Many priests in Killala, County Mayo were O'Dowds
http://ajourneyintothepast.blogspot.com/2008/01/killala-county-mayo-ireland.html
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Govt finally says sorry for Bloody Sunday killings
LONDON (AFP) - The government finally apologised Tuesday for Bloody Sunday, one of Northern Ireland's darkest days in which 13 people died, calling the killings "unjustified and unjustifiable".
Prime Minister David Cameron made the admission as a long-awaited report into why British troops opened fire on a civil rights march in Londonderry in 1972 was published, to joy from victims' families.
It concluded that none of the victims were armed, soldiers gave no warnings before opening fire and that the shootings were a "catastrophe" for Northern Ireland, leading to increased violence in subsequent years.
"There is no doubt... what happened on Bloody Sunday was both unjustified and unjustifiable. It was wrong," Cameron told the House of Commons in London.
"The government is ultimately responsible for the conduct of the armed forces. And for that, on behalf of the government, indeed on behalf of our country, I am deeply sorry."
The new premier's apology was greeted with cheers from relatives and thousands of supporters listening to his statement on a huge screen in Londonderry.
Amid jubilant scenes in Northern Ireland's second city, relatives took turns to voice their relief that their 38-year campaign to clear their loved ones' names had been vindicated.
"Now the world knows the truth," said Liam Wray, whose 22-year-old brother died in the shootings after being shot in the back with what the report said was "no possible justification".
"Jim was murdered, Jim was innocent," Wray added.
The killings were among the most controversial in Northern Ireland's history and there had been fears the 5,000-page report could re-open old wounds.
More than 3,500 people died during The Troubles which pitched Catholics against Protestants and were largely ended by a 1998 peace deal, but emotions still run high in Northern Ireland over its violent history.
British soldiers, most of whom were identified only by their rank and initials in the report, could still face prosecution over the shootings.
Northern Ireland's Public Prosecution Service said it was considering whether to prosecute anyone, adding this decision would be taken "as expeditiously as possible" although it gave no date.
But lawyer Stephen Pollard, who represents some of the soldiers involved in the inquiry, rejected claims that the report had opened the door for British troops to be prosecuted.
He accused the senior judge who led the inquiry, Mark Saville, of having "cherry picked" evidence to support the investigation's results.
And a reminder of how relevant the events are to the present day came with a reference to the role played on that day by Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, who was then an Irish Republican Army (IRA) commander.
The report said McGuinness was present on Bloody Sunday and was probably armed with a sub-machine gun which he may have fired. He denied this and the probe said he did nothing to provoke soldiers opening fire.
"There was absolutely no foundation or substance to that allegation, which we all have to remember came from very, very suspect characters," he said after the report's publication Tuesday.
The inquiry, which took 12 years to report at a cost of more than 190 million pounds, aimed to paint a full picture of events.
It was commissioned by then premier Tony Blair in 1998 as the peace process gained momentum and after a 1972 probe, immediately after the killings, was dismissed as a whitewash.
The inquiry heard from more than 900 witnesses and received statements from around 2,500 people. The evidence ran to an estimated 20-30 million words. It is the longest-running and most expensive public inquiry in British history.
Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen welcomed the report, saying its publication meant "the truth has been set free".
And Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams said it had consigned past "lies" about Bloody Sunday "into the dustbin of history".
In Washington, a US State Department spokesman also hailed its publication, saying he hoped it would "contribute to Northern Ireland's ongoing transformation from a turbulent past to a peaceful future".
A memorial in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, depicts the names of the 13 men who died on Bloody Sunday and a 14th person who died of injuries later on. British Prime Minister David Cameron apologised on Tuesday for the Bloody Sunday killings, one of the darkest days in Northern Ireland's history, calling them 'unjustified and unjustifiable.
' Photo:Peter Muhly/AFP
Source:
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s//afp/100615/world/nireland_britain_unrest_report_7
Prime Minister David Cameron made the admission as a long-awaited report into why British troops opened fire on a civil rights march in Londonderry in 1972 was published, to joy from victims' families.
It concluded that none of the victims were armed, soldiers gave no warnings before opening fire and that the shootings were a "catastrophe" for Northern Ireland, leading to increased violence in subsequent years.
"There is no doubt... what happened on Bloody Sunday was both unjustified and unjustifiable. It was wrong," Cameron told the House of Commons in London.
