The
MacGeoghegan Family Society
VOLUME 1
NUMBER 2 FEBRUARY, 1990
MacGEOGHEGAN COAT OF ARMS EXPLAINED
Pictured
at right is a basrelief stone sculpture of the coat of arms removed
from Donore Castle to prevent its loss by vandalism. The granite
carving is approximately 20" X 26" and 5" thick.
Incredibly, it is an incorrect rendering of the MacGeoghegan arms, as
all 3 hands should be right hands. Note the one in the upper left
corner is a left hand.
The only conjecture I can come up with is that the sculpture was installed at the time the castle was restored in 1809 by Richard Nagle, seven generations removed (on mother's side) from Brian McGeoghegan, original builder of the castle in 1598. I can't imagine a MacGeoghegan accepting and installing a coat of arms which was not absolutely correct.
Curiously, careful examination of the picture will reveal that the thumb of the left hand is partially chipped off (possibly a crude attempt to correct the error?). I believe the sculpture was taken from above the door on the inside of the castle. It is now kept in the home of Martin Galvin, the man who owns the-farm where the castle stands.
The correct coat of arms, according to Dr. Edward Maclysaght - perhaps the world's foremost authority on Irish names and coats of arms - is shown on the next page. It is described as: "Argent a lion rampant between three dexter hands couped at the wrist gules. Crest: A greyhound passant or." Translated this means: "On a silver shield, a lion attacking, between three red right hands severed at the wrist. Above the shield a gold greyhound walking." MacLysaght has the lion colored red. According to Burke's General Armory the arms are described thus: "On a silver shield, a black lion attacking, with gold crown and collar, between red right hands, severed. Above the shield, a silver greyhound walking, collar green. the collar studded with gold fleurs-de-lis."
Both MacLysaght and Burke's state that there was no family motto recorded with the arms (as shown by the blank scroll below the shield), however I have been advised by Vincent P. Geoghegan, of W. Sussex, England, that the family motto is "Semper Patriae Servire Presto." 'Always ready to serve my country promptly.' "Not bad", he avers, "for a clan which on one or two occasions changed sides"! I have heard from other sources about this motto. If anyone else has information on this, I would be grateful to hear from you.
Joseph Geoghegan, of Galway City, Ireland, writes that the Geoghegan graveyard at Kilcummeragh near Rosemount (Ballybrickogue) has gravestones of Geoghegans with a crest showing an arm with a sword, rather than the greyhound. This is a curiosity, as such a crest is part of the Fox (anciently, O'Catharnaigh, modern: Kearney) clan. Note the similarity to the Geoghegan coat of arms. This is probably because the O'Catharnaigh sept is descended from Mani, half-brother of Fiachaidh, progenitor of the Mac Geoghegan sept. They were both sons of Niall of the Nine Hostages, High King of Ireland from 377 to 404 A.D. They were given adjacent territories in Southern Westmeath (Geogbegan) and Northern Offally (Fox).
The greyhound was a symbol of nobility. In ancient times only those of royal blood were permitted (or could afford ?) to own a greyhound. The colors on the shield and crest were also significant in heraldry. For example, in the Mac Geoghegan coat of arms, silver (argent) represents serenity and nobility; gold (or) denotes generosity, valor and perseverance; black (sable) represents repentance or vengeance and red (gules) represents fortitude and creative power.
Also of interest in the MacGeoghegan coat of arms (as well as the arms of most families descended from Niall of the Nine Hostages) is the depiction of the severed right hand known as "The Red Hand of Ulster". It is always the right hand, never the left. Some call it a gauntlet (a hand shield of armor), however the records clearly describe it as "a right hand, severed at the wrist". There are many stories about its origin, but the most interesting is the one which tells of a pact among the seven sons of Miledh of Esbain, the Celtic king whose sons conquered Ireland, that the ruler of the new land would be whoever among them first touched the soil of the island. When the boats approached the shore, one of the sons took his sword, cut off his hand and.threw it to the land, thus becoming the ruler.
