After living for centuries in the houseless wilds of Iar-Connaught, the curse of Cromwell struck in 1651 when the O'Flaherties were expelled from Moycullen, Connemara and Ross after the fall of the Catholic Confederation. James Hardiman prints the story in the
Choreographical Description of West or H-Iar Connaught. The order by the English governing council says, "Whereas the places hereafter mentioned, within the province of Connaught, are known harbors and receptacles for the enemy, and other bloudy and mischeivous persons, who from thence take advantage and appointments to committ murders, rapines, thefts, and all kind of spoyle upon the English and others in the said province under the protection of the Parliament of England, and their army and forces; For the prevention of such mischiefs it is hereby ordered....In the County of Galway, the baronies of Mucullin and Ballynehinchy, the half barony of Ross, the half barony of Buryshule be likewise excluded from protection...."
Those that were not removed by March 10..."shall be excluded from protection, and shall be taken slayned and destroyed , and their cattle and other goods shall be taken and made prey of, as goods of enemies."
Indeed, Colonel Eamon O'Flaherty, leader of the Irish forces that took the city Galway at the start of the war, is hung for his military actions. Eamon is the grandson of Grace O'Malley. His cousin the Viscount Mayo, leader of the lower Burkes, is hung for the massacre at Shrule, a crime often associated with the O'Flaherties.
The fall of the Catholic Confederation signalled the last stand of the O'Flaherties for the Brehon system of Irish law. Unlike any other conquest of Ireland by English forces, none crushed the Gaelic Irish like this one. A few O'Flaherties managed a tenuous grip on portions of their homeland. Roderic O'Flaherty inherited a portion of Moycullen, on account of his youth, 12 years old in 1641 when the Irish rose. A man known to history as Edmund O'Flaherty of Ballyhaunis and others also remain near Galway. There are stragglers on the Aran Islands who begin a long and poetic life on Inis Mor.
The rest are dispersed, as James Hardiman writes, "In the seventeenth century, the entire territory of Iar-Connaught was confiscated, and such of the O'Flaherties as survived war and famine, were thrown 'landless' on the world."
There are many who might say that throwing the O'Flaherties landless on the world, might have caused more problems than just leaving them where they were. The O'Flaherties had suffered defeats before and had been driven from their lands, from Ui briain seola in 835, from Galway in 1235, and crushingly in 1651, once again. The 1840's and the great Irish diaspora pushed us to the far corners of the globe.
So far I've noted early colonies of O'Flaherties in Dublin, Galway, Tralee and there will be others.
Many died. Those that survive produced a remarkable historical legacy, in the Galway territory, on the island of Ireland, inside the United Kingdom, across the oceans and around the world.
This picture of the Ryan clan was taken in upper New York State circa 1929. Note William Francis O'Flaherty, the little blonde boy at the bottom left of the picture, and his brother Andrew Joseph O'Flaherty at the other side of the picture. Seated behind Andy is Carrie Ryan O'Flaherty. Seated behind Whitey (William) is his grandmother, Anne Schroeder O'Flaherty. She married two O'Flaherty men - Andrew (1865-97) then his brother Thomas in 1908.
Not seen in this picture, the probable photographer, Andrew Joseph O'Flaherty (1896-1945), father of William, Andrew, and little Marion; son of Annie Schroeder and husband to Carrie.
This post is dedicated to Carrie Ryan O'Flaherty.