"The government is ultimately responsible for the conduct of the armed forces. And for that, on behalf of the government, indeed on behalf of our country, I am deeply sorry."
The new premier's apology was greeted with cheers from relatives and thousands of supporters listening to his statement on a huge screen in Londonderry.
Amid jubilant scenes in Northern Ireland's second city, relatives took turns to voice their relief that their 38-year campaign to clear their loved ones' names had been vindicated.
"Now the world knows the truth," said Liam Wray, whose 22-year-old brother died in the shootings after being shot in the back with what the report said was "no possible justification".
"Jim was murdered, Jim was innocent," Wray added.
The killings were among the most controversial in Northern Ireland's history and there had been fears the 5,000-page report could re-open old wounds.
More than 3,500 people died during The Troubles which pitched Catholics against Protestants and were largely ended by a 1998 peace deal, but emotions still run high in Northern Ireland over its violent history.
British soldiers, most of whom were identified only by their rank and initials in the report, could still face prosecution over the shootings.
Northern Ireland's Public Prosecution Service said it was considering whether to prosecute anyone, adding this decision would be taken "as expeditiously as possible" although it gave no date.
But lawyer Stephen Pollard, who represents some of the soldiers involved in the inquiry, rejected claims that the report had opened the door for British troops to be prosecuted.
He accused the senior judge who led the inquiry, Mark Saville, of having "cherry picked" evidence to support the investigation's results.
And a reminder of how relevant the events are to the present day came with a reference to the role played on that day by Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, who was then an Irish Republican Army (IRA) commander.
The report said McGuinness was present on Bloody Sunday and was probably armed with a sub-machine gun which he may have fired. He denied this and the probe said he did nothing to provoke soldiers opening fire.
"There was absolutely no foundation or substance to that allegation, which we all have to remember came from very, very suspect characters," he said after the report's publication Tuesday.
The inquiry, which took 12 years to report at a cost of more than 190 million pounds, aimed to paint a full picture of events.
It was commissioned by then premier Tony Blair in 1998 as the peace process gained momentum and after a 1972 probe, immediately after the killings, was dismissed as a whitewash.
The inquiry heard from more than 900 witnesses and received statements from around 2,500 people. The evidence ran to an estimated 20-30 million words. It is the longest-running and most expensive public inquiry in British history.
Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen welcomed the report, saying its publication meant "the truth has been set free".
And Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams said it had consigned past "lies" about Bloody Sunday "into the dustbin of history".
In Washington, a US State Department spokesman also hailed its publication, saying he hoped it would "contribute to Northern Ireland's ongoing transformation from a turbulent past to a peaceful future".
' Photo:Peter Muhly/AFP
Source:
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s//afp/100615/world/nireland_britain_unrest_report_7
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Dowd History
O'Dowd Irish Clan / Sept
The Clan/Sept History
The family name Doody was first recorded in county Mayo where they had been seated from very ancient times. The family can be traced back to the ancient King Niall of the Nine Hostages, who in turn could be traced back to the Heremon Kings.
Several spelling variations of the name were found in the archives and mainly these variations were the result of families translating the name from the Gaelic into English. Recorded versions of the name Doody included Dowd, Duddy, Doody, O'Dowd, Dowdy, Dowdie, Doudy, Doudie, Doudd, Doodie, Dowde, and many more. Frequently a name was spelt several different ways during the lifetime of the same person, when he or she was born, married and died.
The great Gaelic family of Doody emerged in later years in Mayo. King Niall, brother of Fiachra and descended from Daithi, was one of the last pagan Kings of Ireland. For centuries they were the leading sept of northern Ui Fiachrach. Their territory embraced the baronies of Erris and Tirawley in the county of Mayo and Tireagh in Sligo. The family was called to arms during the Anglo-Norman incursion into their properties in the twelfth century. The long battles to follow lasted until 1354 when Sen-Bhrian O'Dowd succeeded in driving all the Anglo-Norman settlers out of Tireagh. Two branches of the clann established themselves in other parts of Ireland at this time. One group settled in the southern county of Kerry in the province of Munster. This sept called itself Doody and maintained strong ties with the heads of the family in the north. The other sept held a barony in Derry in the far north where survivors of this clan were usually called Duddy. Several O'Dowds were bishops of the parish of Killala. Father John O'Duada who died in 1579 was one of many Irish Franciscan martyrs. The family is noteworthy, in that, great height is a common feature of the family.