He must have been a left-handed person (or pretty stupid), otherwise it is doubtful he could have severed and thrown a hand well enough to accomplish his purpose! Certainly, he was left-handed the rest of his life. If there was any truth to it, it was probably Erimbon (pronounced Airivone) since Irish history denotes him as the first king of northern Ireland (Ulster). It also states that his brother Eber (Aiver) shared the rule with him, taking over thie southern part of the island nation. They were the only two survivors of the seven brothers by the time Ireland was conquered.
I hope to be able to get a beautiful authentic coat of arms drawn and printed in full color for all members of the MacGeoghegan Family Society, but it is a rather expensive undertaking and right now there is not enough money to do it. 1 also know of several companies which sell plaques, mugs, ties, jewelry, etc. with family coats of arms. Perhaps we could pool our orders to get a quantity discount, or maybe even use the savings to pay for the artwork on the membership certificate coat of arms. What do you think? If enough interest, 1 will cheek out further. Please let me know. In the meantime, any donations to help pay for a certificate would be gratefully accepted.
IMPORTANT SURVEY - PLEASE RESPOND
I now have well over a thousand Geoghegans, Geoghegan misspells, and Geoghegan descendants on my mailing list, and the list is growing like a snowball! Over half are in the United States, but a goodly number (and rising rapidly) are in Ireland, England and Australia. The Irish Tourist Board is promoting clan rallies throughout Ireland culminating with a gathering of the clans on the hill of Tara, probably in 1991 or 1992. This may become an annual event. 1 think the Geoghegans should be represented and will help put together a travel package for anyone interested. Please write or call if you want to be part.
In any event, the Board suggests that a Clan Chieftain be elected from each clan, so need some input on how we can vote for one. Traditionally, only a male could hold post of Chieftain. He was elected by a vote of the male family members. A "second command" was also chosen at the same time to immediately take over command should Chief die in battle or otherwise be unable to command. These were lifetime posts, and formal ceremony was held at the MacGeoghegan Inauguration Stone, a large boulder in field near Castletown Geoghegan. I propose that: (PLEASE INDICATE "YES" OR "NO" AND ANY COMMENTS)
1) All adult Geoghegan descendants over the age of 21 be allowed a vote:_____
2) The Clan Chieftain and other elected officers may be of either sex:_____
3) The term of office be five years, and the Chieftain may succeed him/herself:______
4) We continue the tradition of a formal inauguration ceremony at the MacGeoghegan stone, Castletown Geoghegan, County Westmeath, Ireland:______
5) That the Clan Chieftain will reside in Ireland (or be willing and able to move there) preferably in Castletown Geoghegan:______
ONLY THOSE WHO SHOW ENOUGH INTEREST IN THE CLAN TO RESPOND TO THIS SURVEY AND FORWARD A FAMILY HISTORY (as best you can) WILL BE ALLOWED VOTING RIGHTS. (All family tree information will be turned over to Patricia Cusack who has been working for many years on a current history and genealogy of the Geoghegans and will soon publish).
Now, is there anyone out there who would like to nominate or volunteer as a candidate for Clan Chieftain? This is NOT just an honorary or "glory" job. You will be expected to devote tremendous energy and time (and probably a good bit of your own money) to the task. We're going to have the best darn family clan in the country! Please send all nominations to me and I'll publish them in the next newsletter (which will only go out to those who respond to this one). We'll also need a Clan Treasurer and Secretary. We're aiming for a response so we can set up our first clan rally in the summer or of 1990 and be fully prepared for the big "Gathering of The Clans" at Tara 1991.
John J. (Jack) Gargan
Footnote
from the Webmaster
There
is a whole section of the Geoghegan Family History Site dedicated to
the coat of arms and includes a lot more
information than was contained in Jack's original text.