Hanly: A Brief History of the Noble Name (at Home and Abroad)

By Gearoid O'Brien and John Hanly

The Hanly clan originated in Co Roscommon, in the heart of Ireland and spread, initially, throughout Ireland. The River Shannon was used as an artery of communication to reach Limerick and Cork. This first published history of the clan traces the story, from entries in the ancient annals to the present day. There are also helpful details on how to trace your Hanly ancestors.

Gearoid O'Brien, a native of Athlone, is a retired librarian and the author of more than a dozen books on local history and biography. He has also an award-winning poet and, in the 1970s, ran a small publishing concern called 'Kincora Poetry'. He has had an interest in genealogical research for over 40 years.

John Hanly, who wrote the preface to the book, is a native of County Roscommon. He is a retired forester and the founder of Dundrum Woodcrafts in County Tipperary. He was one of the prime movers in the revival of the Hanly Clan in 1989 and, was instrumental in organising several successful Clan rallies. He is the Honorary Secretary of The Hanly Clan.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Manuscript Publisher
• Release date: Sep 29, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463932445

Gearoid O'Brien

Gearoid O'Brien, a native of Athlone, is a retired librarian and the author of more than a dozen books on local history and biography. He has also an award-winning poet and, in the 1970s, ran a small publishing concern called 'Kincora Poetry'. He has had an interest in genealogical research for over 40 years.

Book preview

Acknowledgements

I wish to thank, first and foremost, Angela Hanley, my wife for her understanding, patience and love throughout the over-long gestation period of this book. Without her, my life would be greatly diminished and I would have no claim to belong to this distinguished clan!

I also wish to thank Liam Byrne for his photography work and Hazel Ryan, Athlone and Kilteevan, for her friendship and advice. Paul Breen assisted with translation from the Irish. I wish to thank him and indeed, all those who have supported this publication in any way.

As always, I am indebted to my fellow librarians in the National Library of Ireland, and in Roscommon, Longford, Westmeath and Limerick County Libraries for their help over the years.

A sincere word of thanks to Oscar Duggan of The Manuscript Publisher for his invaluable advice. Without his assistance, this work would not have become both a published book and an e-book. I thank him for the very professional service that his company provides.

Finally, I want to thank John Hanly of Dundrum, Co Tipperary, without whose input, perseverance and determination, this book would never have been written.

I dedicate this work to the memory of Angela’s brothers: Sylvester Hanley Jnr. (1950-1969) and John Hanley (1965-1987).

Gearoid O’Brien

Athlone, Co Westmeath

16 April 2019

Lives of great men all remind us

We can make our lives sublime,

And, departing, leave behind us

Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,

Sailing o’er life’s solemn main,

A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,

Seeing, shall take heart again.

from A Psalm of Life by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Preface

by John Hanly

On the 6 September 1989, a letter was published in The Western People newspaper, signed by Rory O’Connor, setting out information on Irish Clans, which were listed in Edward MacLysaght’s famous book, Irish Families. Mr O’Connor stated that, whereas there were 243 Clans listed in the book, only 15 had organised themselves into modern Clans and held Clan Rallies.

Rory O’Connor established The Clans of Ireland in order to encourage individuals or groups to establish their own family Clans. They were invited to write to Mr O’Connor and receive a blueprint or plan that would set out in detail, how to organise, finance and promote the setting up of a family Clan, with a view to holding a Clan Rally in the future.

In due course, the plan was obtained and the task of forming the Hanly Clan was under way. Initially about twenty names, addresses and telephone numbers were obtained from Irish telephone directories. At that time, Ireland was in recession and, there was very little enthusiasm for the idea. One brave man, Sean Hanly of Rossmore, Cashel, Co Tipperary, who was interested in history, agreed to become involved and help to establish the Hanly Clan.

