghialla in Gaelic (Oriel in English). The O'Hanlons were lords of an Eastern territory within Oriel, a land known as Oirthear in Gaelic (Orior in English).

• The Monarchs of Ireland - external link
  A list of the names and dates of reign of the High Kings of Ireland including the three Collas. Part of Eddie Geoghegan's excellent website Coats of Arms from Ireland and Around the World.
  
  
• The Lords of Oriel - external link
  A brief discussion of the geography and tribes of Airgialla (Oriel). Mentions the O'Hanlons but focuses on the northhwestern part of Oriel (now County Monaghan) and the family names of MacMahon and Early who remained there. The Hanlons retained Orior, in the east of Oriel.
  
  
• Old Irish Kingdoms and Clans: Oriel - external link
  Very brief history and geography of the origins of Oriel (Airgialla). Mentions O'Hanlons but deals mainly with MacMahons in Monaghan.

Ancient Texts

The Milesian Genealogies and Ancient Irish Texts

• O'Hanlons in Ancient Irish Texts
  This page has a chronological list citing all the references to Clann Ua'h-Anluain in the ancient Irish texts: The Annals of The Four Masters, Annals of Ulster, Annals of Connaught, Annals of Tigernach and MacCarthaigh's Book.
  
  
• The Milesian Genealogies - external link
  Though written in the years 1632-1636 the Milesian Genealogies are in fact far older. Some historians believe these Irish pedigrees are fairly accurate back to the 6th or possibly the 5th century A.D.. They were compiled in the convent of Donegal by a Franciscan monk, Michael O'Clery, after sixteen years of searching throughout Ireland for old manuscripts (1616-32). Amongst the old documents were the ancient verbal genealogies which Ireland's first monks committed to paper when Christianity came to Ireland in the 5th century. St Patrick was in fact one of the nine personages appointed by the triennial parliament of Tara in the fifth century to review, examine, and purge errors from all the old chronicles, genealogies, and records of the Kingdom. (He arrived in Ireland in 432 AD.)
  Note: Allowances must be made for Mr. O'Clery's religious persuasion when dealing with his records of anything earlier than the fifth century AD. In a noble effort to complete this opus magnus he composed a remarkable theory of descendancy in which every Irish clann was traced ALL the way back - to Adam and Eve!

Maps

• Ireland's History in Maps - external link
  Excellent collection of maps reconstructed from written records representing the territory names and predominant family names at various periods in time. (With thanks to Dennis Walsh for providing this outstanding resource and for permission to reproduce maps on this site.)
  • 400 A.D.: shows Orghialla and the 3 collas.
  • 500 A.D.: shows the Airgialla.
  • 600 A.D.: shows the separation of Airgialla and Airthir.
  • 700 A.D.: shows Airgialla and Airthir.
  • 800 A.D.: shows Oirghialla.
  • 950 A.D.: shows Airghialla.
  • 1000 A.D.: shows Airgialla.
  • 1100 A.D.: shows Ua hAnluain as dynastic surname of Airthir.
  • 1200 A.D.: shows the Ua hAnluain in Airgialla.
  • 1300 A.D.: shows O'Hanlon as a medieval Irish surname.
  • 1300 A.D.: shows O'Hanlon's Country as a territory.
  • 1400 A.D.: O'Hanlon not shown (included with O'Neill of the Fews).
  • 1500 A.D.: shows Orior and the Fews separately in Armagh; Oriel in Monaghan.
  • 1600 A.D.: shows O'Hanlon name after the Plantation of Ulster in southern Armagh, southern Monaghan, northern Louth.
  
  
• Hanlon Surname in Griffith's Valuation 1848-1864 - external link
  A very nice collection of maps of Ireland made by Dennis Garvey based on the data from Griffith's Valuation of Ireland 1848-1864. The main map shows the distribution of the Hanlon surname by county, highlighting counties with large numbers of Hanlons. Further maps are included at Parish level for the four main counties with many Hanlons:
  • County Armagh, 1864: mostly in the Parish of Killevy.
  • County Cork, 1851-53: mostly in Donaghmore, Doneraile and Kilshanig.
  • County Donegal, 1857: mostly in the Parish of Templecrone.
  • County Louth, 1854: mostly in the Parish of Carlingford.

Lords of Orior

• Families in Ireland from the 11th to the End of the 16th Century - external link
  A list of family names quoted from "A Topographical and Historical Map of Ancient Ireland" by Philip MacDermott, M.D. Amongst the principal families in Ireland in this period it cites Lord O'Hanlon of County Armagh.
  
  
• The Rise of the Gabhal Raghnaill - external link
  An account of the Chieftains of Armagh in battle against Henry VII and Henry VIII in the 15th & 16th Century which mentions the O'Hanlons. Written by Emmett O'Byrne.
  
