heffernan Web Site

My name is <Donal Laurence Heffernan (Uí Fearnáin)> and I started this site. Initially it was to trace and record the origins of the Heffernan/Knox clans of Kildare and beyond. As it has progressed and more families are drawn into its scope, I have endeavoured to add the basic details of each. I hope that all who join will add their own exclusive knowledge to the ever-growing story. Feel free to upload relevant and rare photos and documents that you may have access to, and to add detail that you may find relevant and interesting to the over-all picture. If you object to any material you may delete it, but please leave an explanation of some sort !!(In the modern tree lay-out, don't forget to check out the personal profile of each family member. When you 'CLICK' on any member of the family 'tree', their page will open. Under their name there is a bar---- "VIEW PROFILE".  This is where their life comes alive.  There is a section where you can scroll down through a selection of facets of peoples lives, accomplishments, beliefs, ideals, anecdotes. This is only as good as you make it. As a site member you may add or change as you see fit. In fact, may I suggest that you write your own version of your life before we make up a more exaggerated one!)     Let's begin with another man's biography:-       "The name "Heffernan", which, as a family surname should, of course, be written "O'Heffernan" or "O'Hiffernan", is the anglicised version of the Irish "Ua h-Ífearnáin" (or Uí Fearnáin). In which form the name is first mentioned in Irish historical records in connection with the year 1047, when Madadhan Ua h-Ífearnáin, Chief of Clan Creccain, was slain by Nial, son of Malachy, the high king, in Brega. (Annals of Ulster, Four Masters, etc.)"This was all taken from "The Heffernans and Their Times" by Patrick Heffernan M.D.  (Oonagh -(Una)- Bennet used to have a prize copy). He continues:-"There were, therefore, two families or clans of Hiffernans, coming of different stocks, in Ireland, one in Brega in Meath, the other, a Dalcassian clan from Clare, in Owney, Co. Limerick. (Brian Ború was a Dalcassian too from around there)The first theory, the oldest, and that most generally held, is that "Ífearnan" is a later Irish pronunciation and phonetic spelling of the old Gaelic "Eichthighearnan" (pronounced "Eachcheernan") If this theory is correct, "Heffernan" is simply an honorific form of "Ahearn ", the anglicised form of" Eichthighern ", meaning, literally," horse-lord" ("eich", a horse, "thighearna", lord)." There has been, down through their history, a strong connection between the Clan and equine husbandry, one of the most well known accounts being the breeding of the famous "Birdcatcher" by George Knox l, a great story complete in itself. That famous stallion is the progenitor of all 'speed' horses alive today. The great Sadler's Wells was one of his descendants. Some of the clan represented Ireland in Olympic showjumping. Commandant George Michael Heffernan as a rider and Commandant Mark Heffernan as the team veterinarian, were part of the Irish Army team that won the infamous "Hitler" Cup in Aachen, Germany (1939?), being presented with it by Adolf himself. Many still carry on the tradition of horse-breeding. Various family members have continued to successfully breed both for racing, show-jumping and dressage. This equine association is borne out by a further quote:-        "At this stage, one naturally enquires who or what were those Gaelic "horselords"? Were they professional horse-breeders, horse-tamers, horse-breakers, roughriders; or horse-thieves, whom the ancient Irish, in their grand eloquence, glorified with the name of "horse-lords"? Or were they Gaelic mounted knights, manifest in the stress that is laid on horse mastership and the like in early Irish names."It was this love of horses that overcame a religious bias and united the Heffernan and Knox Families. Apparently, much to the annoyance of their respective families, a strong attraction developed between a young Presbyterian, Frances Knox, of Scottish aristocratic descent (Stuart Royals), and a local Catholic lad, Laurence P. Heffernan, from a successful Irish farming & hotelier family. (His parents ran the Oasis, a stagecoach inn in Athy, on the main trail/route from Dublin to Cork. They had their own farm-holdings and a bakery, which supplied the fresh produce for the inn. Laurence was a horse-breeder/farmer, brewer's agent, supplying the Curragh Army camp nearby as a quarter-master). The young couple both used to ride out with the Kildare hunt and, one fateful day, they did not return. Their horses were found tethered together at the rail outside the local train station, and they had eloped to Dublin (England?) to tie their own knot. They returned and we all are now the continuation of their story. While some descendants stayed in the Kildare region, many others of the immediate 13 progeny moved to Dublin and pursued many variously successful careers. For anyone who is interested, I have available, a PDF version of that above-quoted book by Dr. Patrick Heffernan. Let me know if you want a copy. