Friday, December 31, 2010

Dowd name in Ireland

O'Dowd was the name before Dowd and O'Dubhda before that which is the Irish name. They claim descent from Irish Rayalty. It is said to mean "The Dark One". The first King being Aodh O'Dubhada (Ca. 982), King of Connacht.

By the 19th Century most bearers of the name Dowd were by proportion 4 to 1 Dowd. At the turn of the centruy they added O'Dowd. Originally O'Dubhde from dubh meaning Black (Gaelic). They are the tribe which he was brother to what we call now O'Neill's. Murphy was a son of Nial. The O'Dowds were the most powerful in this group and for centuries their lands included large parts of BW Mayo and Sligo Counties. The name is still common in those counties.

The name became Anglicised by the invaders and shows up in counties Munster, Kerry, and Derry,. The name Doody, Duddy are variations of this Dowd name.
The shield is green with a gold x taking most of the shield, in between at the top of it is two gold sword with red and gold handles.
Ballina-Population 6, 563. Ballina, the largest town in North Mayo and the seat of the bishop of the Roman Catholic diocese of Killata, straddles the River Moy. the Cathedral of St. Muiredach on the east bank between the bridges was built in the 19C next to the ruins of a late 14C Augustinian friary founded by the O;Dowd family; the church with its decorated west door and window date from the 15C.
Source gravell@bsc.net(Jean Grave)
http://boards.ancestry.com/localities.northam.usa.states.ohio.counties.vinton/2.21.1.1/mb.ashx

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