Family Notes

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Most of the information in this document are what I considered to be key points in Mr O'Mullally's book that were needed to summarize the book for my own family's purpose. Therefore, this document consists almost entirely of extractions, including verbatim copies of sections and pages of the book.

My purpose in conducting this review and documenting my findings was to both satisfy my own curiosity and to leave a track for my children so that when they develop the curiosity about ancestors, as they will, they will have a reference to work with.

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Mr Mullally's primary aim in writing the subject historical article was to present a genealogical framework of the Irish race, placing special emphasis on the O'Mullally pedigree which sank into obscurity at an early period owing to the circumstance that none of it's members held the royal sceptre in their Kingdom of Hi-Maine after the adoption of family names. The annals of the past reveal that though they as Kings of Maenmagh, were cast into oblivion before the avalanche of the savage hordes of Anglo-Normans and were driven from their ancient principality, they lost none of their vigor nor valor, and many times as Chiefs of Tulach-na-dala arose in their might to strike weighty blows for Irish liberty. And still later, as Marshalls of France, they ascended in such a blaze of glory as to mould much of the history of Europe throughout a great part of the eighteenth century before their star was finally eclipsed. A map showing the Kingdom of Hi-Maine and the Kingdom of Maenmagh within it are given in figure 1 with a key to this map presented in Figure 2. As shown in Figures 1 and 2 the center of High-Maine, the O'Mullally's ancestoral home land, is in the town of Ballinakill in County Galway. Comparing this with a modern tour map this point is about 16 miles south-south-east of the town of Athenry in Galway.

A secondary aim of the author was a desire to present to the Gaels a concise record of the salient features concerning their birthright which so often has been passed over by most Irish historians. Irish pedigrees are by centuries the oldest in the world, rivalling those of the Israelites which ended with their expulsion from Palestine.

It took Mr O'Mullally six years of hard work, research, study and travel before he was ready to print this book. He was a school teacher and to prepare himself to read ancient Irish documents he learned Gaelic, he visited 29 of the 32 counties and over 1,000 miles of it on foot speaking with people.

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Ancient Irish historians contended that the Gaelic race originally hailed from Scythia which they placed near the present Persia or Iran. The Gaelic language has a close affinity to the Phoenician and other Semetic languages according to linguistic authorities. These same ancient annalists further laid claim to the fact of the Gaels being the first inhabitants of Europe subsequent to the flood and after centuries of wandering in quest of Inisfail (Island of Destiny) they eventually settled in Spain. They were called Gaels after Gaedhael (Gael) one of their leaders, and Galicia in Central Europe, and Galicia in Spain is named after them. Further, the Galatians to whom St Paul addressed his epistle were a kindred people as were also the Gauls of the land now known as France. To travel today through the province of Brittany in France one cannot help but see an Irish connection with so many of the shops that sell merchandise made in Ireland and places with Irish related names. My wife Jacquelyn and I stayed in a 300 year old French chateau located near the village of Musical in 1987 during one of our trips to Europe. A place nearby the chateau was named "The Celtic Bar".

Ethnologists have divided the Caucasion races of early Europe according to the languages and other attributes as follows:

1. Celtic or Gaelic ( Central and West);
2. Teutonic ( Baltic );
3. Graeco-Latin ( South );
4. Sclavlonic or Slavic ( East ).

Therefore, the Celts are one of the four great divisions of the Western Aryans; and there is little doubt that they were the first members of that great division of the human family in Europe, and that they were later driven westward by later migrating tribes from the East. Further, it would seem that there were two waves who crossed Europe, the one driving the other before it, as this second wave was forced westward by other migrating tribes from the East. The two waves are apparently represented today by:

1. Gaels ( Irish, Scotch and Manx );
2. Brythons or Cymry ( Welsh, Cornish and the Armoric or Bretonic ).

To the latter may be added the fragment of Celtic speaking people of Spain.