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------There is another traditional legend/story that was related to me whilst tracking down old family ties around Fontstown/Ballitore/Monatore in Co. Kildare. There was a strong belief that the Dalcassian Uí Fearnáin Clan had come up from around Owneybeg in Clare/Limerick centuries before. The cause of their migration was down to their rescue of a Princess Íde (various pronunciations as in EETA or ITA depending on your brogue) from one clan who had been promised in marriage to yet another clan. She, however, had other ideas and wanted to join a religious order. For some noble reason unknown, the Uí Fearnáins came to her aid and she was spirited away. After many weeks travel avoiding their pursuers they settled in Kildare (Chill Dára or Daragh) near Athy. She eventually became St. Ita and there is a church in Kilmeade (Cill m' Íde) (near Athy) dedicated to her memory. (I am working on the theory that Athy is an anglicised version of the Gaelic which could have been Ath Íde, the ford of Ita). This ties in with the fact that there is a Kilmeady (Cill m' Íde) near Limerick,-- Kilmeedy (In Irish - Chill m' Íde, or church of my Ita, pronounced 'eetah') ---where she founded a convent. She was born in 480 A.D. and died in 570 A.D. (see photos of Kilmeady church, Kildare). To put this in context, St. Patrick (387-493 A.D.) was busy around the country while she was an impressionable young girl of 13, and this may have been the reason for her vocation.           "This Patrick portrayed by the historian monks, Tírechán and Muirchú, is a martial figure, who contests with druids, overthrows pagan idols, and curses kings and kingdoms. On occasion, their accounts contradict Patrick's own writings: Tírechán states that Patrick accepted gifts from female converts although Patrick himself flatly denies this. (Apparently as a French Breton, he was popular with the ladies, celibacy had not yet been invented). However, the emphasis Tírechán and Muirchú placed on female converts, and in particular royal and noble women who became nuns, is thought to be a genuine insight into Patrick's work of conversion. Tírechán's account suggests that many early Patrician churches were combined with nunneries founded by Patrick's noble female convent converts".I have yet to establish the veracity of this legend, but it is a baited hook to which I often return to nibble at.. (This research is leading to ever more detail, so I think it would be best if I wrote a separate chapter just on this story and its connection to the Uí Fearnáin clan}The other Brega line of Heffernans were from the area around the Boyne and the Newgrange Megaliths (Mídhe or Meath/West-Meath)). For the moment I do not know why there were two distinct branches of the Uí Fearnáin tribe, north-east and south-west. There may have been even a third in the south-east region, Waterford/Wexford.-----------------------------------------------------------------------    Tracing back the Knox line, through my grandmother Frances Heffernan (nee Knox, the Presbyterian lassie) leads us, via Moyne Abbey, Mayo, back through Plantation times, to Scotland and the Stuart Royal family, to Princess Marjorie (neé de Bruce) and her father, Robert de Bruce. Marjorie, while pregnant at 19, fell off her horse and was taken to the infirmary of Paisley Abbey monastery. She gave birth to a son by Caesarean and died. This son later became, by default, Robert II, King of Scotland. Marjorie's husband, Alan fitz Walter, 2nd High Steward of Scotland, went on the 3rd Crusade with Richard the Lionheart. He was also a patron/benefactor of the Knights Templar. There were at least 5 Crusaders in the line. His niece, Princess Sybella, gave us our Royal family line link to the Stuart Royal family, when she married Pastor Adamus de Dunbar, her cousin.The marriage of Pastor Adam and Lady Sybella, which was the beginning of the Knox family line. What was once a possibly boring history lesson now gets down and personal. Adamus de Dunbar, the later founder of the Knox name, was now married into, what was to become,the Royal Stuart blood-line. He was given lands in the Barony of Renfrewshire (just west of Glasgow by the Clyde), including the lands of Ranfurlie, Craigends and Knox, as a dowry, when he married his cousin, Lady Sybella, niece of the aforementioned Alan. She was the daughter of Walter Óg, 3rd High Steward of Scotland. ('Steward' evolved into Stewart and further along to Stuart, by which stage they had become Kings of Scotland.)Paisley Abbey was built by Walter Óig's grandfather, Walter, 1st High Steward. He was from Normandy, brought over by English kings to contol unrest among the people.Adam adopted the name 'del Cnoc' (Cnocs), which referred to an enigmatic ancient