The Chief Irish Families of Munster

The following is a brief summary of the Irish families in Munster, beginning with the three branches of the race of Heber: namely, the Dalcassians, the Eugenians, and the Clan Cian.

I.  The Dalcassians:  According to Connellan, the chief families of this sept were - Lysacht, MacArthur, MacBruodin, MacClancy, MacConry, MacCurtin, MacDonnell, MacEniry, MacGrath, MacMahon, MacNamara, O'Ahern, O'Brien, O'Brody, O'Casey, O'Cashin, O'Considine, O'Davoran, O'Dea, O'Duhig, O'Grady, O'Hanraghan, O'Hartigan, O'Hea, O'Healy (modernized Haley and Hayley), O'Heap, O'Heffernan, O'Hehir, O'Hickey, O'Hogan, O'Hurly (modernized Harley), O'Kearney, O'Kennedy, O'Liddy, O'Lonergan, O'Meara, O'Molony, O'Noonan (or O'Nunan), O'Quinn, O'Shanahan (or O'Shannon), O'Sheehan O'Slattery, O'Spillane, O'Twomey, etc.

The following were also of the Dalcassian race: the families of MacCoghlan, chiefs in the King's County; O'Finnelan (or O'Fenelon), and O'Skully, chiefs in Teffia, or Westmeath.

II. The Eugenians:  Of these the chief families were - MacAuliffe, MacCarthy, MacDonagh, MacElligot, MacFinneen, MacGillicuddy, O'Callaghan, O'Cullen, O'Donohoe, O'Finnegan, O'Flannery, O'Fogarty, O'Keeffe, O'Kerwick (anglicised "Berwick" and Kirby"), O'Lechan (or Lyons), O'Mahony, O'Meehan, O'Moriarty, O'Sullivan. O'Treacy, etc.

III.  The Clan Cian were, as already stated, located in Ormond or the present county of Tipperary; and the heads of the Clan were O'Carroll, princes of Ely.  The other families were - MacKeogh (or Kehoe), O'Corcoran, O'Dulounty (anglicised O'Delahunty), O'Meagher.  O'Connor, chiefs of Cianaght (now Keenaght) in the county Londonderry; and O'Gara and O'Hara, lords of Lieny and Coolavin in the county Sligo, were also branches of the Clan Cian of Munster.

IV.  The Ithians, who were also called Darinians, were descended from Ithe, or Ithius, uncle of Milesius.

V. The Clan-na-Deagha were also called Degadians and Ernans, from two of their distinguished ancestors; they were celebrated chiefs in Munster, but were originally descended, as already shown, from the Heremonians of Ulster.  Of this Clan the principal families in Munster were - O'Falvey, hereditary admirals of Desmond; O'Connell, of Kerry, Limerick, and Clare; O'Donegan, O'Fihilly, O'Flynn, O'Shee or O'Shea, O'Baisan or O'Basken, and O'Donnell of the county Clare, etc.

VI.  The Irians (or "Clan-na-Rory") of Ulster also settled several families of note in Munster, as early as the first and second centuries; of whom were the following: O'Connor, lords or princes of Kerry; O'Connor, lords of Corcomroe in Clare; and O'Loghlin, lords of Burren, also in Clare.  Of this race were also O'Farrel, lords or princes of Annaly; MacRannal (anglicised "Reynolds"), lords of Muintir Eoluis, in the county Leitrim, etc.

VII.  Of the Leinster Milesians of the race of Heremon, were some chiefs and clans of note in Munster, as O'Felan, princes of Desies in Waterford; and O'Bric, chiefs in Waterford; O'Dwyer and O'Ryan, chiefs in Tipperary; and O'Gorman, chiefs in Clare.

King Henry the Second, A.D. 1180, granted part of the kingdom of Thomond to Herbert Fitzherbert; but he having resigned his claims, it was granted by King John to William and Philip de Braosa.  In the thirteenth century, King Henry the Third gave to Thomas de Clare, son of the earl of Gloucester, a grant of the whole kingdom of Thomond or "O'Brien's Country," as it was called; but the O'Briens and other chiefs in Thomond maintained for centuries fierce contests with the Anglo-Norman and English settlers, in defence of their national independence.

REF:
'Irish Pedigrees' by O'Hart, Volume 1, Page 803, dated 1892, reprinted 1989.