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About the year 1700 B.C. according to the ancient chronicles, Mileadh ( Latinized Milesius , who was the son of Bile, the son of Breoghan ), who was then the King of the Gaels of Spain, sent his uncle Ith to Ireland - their supposed Land of Promise - to investigate the advisability of founding a colony there. It so happened that Ith was slain by the inhabitants of Ireland. When his followers returned to Spain with their glowing account of the new land, Milesius had also passed away. However, his Queen, Scota by name, determined to execute the plans of her royal spouse and emigrate to Inisfail as she had promised him on his death bed. Shortly thereafter, with a large number of followers, she set sail in 30 ships in 1699 B.C. Owing to a storm that was raging at the time of their landing many were drowned including five of Scota's eight sons who had accompanied her.

At the time the Gaels came to Ireland according to the annalists Eire was occupied by two Celtic races - the Firbolgs and the Tuatha De Dananns. Those latter people were spoken of as being skilled in art and magic. Their name really implies " Children of the Goddess Dana" who was the chief goddess of Irish Druidism and it was only natural that they were spoken of as real people after the introduction of Christianity. They lingered in the minds of the imaginative Celts as " the good little people" — the faeries . However, the Firbolgs were a real people and as such may be considered the aborigines of Ireland as far as authentic history verifies. The name "Firbolg" translates to "bag-men" owing to the fact that they carried earth in bags.

At the time of the coming of the Gaels, the country was but sparsely settled, yet the inhabitants rose up against the newcomers. In the battle that followed , they were defeated and their king, Lir by name, and his three daughters, Eire, Fodhla (Fola), and Banbha (Banva) were slain, as well as the warrior Queen, Scota. Henceforth, the Firbolgs were tributary to the Gaels. As late as the ninth century they rose in rebellion against the current king. In time they were assimilated, their last stronghold apparently being the mountains of Roscommon where their descendants may still be recognized as being small of stature and with jet black hair. From the three princesses of the Firbolgs Ireland came to be known as Eire, Fodhla and Banbha.

The Tinkers of the present day, though apparently differing from the other Gaels, are not to be confused with the the Firbolgs, for the Tinkers are a fair people with red or fawn colored hair, and are really typically Gaelic. Their language known as Shelta is an ancient Gaelic , which, owing to translation and deliberate perversion, is not understood in its entirety by Gaelic scholars. The Tinkers are considered to be the lineal descendants of the Bards, Judges and craftsmen of the clans before the barbarian invasions of the Dark and Middle ages. Being cast adrift and without employment they rotated into a nomadic life. It would therefore seem that the numerous bands of Tinkers are not only the descendants of the ancient scholars of Ireland, but are possibly the only true-blooded Gaels in the land for owing to their occupation and environment they were unmolested and unassimilated.

From Milesius and Scota the people in Ireland became known as Milesians and Scots, and in fact they were called Scots on the Continent as late as the Fifteenth century. The land which we know of today as Scotland was merely looked upon as a colony of Ireland's ( which it was ), the distinguishing names being Scotia Major and Scotia Minor, the greater name applying to Ireland.

From those three princesses of the Firbolgs Ireland came to be known as Eire, Fodhla and Banbha. Other names were: Island of Destiny, Noble Island, Woody Island and Island of the Mist while Ireland was derived from Ire, one of Scota's sons. One of the Greek names meant "Most ancient Island", while the Latin names were Ivernia, Hibernia and Scotia. In the Golden Age of Erins past she was known as "The isle of saints and scholars"

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The three surviving sons of Milesius and Scota were Eibear (Heber), Eireamhon (Heremon) and Amhergin (Avereen). To the first two went the sovereignty of Ireland. To Amerhergin who was a brehon (judge) and bard, and also a soothsayer and druid, the fruits of his official positions were deemed sufficient and he, therefore, received no land. To the children of another brother, Ir by name, (he having been drowned) went the territory in the North known as Ulaidh ( Ulidia ); while the descendants of Ith, under his son Lugaidh, were granted a small territory in the South-west known as Corca-Luighe ( Corkalee, i.e. the baronies of Beare, Bantry, Carbery,etc.). Within a year Heber and Heremon quarreled and in the war that ensued Heber was slain. Henceforth, the race of Heremon predominated in the land. It may be noted that Heremon was married to his second cousin, Tea, the daughter of Lugaidh, and it was she who chose the hill of Teimhair ( i.e. the house of Tea or Tara) for the royal residence which was a fortress. This was the famous Tara of later times.