Source:
http://www.rowandisplays.com/acatalog/O-Dowd-irish-clan.html
The Clan/Sept History
The family name Doody was first recorded in county Mayo where they had been seated from very ancient times. The family can be traced back to the ancient King Niall of the Nine Hostages, who in turn could be traced back to the Heremon Kings.
Several spelling variations of the name were found in the archives and mainly these variations were the result of families translating the name from the Gaelic into English. Recorded versions of the name Doody included Dowd, Duddy, Doody, O'Dowd, Dowdy, Dowdie, Doudy, Doudie, Doudd, Doodie, Dowde, and many more. Frequently a name was spelt several different ways during the lifetime of the same person, when he or she was born, married and died.
The great Gaelic family of Doody emerged in later years in Mayo. King Niall, brother of Fiachra and descended from Daithi, was one of the last pagan Kings of Ireland. For centuries they were the leading sept of northern Ui Fiachrach. Their territory embraced the baronies of Erris and Tirawley in the county of Mayo and Tireagh in Sligo. The family was called to arms during the Anglo-Norman incursion into their properties in the twelfth century. The long battles to follow lasted until 1354 when Sen-Bhrian O'Dowd succeeded in driving all the Anglo-Norman settlers out of Tireagh. Two branches of the clann established themselves in other parts of Ireland at this time. One group settled in the southern county of Kerry in the province of Munster. This sept called itself Doody and maintained strong ties with the heads of the family in the north. The other sept held a barony in Derry in the far north where survivors of this clan were usually called Duddy. Several O'Dowds were bishops of the parish of Killala. Father John O'Duada who died in 1579 was one of many Irish Franciscan martyrs. The family is noteworthy, in that, great height is a common feature of the family.
Source:
http://www.rowandisplays.com/acatalog/O-Dowd-irish-clan.html
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Somerville Family Name History
This surname is French in origin and comes from the town near Caen in Normandy; the name means Sumer's estate.
The first of this name in Scotland was one William de Somerville, who came in the train of David I and received lands in Lanarkshire. There were five Williams in succession, the last dying in 1282. They appeared as witnesses to the charters to the religious houses of Melrose, Kelso, Coldingham, Glasgow, Newbattle and Paisley during the reigns of David I, Malcolm IV and William the Lion. During the reign of William the Lion, William de Somerville slew a monstrous animal or serpent which was terrorising the district of Linton, Roxburghshire. In 1174 he was rewarded with the lands of Linton.
Robert de Sumeruilla witnessed a charter by Duncan, Earl of Fife, to the Nuns of North Berwick c.1177. Ralph de Sumervilla, acolyte, was promoted to the church of Linton in 1255. William Somerwele of the Plane, was a charter witness in Edinburgh in 1492 and John Semrell was a tenant under the Abbey of Kelso in 1567. In 1430 the title Lord Somerville was conferred on Sir Thomas Somerville. In December 1423 he was given a safe conduct to England to meet James I and he was one of the guarantees of the treaty for his release in December 1424.
John, third Lord Somerville, was wounded at the battle of Sark against the English in 1448. He had a son, Sir John Somerville of Cambusnethan, who was killed at Flodden in 1513. John, thirteenth Lord Somerville, built the elegant house of Drum where he died in 1765. The peerage ceased in 1870 on the death of the seventeenth Lord.
Source:
http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/stoz/somervi2.html
Source:
http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/stoz/somervi2.html
Somerville Family History
• The English House
was influential in England from the time of William the Conqueror until the signing of the Magna Carta (about 200 years later). King John didn't like the Somerville influence in that event and the Scottish House eclipsed that of their southern cousins.
• The Scottish House
was born of myth and legend as the founder of that house was rewarded a whole shire for killing a dragon (this same dragon appears atop the shield of Lord Somerville). This house flourished for over 500 years and collapsed through a series of "over indulgences" by one Gilbert Somerville and others.
• The Irish House
came about through the canny management of one or two families who survived the exile of the Jacobites and became businessmen and land holders. Edith Somerville wrote of Irish life in this period through her book, "One Being Irish". The fortunes of this house rises and falls and sends Somervilles far and wide.