tumulus hill/mound on his new estates. I have since been there and identified it as a 'motte', a defensive structure built by the Normans in the 11th/12th century. This way of identifying the landed gentry (after their estates) was becoming a new, ever more widely used method of distinguishing families and their ever-increasing numbers.This differed from the old method, where reference was made solely to the father's name. In a similar way, the middle and lower classes started to use family trades as their identifying moniker, e.g. smith (smithson), cooper, carter, clark (clarkson), farmer, miller, waterman, master (masterson) etc.Pastor Adamus del Cnocs, shortened to become Adam de Knocks (Knociis), and then to 'Knox' and other variations as it was Anglicised. (There is no 'K' in the old Irish/Gaelic/Celtic language). The clan Knox became very deeply connected with the religious morals of their time and have a strong Presbyterian tradition which continues to this day. One branch gave us the infamous John Knox (The Reformer) whose line died out when his children had no progeny. (Hmmm, was that the hand of God putting a stop to it?)So Adam and Sybella, (the folks who lived on the hill) as the first ever Knox family, became the progenitors of all Knox(s) alive today. Some of their descendants came to Ireland during the Plantation years around the time of Cromwell. They were given large estates in the North and West of the country, Antrim, Down, Donegal, Sligo and Mayo, long before Partition. These estates comprised many thousands of acres with suitably massive mansions, crafted by master stonemasons brought over from Scotland, and it would be a long time before they were relinguished, bought back by the new Irish Free State in a form of compulsory purchase (which mainly benefited the clan as the estates had became financially unsupportable). There still survive remnants and ruins of the impressive estate mansions they built for themselves. One of the most impressive of these ruins (and still in remarkably good condition) is Moyne Abbey near the mouth of the Moy river in Killala Bay. A very extensive and costly construction, ideally positioned by the sea, which had its own diverted tributary river/water supply running through the estate and under its Abbey kitchens.The superb granite master masonry work was obviously done by craftsmen brought over from the Knox home Glasgow area for that express purpose.The story of how a Dorothy Knox came to live in the Abbey, building on a fine extension for her large family, is an intriguing one. It would seem that the many Franciscan monks, who ran the monastery, worked the land for them in lieu of rent. (historical note:- again, celibacy had not yet been invented). It is estimated that there may have been as many as 3,000 monks on the estate, not unusual in those bygone days gripped by religious fervour.George Knox I, our great-great grandfather was born there. He would later breed his own equine line on the Curragh of Kildare, from the famous 'Birdcatcher'. Some of the other Knox branches emigrated to many different parts of the world, mainly the USA and Australia. I came across an American branch history site which has been extremely useful. This genealogical account of the Knox family origins came from a Google search for Adamus Knox. It contains very useful pointers for heritage researchers to follow up on individual trails. Some details clash with information already received, but time and diligent homework will resolve most of those eventually. These accounts date from the 1890's and make references to other material (books & ledgers) that should lead on to ever more sources and confirmations. http://archive.org/stream/knoxfamilygeneal00good/knoxfamilygeneal00good_djvu.txt The other closer family connections are the Gribbens, and the Carrolls, who all have their own family heritage sites to join up with, and broaden the scope.Another family branch in this tree are the Flanagans (a maternal line). I have only recently (09/09/2013) come across some material in the R.I.A. library archives which seem to point to the origins of this clan and family name which I need to research in more detail. It would seem that it all started with a tribal chieftain called Flanachán and his two sons. Yet another journey back through time a-beckoning. Take the following with a small pinch of salt. A small anecdote---: While puzzling over the meaning of Uí Fearnáin it struck me that when you break it down to possible components it gives us another way of seeing ourselves. Language derives from many sources and influences so, bearing that in mind:-Uí------------means 'of', 'from' or 'descent',Fear/Fir-------means 'man', 'clan' or 'people' náin----------------means 'small', 'dwarf' or 'little'  -------(French/Gallic origin )Which taken overall, I suppose, means that we are descended from the little people. So that's where the twinkle in the eye comes from-------and the chatter.