These newcomers to Ireland were a highly civilized race who possessed a system of writing and a comprehensive literature. They were well versed in the knowledge of navigation and also in the art of manufacturing, such as weaving and dyeing, and the forming of gold and silver ornaments. They were a brave, religous people who were both hospitable and impulsive. Their clothing was made of wool variously colored . Their time was occupied in hunting, fishing, building roads and cutting down the forests; while their food consisted of fish, flesh, butter, honey, herbs and bread baked in ashes. Some of the animals found there at the time were the wolf, wolfhound, greyhound, wild boar, red deer and the huge Irish elk. They were a pastoral people, and in the beginning the caste system was practically unknown among them.

The Bards of Ireland kept and recorded family history and records and many extolled the virtues and skills of their leaders in song and poetry. Those Bards, who wrote only, were called "Shanacas". Bards were next in importance to kings. "Brehons", or judges, were next in importance to the Bards. The Brehon Code contained the criminal and civil laws and originally were put in place at the direction of Saint Patrick.

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The family was the smallest division of Gaelic society and it consisted of the great grandfather (or grandfather) and his descendants. All property was owned by them under a common head, but each individual had his allotment of land and paid a subsidy to the common treasury according to his means and each was responsible for fines imposed on any member. The Fine (Fin-e) was the next social division, and consisted of a group of families within certain blood degrees. It was the basis of selection of chiefs and kings. The Sept was a larger group than the Fine but its members succeeded from a common ancestor long since dead. The Clann was a similar but larger group than the Sept. The Tribe was the largest division and it was made up of many Septs or Clanns. The entire basis of society was kinship. The Septs, Clanns, and Tribes had their chiefs, while the lesser had to acknowledge allegiance to the higher and pay tribute as well. If Tuath (Thoo-a) or territory, occupied by a tribe was large enough, the ruler was granted the title of Ri (Ree) or King. In all there were 184 Tuaths in Ireland, but not all of them had Kings. The King of all Ireland was named the Ard Ri or High King. Before the introduction of Christianity, which brought the Latin alphabet the Irish used a system of writing called Ogham which consisted of 20 letters as compared to the 17 in the Irish language of today. The comprehensive code of laws that existed was memorized by Brehons (judges) and passed down until Saint Patrick instigated that these laws be put in writing. The Brehon Code as they were initially known is now documented in "The Book of Rights". There were two volumes. One each on criminal and civil law.

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As previously stated, the land in Ireland was initially divided between Heber and Heremon who were the first rulers of Erin. After the death of Heber, Heremon ruled alone for 15 years, dying in 1683 B.C., and it is with his line that we are particularly interested for the Clann Maolalaidh (O' Mullallys) are of his race. (Reference O'Hart's Pedigrees). This superiority of the Heremonian line was very much more marked after the landing of St. Patrick in 432 A.D. for of the 55 kings who ruled after then all were of this line, except four who were of the line of Heber.

Colla Uais, a high king of Ireland in about 331 AD was the 50th generation of the Mullally's pedigree that ties in with Heremon. Thirty five of the members in direct line of those 50 generations were High Kings of Ireland and the other 15 were Princes of the line. It is at this point O’Maolalaidh (O'Mullally) separates from the royal house of Eire, though being of the senior branch of it. The O'Maolalaidh descend from Cairbre of the Liffey, King of Ireland and his eldest son Prince Eochaidh of Dublin, then through Colla da Chrioch, King of Oriel; and lastly from Maine Mor, king of Hi - Maine. In about 457 AD a prince of Oriel named Maine Mor, who was the great-great-grandson of Colla da Chrioch, settled with some followers in the south of Connacht and thus became the progenitor of the O'Mullallys, O'Kellys, etc. GRAPH #1 illustrates the seven major divisions of Ireland at the beginning of the fifth century and at the time of the coming of St Patrick and prior to the Anglo-Norman invasions. GRAPH #2 illustrates the leading families in each divisision at the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion with families arranged according to the power of each. Prince Maine Mor was a follower of St. Patrick.