Source:
http://www.clansomerville.net/house_info.php
Friday, May 7, 2010
Ireland History in Maps
Ireland History in Maps
circa 1200: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~irlkik/ihm/ire1200.htm
Lesser Sept: Ua Dubda - O'Dowd (Sligo)
circa 1300: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~irlkik/ihm/ire1300.htm
O'Dowda
Old Irish Surnames:
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~irlkik/ihm/irenames.htm
Ó Dubhda - (O) Dowd - Co Mayo and West Sligo - Uí Fiachrach Muaide
circa 1200: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~irlkik/ihm/ire1200.htm
Lesser Sept: Ua Dubda - O'Dowd (Sligo)
circa 1300: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~irlkik/ihm/ire1300.htm
O'Dowda
Old Irish Surnames:
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~irlkik/ihm/irenames.htm
Ó Dubhda - (O) Dowd - Co Mayo and West Sligo - Uí Fiachrach Muaide
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Dowd Surname History
Dowd
At the end of the nineteenth century, the vast majority of bearers of this surname, by a proportion of four to one, were "Dowd" rather than "O'Dowd". Since then, a large-scale resumption of the "O" has reversed the proportions, with "O'Dowd" now by far the most popular. The original Irish name was Ó Dubhda, from dubh, meaning "black". In the traditional genealogies, the family is one of the Uí Fiachraigh , a large tribal grouping tracing its origin back to Fiachra, brother of Niall of the Nine Hostages, the fifth century monarch supposedly responsible for kidnapping St. Patrick to Ireland. The O'Dowds were the most powerful in this group, and for centuries their territory including large parts of north-west Mayo and west Sligo, in particular the baronies of Erris and Tirawley in Mayo and Tireragh in Sligo. The Norman invasion of the 13th century curtailed their power, but they retained many of their possessions and much of their influence down to the seventeenth century, as witnessed by the number of O’Dowd bishops of Killalla from the 14th to the 16th centuries. As late as the eighteenth century, a common toast in the Ballina area of Mayo was "Súil Uí Dhubhda le Árd na Rioch!", a reference to the O’Dowd’s hopes of regaining their ancestral possession of Ardnaree. The last traditional chief of the family was killed at the battle of the Boyne in 1690, and is said to have been almost 7 feet tall, great stature having always been a feature of the O’Dowds. The name is still most numerous today in the Sligo/Mayo district. The surname also appears to have arisen separately in two other areas of the country, in Munster, where the anglicisations "Doody" and "Duddy" are quite frequent in the Kerry area, and in Derry, where the anglicisation is almost invariably "Duddy". .Dan O’Dowd (1903-1989) was a Dublin uilleann piper and pipe-maker, best remembered for his role in keeping the spirit of traditional music alive in the capital.
Source: IrishTimes
http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm?Surname=dowd&fuseaction=Go.
At the end of the nineteenth century, the vast majority of bearers of this surname, by a proportion of four to one, were "Dowd" rather than "O'Dowd". Since then, a large-scale resumption of the "O" has reversed the proportions, with "O'Dowd" now by far the most popular. The original Irish name was Ó Dubhda, from dubh, meaning "black". In the traditional genealogies, the family is one of the Uí Fiachraigh , a large tribal grouping tracing its origin back to Fiachra, brother of Niall of the Nine Hostages, the fifth century monarch supposedly responsible for kidnapping St. Patrick to Ireland. The O'Dowds were the most powerful in this group, and for centuries their territory including large parts of north-west Mayo and west Sligo, in particular the baronies of Erris and Tirawley in Mayo and Tireragh in Sligo. The Norman invasion of the 13th century curtailed their power, but they retained many of their possessions and much of their influence down to the seventeenth century, as witnessed by the number of O’Dowd bishops of Killalla from the 14th to the 16th centuries. As late as the eighteenth century, a common toast in the Ballina area of Mayo was "Súil Uí Dhubhda le Árd na Rioch!", a reference to the O’Dowd’s hopes of regaining their ancestral possession of Ardnaree. The last traditional chief of the family was killed at the battle of the Boyne in 1690, and is said to have been almost 7 feet tall, great stature having always been a feature of the O’Dowds. The name is still most numerous today in the Sligo/Mayo district. The surname also appears to have arisen separately in two other areas of the country, in Munster, where the anglicisations "Doody" and "Duddy" are quite frequent in the Kerry area, and in Derry, where the anglicisation is almost invariably "Duddy". .Dan O’Dowd (1903-1989) was a Dublin uilleann piper and pipe-maker, best remembered for his role in keeping the spirit of traditional music alive in the capital.
Source: IrishTimes
http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm?Surname=dowd&fuseaction=Go.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)