  
• The Book of Rights
  A useful text about Elizabethan Ireland. Used to be on the web at http://members.nbci.com/pattraynor/index.htm, but is no longer there. In summary: The native chiefs held their independence down to 1586 A.D. in the reign of Elizabeth I, when Armagh was formed into a county by the Lord Deputy, Sir John Perrott. At that time all the eastern part of the Kingdom of Orgiall, called "Oirthear," was occupied by septs of the race of Niallan: including the baronies of East and West Orior [part of Armagh]. The sept of O'h-Anluain (i.e. the O'Hanlons), who possessed the two latter baronies, were descended from the aforesaid Niallan, a descendant of Colla-da-Chrioch.
  
  
• Sir John Perrot (1527 - 92) - external link
  A biographical essay mentioning Sir John's taking hostages at Newry in August 1584. As a pledge of loyalty from the Irish chieftains he took the sons of Tuelough Luineach O'Neill, Magennis, MacMahon and O'Hanlon.
  
  
• Clans and families of Ireland and Scotland - external link
  Sir Oghie O'Hanlon's surrender in 1587 to the British Crown and the regrant of his lands by letters of patent. According to this account "owing to his loyalty to the English", most of Clann O'Hanlon's lands were retained by the clann up to the Cromwellian clearances of the mid 1600's.

End of Gaelic Lords

Nine Years War, Flight of the Earls, Plantation of Ulster

While Sir Eocha O'Hanlon tried to retain his title and lands, fighting alongside the English, his son Oghy Og fought with the Gaelic Lords against the English. The nine years war was brought to a close by the Battle of Kinsale starting in the Autumn of 1601 and ending with a disastrous attack on Christmas Eve 1601, though the final peace treaty was only signed in March 1603. Fearing for their lives, many of the Gaelic chieftains fled abroad with their families in 1607. The result of the defeat at Kinsale and the flight of the Earls was the confiscation of lands from the gaelic Lords of Ulster, and their redistribution to English and Scottish planters in the Plantation of Ulster of 1609.

• Battle of Kinsale - external link
  Good coverage of the battle; no mention of the O'Hanlons.
  
  
• Battle of Kinsale - external link
  Another account of the Battle of Kinsale from www.irishclans.com.
  
  
• The First Census of the Fews - 1602 - external link
  A census of the Fews in County Armagh detailing the clansmen of Turlagh O'Neill who were pardoned for their part in the nine years war. Includes 5 O'Hanlons.
  
  
• Kinsale: The Consequences - external link
  Brief account of the end of the nine years war and the flight of the earls.
  
  
• The Flight of The Earls - external link
  Detailed account of the battle of Kinsale and the end of the nine years war with the flight of the earls.
  
  
• Flight of The Earls - external link
  No mention of the O'Hanlons, but a good account of the 1607 Flight of the Earls and events leading up to it, e.g. Queen Elizabeth's Act of Supremacy.
  
  
• The Flight of The Earls - external link
  Good account of Hugh O'Neill's uneasy cooperation with the British and his part in the nine years war and the flight of the earls.
  
  
• Irish Historical Mysteries: The Flight of The Earls - external link
  Outstanding scholarly discussion of the flight of the earls and the reasons behind it.
  
  
• Irish Troubles - The Plantations - external link
  Part of "Desmond's Concise History of Ireland" by Jerry Desmond, this gives a numerate discussion of the three main plantations - Ulster in 1609, Cromwellian in 1652 and Williamite in 1693 - as well as the Great Hunger of 1845-8. The author confirms the O'Hanlons participation in the battle of Kinsale saying "the Ulster confiscations were directed almost exclusively at the Gaelic lords and their supporters who had been defeated at Kinsale: O'Neill, O'Donnell, O'Reilly, O'Hanlon, O'Doherty and others."
  
  
• The Plantation of Ulster - external link
  Gives a little background to the Ulster Plantation of 1609, and much detail of the subsequent rebellion of 23rd October 1641, ending with Cromwell's arrival in Ireland on August 13th 1649. Asserts that The O'Hanlon fought against England in the nine years war, and had his lands confiscated in the rebellion.

After The Plantation

• Poyntzpass Local History - external link
  A spirited account of how this part of Armagh came to be taken from the O'Hanlons and given to the Poyntz family in 1608. The next generation was also in conflict with the O'Hanlons: Sir Toby Poyntz, son of Sir Charles Poytnz who was originally granted the land, was amongst those involved in the hunt for the rapparee Redmond O'Hanlon.
  
  
• Tayto Castle - external link
  History of O'Hanlon castle written by its present owners, Tayto (NI) Ltd.

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O'Hanlon coats of arms, maps and Dundalk arms appear by permission (linked to source).
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