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In the year 795 A.D. the Danes invaded Ireland and in their wake came Swedes, Norwegian, Finn and Bucaneer Vikings. The Danes had fallen under the mailed fist of the intolerant Frankish Emperor, Charlamagne, who had attempted to force Christianity on them, and so they came to Ireland in hordes wreaking vengeance on everything Christian, destroying all before them.

At the height of their power in 946 A.D., Ivar, chief of the Danes of Limerick, sailed up the Shannon River and attacked the patrimony of The O'Maolaidh (Amalaff O'Maolaidh) and they burned the monastery on the Island Of The Mist in Loch Derg, County Galway. For more than two centuries the country groaned under their burden and learning almost vanished from the land. Finally, in 1001 A.D., a new power arose in Eire in the person of Brian Boru who usurped the throne of Ireland. In the year 1014 A.D. he met the Danes at Clontarf outside of Dublin and there crushed their power though he was slain in the battle .

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The gaelic race introduced the use of family names in Ireland in the ninth and tenth centuries for at this period they possessed the highest type of culture in Europe. Each personal name had a meaning signifying valor, character, appearance,etc. The original name O'Maolfhalaidh, abbreviated O'Maolalaidh, or O'Mullally in English "Speckled Chief" may refer to the chiefs freckles .

If the name of a father was used for a son the prefix "Mac" was used. If the name was of a grandfather or more ancient ancestor the prefix was "O" or "UA". In the case of women "Nic" was used and "Ni" for daughter

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As stated previously, a settlement was made in the South-east corner of Connacht by Prince Maine Mor of Oriel who was the fourth generation removed from Colla da Chrioch who had founded the Kingdom of Oriel in 331 AD. This settlement was made after the arrival of Saint Patrick in 432 AD and estimated at 457 AD. This Maine Mor seemingly was the last pagan prince from whom the O'Maololaidh's trace their descent and he had accepted Christianity before he left Oriel. Clogher in Tyrone was his locality. Hi-Manians were of the same branch descent as : O'Cearbhaills (O'Carrols),Kings of Louth; O'Hanluans (O'Hanlons), Princes of Orior (in Armagh), MacMathghamhnas (MacMahons) Princes of Fermanagh; and O'Hairts (O'Harts) Princes of Tara.

The territory occupied by Maine Mor or Maine The Great was known as Hi-Maine (pronounced hee-mawnie), that is Maine's territory. The term "Hi" referred to the tribe land, while the term"Ui" Maine generally referred to the descendants of Maine Mor who were otherwise known as Hi-Manions or merely as Manions. This territory originally contained seven cantreds, seven tuaths, seven townlands and seven half-townlands. A cantred contained one hundred villages, a tuath (thoo-a) was a district of varying size, a townland was a collection of houses larger than a village and it had a weekly market. This land was considerably enlarged by the posterity of Maine Mor, and eventually included one-third of all of the Kingdom of Connacht. About another third on the west of this province was occupied by the O'Dowds and co-relatives, while the other third or remainder on the north-east belonged to O'Connors and co-relatives.

Roughly speaking, Hi-Maine included at its greatest extent the land from Clontuskert (the meadow of Tuascirt) near Lanesborough on the Shannon in county Roscommon southward to the boundary of county Clare and from Athlone (the ford of Luan) on the east to Seefin (Finn Mac Cool's seat) and Athenry (the ford of the kings) in Galway on the west. Situated within it were the towns of Aughrim, Ballinasloe, Lochrea,etc. For more accurate boundaries see Figure 1, above.

This land was occupied by the Firbolgs but as they were not numerous there was plenty of room for all. Previous to the coming of the Hi-Manians, St Grellan had built a church at Kilclooney, the ruins of which may still be seen near Ballinasloe. It may be of interest to know that St. Grellan's holy well, Tobergrellan, is in the townland of Ballintober near Newgrove.

the new settlers first camped upon Maen Magh, which was to remain within the senior branch, namely the O'Neachtains and the O'Mullallys, and there they were welcomed by St. Grellan who presented them with the territory on the order of St. Patrick and he gave them his crozier which was henceforth borne in their standard on the field of battle. Strange to relate, this crozier remained with the Hi-Manians until 1836 when John O'Cronnelly of Ahascragh buried the relic owing to some misuse.