The next step was to hire a venue for the purpose of having an open meeting of interested persons. The Royal George Hotel, Limerick was chosen as a venue and the meeting was advertised in ten provincial newspapers. Professor Liam Irwin of Mary Immaculate College in Limerick, a well-known Irish historian, was invited to address the meeting. He obliged and gave a very stimulating talk on the Clans of Ireland in earlier times – their organisation, traditions and way of life. About twenty people attended this inaugural meeting.

John Hanly told of research which was carried out by The Clare Heritage Centre in Corofin and went on to relate some information about St. Berach (or St. Barry), from a publication of the Royal Irish Academy in the 1860s. St. Berach had been described, at the time, as a light shining in the darkness and, when his crozier was first displayed in Dublin, the member introducing this item said:

I also beg to exhibit to the meeting the Short Crozier of St. Berach, which I have lately procured for the Academy, under the treasure trove regulations. Although not much ornamented, it is in a state of great perfection, never having been lost but, handed down through the Hanlys of Slievebawn, in Co Roscommon, the hereditary successors of St. Berach, the ruins of whose church still remain at Kilbarry, near Tarmonbarry. St. Berach, to whom this staff or crozier is said to have belonged, lived in the year 580 AD.

The crozier was acquired in 1863 by the Royal Irish Academy and today, is on display in the Treasury Room of the National Museum of Ireland.

Mr Bill Hanley, Ennis Road, Limerick also presented the Clan with a copy of a scroll, The Family of Hanley. The scroll was given to him by his cousin, Fr Matthew Hanley of Chicago (and formerly of the Diocese of Cashel, Co Tipperary). The scroll was from a sketch compiled by P.G. Smith in 1923. It proved very helpful in the promotion of the Hanley Clan and, we must be grateful to the late Bill Hanley for sharing this with us. May he rest in peace.

What you keep you lose,

What you give away you keep forever

Following the inaugural meeting in Limerick, the Hanley Clan was registered with The Clans of Ireland office in Dublin by their secretary, Anne Kavanagh.

In September 1991, the first Clan Gathering was held in Limerick. The attendance included people from America, the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa and many parts of Ireland. Mr William Hanley, his wife Beverly and son Tim attended. William, who was president of the Irish Association in Queensland, spoke of his Irish ancestors. His great-grandfather left Thurles, Co Tipperary and sailed on a convict ship, The Lady Kennaway, which landed in Hobart, Tasmania in 1851. Also, on board were his wife and three sons.

Over the following ten years, reunions took place in Athlone, Roscommon, Longford and Carrick-on-Shannon. Each one was attended by people from home and overseas. On many occasions, the same people returned and brought family and friends along with them. Towards the end, the numbers were declining. This was an indication that the format of the event needed to be reviewed but, that is a task for another day.

The reunion provides an opportunity to meet old acquaintances and also, to build on the bonds of friendship between the people at home and those living overseas.

On behalf of the Clan Committee and members, I wish to thank Gearoid O’Brien and his wife Angela (nee Hanley) for their tremendous efforts in making this book possible. I also wish to thank all those who attended and helped in various ways with the clan gatherings. Last but not least, I wish to thank my wife, Kathleen, and our family.

Finally, I hope that this book will preserve for future generations, the history and happening, the sunshine and showers.

Knowledge of the past helps us

To cope with the present and

Plan for the future

John J Hanly

Clan Organiser

Chapter One

A Celtic People?

Geologists tell us that until about 12,000 BC, Ireland was part of the great European landmass and was, like Europe itself, in the grip of the Ice Age. Four thousand years later, when the ice retreated, Mesolithic man arrived in Ireland from south-west Scotland. These early settlers appear to have travelled along the waterways and lived by hunting and fishing. Thus, the remains of their settlements are frequently to be found on the ancient shores of lakes and rivers and, by the coastline.