The firbolgs, thirty thousand strong under their chief, Cian by name, having agreed to peace with the Hi-Manians who were located at Seisidh beag, in Maenmagh, apparently a mountain, arranged for a feast with the latter, but planned treachery. St. Grellan from his church near there saw the weapons of the Firbolgs and warned the Gaels and many of the Firbolgs were lost in the bog of Mag Lioch.

And the Hi-Manians paid tribute to St. Grellan and he became their patron saint, and as such he is today to the Clann Mullally and their co-relatives. The book on "The Life of St. Grellan" may still be seen in The Royal Irish Academy of Dublin.

Maine Mor and his followers had been invited to settle in Connacht by the king of that province to act as a military outpost and serve as a buffer state between the Connacians and the warlike tribes of Munster who had crossed the Shannon on the south, and seized the county of Clare which originally belonged to the former province.The Clann Mullally were located on the border and, therefore, bore the brunt of the attacks over the next thousand years.

Maine Mor, the first king, ruled for fifty years in that place. He had two sons, namely Breasal who succeeded him on the throne and Amlaibh(Amlaff) who was slain by the Firbolgs at the time of settlement of the land. Breasal ruled for thirty years and died of natural causes. He had five sons as follows:

1. Fiachra Finn(Feary the fair- haired) who succeeded his father, Breasal, ruled seventeen years, and was styled " a tower in conflict and battle".
2. Dallon
3. Conall
4. Crimhthann (Crevan)
5. Maine Mall (Maine, the Mope)

Fiachra Finn, the eldest son of Breasal, was slain by his brother Maine Mall. He left five sons.

1. Amlaibh (Amlaff)
2. Cairpri (Cairbre)
3. Eochaidh (Eochy)
4. Seisgnia
5. Ailell

While the progeny of Fiachra Finn included five sons the annalists follow the descendants of Amlaibh as the families of the other four sons were soon lost sight of in the march of time.

To preserve the continuity of the Lally pedigree it is re-iterated that the O'Mullally family descends from Amlaibh, the son of Fiachra Finn, who was the grandson of Maine Mor, who in turn was the great-great-grandson of Colla da Chrioch, the grandson of Cairbre of the Liffey who was the High King of Ireland. But as their ancestor, Eochaidh, the eldest son of King Cairbre, had been excluded from the throne of Ireland so now Amlaibh had been excluded from the kingship of Hi-Maine by the rules of tannistry, though he too was the senior member of the royal family in all that land.

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This Kingdom or principality comprised that extensive and fruitful plain occupying a great part of the Baronies of Lochrea and Leitrim in south-eastern Galway. Its southern boundary was the Slieve Aughty mountains and County Clare, and its northern limits reached beyond the town of Moyade; while it extended from Loch Derg on the Shannon and the Barony of Longford on the east to the diocese of Kilmocdaugh (the church of St. Colman) on the west. Variations of the name Maen Magh include Machaire-Maonmaighe (from the Four Masters) and Mainmoy and Moenwee (from O'Donovan).

The other division of the Clann Amlaibh adopted the Clann name of Muinter Neachtain about two generations after the origin of the Hi-Maeilalaidh or Hi-Maolalaidh.

On the assumption of family names those two clanns took the surnames of O'Maololaidh and O'Neachtain, the clann name ushering in the surname in each instance.

While the O'Mullallys were the first in adopting a surname, they are junior to the O'Neactains but only to them alone in al Hi-Maine and all Connacht of those of Hermonian descent.

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Presented below are some items from the history of Ireland and of the O’Mullally line. All refererences are from the "Annals of the Four Masters" unless otherwise stated.

Since neither the O’Maolaladhs nor O’Neachtains held the throne of Hi-Maine after the time of their illustrious ancestor, Fiachra Finn, and as they were driven out of their principality shortly after the English invasion and their power broken by the usurper, there is in the records of the latter—day annalists very little reference to them which is now well-nigh impossible to supplement. Therefore, there is little to relate of them until we reach the eighteenth century, when the name of O’Mullally (or Lally) burst forth as a meteor in the night in such a flare of valor as to write much of the history of Ireland and to mould a goodly share of the destiny of France. This story of the O’Mullally/ Lally family in France with the Irish Brigade is contained in the Appendix to this document titled "Count Lally and the Wild Geese".

Mr Mullally’s book states that when Count Lally was executed in France in 1766 , his son the Marquis suceeded to the clann leadership. When the Marquis died in 1830 Thomas Lally of Milltown in County Galway became Chief. Thomas Lally had become Clann subchief when his father James had died and he had become next in line to the Marquis. Conditions were very bad in Ireland at the time and the Ribbonmen were forming. Thomas Lally organized the O’Mullallys and Lallys of a Clann society within the ranks of the Ribbonmen. Before long a terrible revenge was taken upon the Clann by the English for every Clann member was also a Ribbonman, and no doubt there were many spies among them. When the onslaught on the Clann began some time after 1835 many in Mayo found refuge in the mountains. Half the Clann in 1938 was found in Mayo. Many in Galway escaped from the country.

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This famous stone was and still is the property of Maolalaidh regardless of the passage of time. This monument to the ancient ages of Eire stands about three miles to the north of Lochrea near the tiny village of Ballaun. The archaelogical relic is a granite boulder three feet eleven inches high by eight feet eleven inches in circumference and is dome shaped and and roughly round but flattenened on the opposite sides. It is entirely covered with ornamentation of beautiful design of divergent spirals of deeply cut fret-work, known as "trumpet pattern" that never repeat. It also has a wide band encircling the base. The design is exactly similar to that on the stone found near the site of the shrine of the Delphic Oracle in Greece, and it is claimed that the "Scroll patterns" of the early Christian era, including that of the Book of Kells, were copied from this type of design. Archaeologists believed it to be anywhere from twenty-five hundred to three thousand years old when Denis P. O’Mullally visited there in1938. Current carbon dating techniques may have been used more recently to establish an accurate age. While the engraving on the stone cannot be deciphered or explained, it is maintained that it most likely has a literary meaning. If such be the case, it is merely symbolic and the stone no doubt was one of pagan or Druidic worship or else a sacred tribe stone originally. Denis O’Mullally surmises that the O’Maolalaidh Kings of Maemmagh may have been inaugerated at the stone similar to that at Tara and other places.in Ireland. Near by the stone is Rath Fiar Mor (i.e. the Fort of Feermore or the big slope) was a large ring mound that was being excavated in 1938.

Kilbride or the ruins of St. Brigid’s church are located on the edge of Lochrea town, one of the original churches of the Clann Maolalaidh. Nearby is Tobar Brighde or St. Brigid’s Well where many a pilgrim has paused to refresh themselves. It is situated on the Bother Buidhe (Yellow Road) now the Ballinasloe Road. In the central part of the town is the ruin of an old abbey (now repaired) which was erected for the Carmelites or White Friars about 1300 AD by the "usurping" de Burghs. (At one time there was a leper house here as well).

There is also a new abbey and grotto adjacent to the old one, while the hill called "The Rock" where the monks hid in Penal Days is still pointed out near the town on the above named Ballinasloe Road.

Old Monastery

About nine miles south-east of Lochrea is the village of Teena in the site of an old monastery where a Protestant church now stands. Near here are also to be found the remains of clochans, so numerous in the west. Those cells are built entirely of stone with bee-hive shaped roofs, and quite small. They were primitive dwellings or else the cells of hermit.

Nearby on the border of Maemagh are the ruins of Mac-Egans college and doon or fort at Don Doighhre (Duniry) where part of that said family resided until driven out by Cromwell in 1652.

Monastery of Kilnalahan

This monastery which belonged to the Franciscans is more than two miles from Duniry, and in the year 1629 the Speckled Book of Duniry, which had been written by the Mac Egans, was deposited in the Monastery as is proved Michael O’Clery, Chief of the Four Masters who stopped at this abbey on his tour of Ireland in search of manuscripts. Much of this Monastery was torn down in the late 1800’s to construct cottages.

This church, where many of the O’Mullallys lie buried, is located one and a half miles north-west of Tuam.

There are several De Burgh castles throughout Maenmagh and Hi-Maine. One built at Lochrea is now a ruin and has been used as a hay shed. Pallas castle built in the fourteenth century is in best repair.