‘Mesolithic’ simply means ‘Middle Stone Age’ and represents the stage between Palaeolithic (Old Stone Age) and Neolithic (New Stone Age). To date, no traces of Palaeolithic man have been discovered in Ireland. The Mesolithic period in Irelands lasted for about 4,000 years. The most famous Mesolithic archaeological investigations were carried out by Peter Woodman, at Mount Sandal near Coleraine in the 1970s. At Mount Sandal, there was evidence of habitation in huts but, most sites in Ireland associated with the Mesolithic have yielded evidence only in the shape of small, flint hand-tools or, evidence of cremation.

The Mesolithic people belong to the hunter-gatherer mould but, Ireland was a rather hostile environment for man to survive in at that time. The landmass was just beginning to warm up following the Ice Age. There are various theories as to where these early colonists came from. Some say Scotland, Wales or even France. J.P. Mallory comes down in favour of the ‘Isle of Man basin’ putting forward the thesis that these people were ‘forced westwards as rising sea levels destroyed their home territory’.

The First Farmers

The chances of survival, for a primitive people in a harsh environment, were obviously greatly enhanced when they changed from hunter-gatherer to farmer. The Mesolithic people seem to have lived in temporary huts and, probably moved from place to place, depending on the source of their food supplies. The first farmers were the Neolithic people, who arrived here around 3,500 BC and, who grew their own crops, kept domestic animals and used more sophisticated stone tools and weapons than the Mesolithic people had done. They were probably attracted to Ireland by the valuable flint deposits of County Antrim. The dense forests, which had once covered the island, were gradually cut down to make way for advances in farming methods.

Instead of living in temporary huts, they appear to have built more substantial timber houses, either in the form of isolated farmsteads or built in small settlements. During the Neolithic period, polished stone axe-heads became very common and, the idea of firing clay to make pottery was introduced. These early farmers obviously introduced some sort of early wooden ploughs, to enable them to cultivate their crops, which probably included both wheat and barley. It is during this period also that some of our farm animals of today, most notably cattle, sheep, goats and pigs were introduced to Ireland, probably because of contact between Ireland and Britain or the Continent.

One of the great places to learn about the Neolithic period in Ireland is the Céide Fields Visitor Centre, in Ballycastle in North Mayo. This is an archaeological monument like none other – it celebrates the Neolithic landscape by preserving and explaining the oldest known field-system in the world. The remains of stone field boundaries, houses and megalithic tombs are preserved beneath a blanket of peat over several square miles. The centre tells the story of the day-to-day lives of a farming people living in an organised society and, having their own highly developed spiritual beliefs.

Over the next three thousand years, Ireland was to witness invasions by many other colonising groups and, the rise of a rich Megalithic society. These Megalithic people (literally ‘great stone builders’) left their mark on the Irish countryside. Even today, Megalithic tombs are to be found throughout Ireland, ranging from dolmens or portal tombs to the elaborate passage graves at Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth – known for their great size and, for the richness of their stone carvings.

Beaker People

Throughout Europe, archaeologists have found ‘beakers’ in burial mounds and these are strong indicators of the arrival of a new invader to our shores. Apart from making distinctive bell-shaped beakers in fine pottery, it seems that the Beaker people also introduced a superior type of arrow to Ireland. They were also the first settlers to start mining, smelting and casting and thus, introduced metal-working to the country.

We know that several copper axes and other tools date from this period, as do some of our earliest gold ornamental brooches and other ornaments. It is generally accepted that their settlements were small and, possibly temporary in nature, thus giving rise to the belief that they were some sort of elite, mobile craftsmen. Beaker pottery has been found at various sites around Ireland, especially along the east coast and, is the subject of ongoing research to determine its relevance. Famous sites associated with beaker-ware include Knowth and Newgrange.

The most important site associated with early metal-working in Ireland is Ross Island, in county Kerry where, there is evidence of extensive copper mines. This may have been the source of the metal for many of the earliest copper axe-heads found in this country.

The Bronze Age

While there is ample evidence to suggest a level of interdependency between Britain and Ireland in prehistory, it is only with the coming of the Bronze Age that we can appreciate that there was also interdependency between Ireland and the Continent. Ireland had mineral resources in the form of copper and gold and, it seems likely that some of these