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April 7, 1994

To: The Lally's and those related by birth or marriage

From: John E. MC Cabe

About a year ago, when I was just getting into the history of my family and that of my wife, I sent out a letter to all of the Lally relatives I could locate. Included in this letter was the story of an incident that happened when I was a little boy. Up until the time I was 7 years old my parents and my sister Dolores and I had lived in the same house as my grandmother, Mary Lally Mc Cabe, and on a number of occasions I would spend the late afternoons with my grandmother. She told me stories about Ireland and about herself. One of the stories she told me was that her grandfather was a French army officer who had been persecuted for his faith. I accepted it as true and never thought anything about it. That was the only time I ever heard reference to a relative in the French army and I never discussed it with anyone. I recently had thought about the story and wondered if this "grandfather" was part of the French army that landed in Killalla in County Mayo in 1798 under General Humboldt. I had previously read the novel "the Year Of The French" by Thomas Flanagan that describes this invasion. My grandmother was born in 1857 and it was possible but I couldn't see a French army officer being persecuted for his faith unless he was one of the French Huegenots who fled France when they were persecuted because they were protestants. I knew they had gone to England and Ireland. I didn't get a comment from any of those that I sent the letter to. Sometime later when I was talking with my cousin Edward Lally at his home in New Hyde park, he mentioned something about a "Count Lally" that he had seen mentioned in a document. A couple of months ago when I was visiting in Ireland with my daughter Barbara we had stopped in Ballentubber to see my cousin Anthony Lally and his wife Nora. Their son Kieran and his wife Geraldine were there as well. My daughter Barbara noticed a book on Anthony's bookcase that we had seen mention of in a genealogy book. The title of the book was "Lally Of The Brigade". Anthony loaned me the book and when I got home I read it and then returned the book with my thanks.

The book is a fictional novel that tells the story of an Irish Regiment in the army of France. The setting is a battle between French forces and Austrian forces and the main character is Gerard Lally. Both the battle described, and the hero used, were real. Gerard Lally, Colonel-Commandant of the Regiment of Dillon, was the son of Thomas Lally of Tolendal, his mother being the Hon. Jane Dillon, sister of the seventh Viscount Dillon. Gerard having fought for James II in Ireland at the battle of the Boyne and later at the siege of Limerick followed the Irish General Sarsfield to France where Gerard had an illustrious military career. He died in France in 1737, a Brigadier- General. He had married a French lady, Marie Anne De Bressac, and was the father of Count Thomas Lally of Tolendal, who fought against the English in India. Following their defeat at the siege of Limerick in 1691 General Sarsfield and 10,000 of his fighting men left Ireland to join the armies of France, Austria, Spain and others rather than live under English rule in Ireland. When these men were smuggled abroad, as they had to be, they as cargo were designated as "Wild Geese". Gerard Lally was the French army officer my grandmother was talking about.

For a couple of months I had attempted to get hold of the book entitled "The History Of The Mullally And Lally Clann" by D.P.Mullally. My cousin Helen Lally Devine was kind enough to loan me her copy of this book , which had been a gift from her sister Cathleen, and I am in the process of reviewing it . I am hoping to use the contents to trace my roots more directly to the past. The book contains extensive information regarding Gerard Lally and his military and political career. Gerard and his son Count Lally were friends and confidants of kings and people such as Voltaire, Lafayette, Tallyrand and others who played a part on the world stage. I'm trying to summarize some of this information so I can send it out as part of the family history.

Enclosed with this letter is a copy I made from a book on Ireland that describes the impact that the Wild Geese had on Europe. Also enclosed are copies of some pages of the book "The Irish Brigade" that give background of the book and the Lally family.

In the above letter I described the conversation I had with my grandmother when I was 7 years old. I’m not sure of the relationship she gave the French army officer she was telling me about in that conversation. It may not have been "grandfather" she used but I was given the impression it was a relative. How close a relative I don’t know. It is my belief that the stories about Count Lally were common folklore among the Irish in Galway and Mayo and particularly the Lally and Mullally families. If I obtain new information about the Lally connection I’ll follow it up. If I don’t, I’ll ask my grandmother the next time I see her.

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