Munnelly Origins Version 5 Presented June 22, 2013 Scranton, Pennsylvania We have a History Our direct ancestors, the OMaonghailes arose as early as1300.

Munnelly Origins

Version 5

Presented June 22, 2013Scranton, Pennsylvania

We have a History

• Our direct ancestors, the O’Maonghailes arose as early as1300 and recently as 1500

• Our name was carried by those living in the 8th and 9th century and they were very likely our ancestors too.

Part 1: County Mayo

John O’DonovanOrdinance Survey 1838

Roman Catholic Parishes of County Mayo

The Earliest Munnellys

• The earliest recorded group of Munnellys is found in a set of decrees known as the Tudor Fiants. In a pardon issued 8 March 1593 in Fiant number 5798 the following eight people are mentioned: “Melaghlin oge m’Philip O Monylla, Edm. m’Wm. O Monylla, Cormock O Monillae, Edm. m’ Riccard O Monyllae, Shan oge O Monyllae, Oueny O Monyllae Rich. O Monyllae and Wm. m’Rickard buy, of same husbandmen” They were living in a place recorded as Ballincashill which is known today as Ballycastle.

• What were the Fiants and why are they so useful

• Another possible Munnelly reference appears in the record around this time. Richardo Manaly was an Irish soldier serving in the Spanish army in Flanders around 1606.

Doonfeeny and Downpatrick Head near Ballycastle on the north coast of County Mayo 2012

Ballymunnelly

• O’Donovan’s remark connecting the O’Monnellys to Ballymunnelly is confirmed.

• In a legal deposition taken in 1642, Teige O’Monelly and Richard O’Monelly of Bavonelly [sic] along with Richard Barrett of Cloontikilla, Edmund Barrett of Drinishia [sic] and several others were named in crimes on Edmund Barrett’s land in County Mayo. Bavonelly is almost certainly Ballymunnelly. The deposition is among many connected to the uprising that began in October 1641, which included attacks on people, loss of property, and an attempt to seize Dublin Castle.

• Ballymunnelly or “Munnelly’s Place” was named for the group.

The records establish a continuing Munnelly presence in the area

• Friar James Monely, a Franciscan priest, was recorded in 1704 during the registration of the clergy. He was in Cloontakilla, on the shore of Carrowmore Lake, not far from Ballymunnelly.

• Cormuck Monnilly, a Franciscan priest, appears in 1743-44 probably at Moyne Abby. He is also remembered by Munnellys in the oral tradition.

The 1417 Topographical Poems

• In 2004 “The Great Book of Irish Genealogies: Leabhar Mor Na

nGenealach” was published. This is the first time some of the material has been available in English. It is 3,100 pages long.

• In 2006, Muraile followed up with, “Dubhaltach Mac Fhirbisgh and County

Mayo”, a shorter version of the first work covering County Mayo. • What are topographical poems?• A compilation written in 1666 based on topographical poems composed

from 1417. • Many of the same surnames found in Ballycastle in the 1593 Fiants are also

found in this work • No names similar to O’Monnelly are found. This may well be an indication

that the group was not in the area until the late 1400s or about the year 1500

Ballymunnelly first appears in “The Composition of Connacht” in 1585

Ballymunnelly

• It seems to never have supported many people. But would have had cattle.

• The general feeling is like being in a large valley.

• It is along a strategic road between Crossmolina and the coast. • It is south of the settlement on Carrowmore Lake.

• It was not listed as a townland or settlement in the modern censuses of Ireland beginning in 1841

• The Chapel there was built in 1952

• The land is boggy and area was proposed as the site for a nuclear power plant

• First appears in 1585 Consignment of Connacht

The Browne Map II 1591

Ballymunnelly

• Ballymunnelly was a “quarter” when it was first mentioned in 1585 and was still listed as a quarter in the “Strafford Inquisition of County Mayo” in1635.

• The quantity of land in a quarter or carrow in Ireland depended on how productive it was.

• The meaning of a quarter can be gleaned from the records. Typical descriptions mention the ability to graze 40 cows on a quarter of land and to use what were termed under tenants.

A typical description of carrow or quarter in 1635

Working the Land

• In the 1642 deposition the Monellys and others are described as tenants and farmers, meaning, they lived there permanently. This is consistent with the 1593 entry describing them as ‘husbandmen’. There is no way to know from the information what the tenancy arrangement was.

• Typically, the arrangement was semi-permanent and measured in lives plus a fixed number of years.

Ballymunnelly on Petty’s Map 1683

Bogs in Ireland

Population Density 1841

The 1593 Pardon • “Melaghlin oge m’Philip O Monylla, Edm. m’Wm. O Monylla,

Cormock O Monillae, Edm. m’ Riccard O Monyllae, Shan oge O Monyllae, Oueny O Monyllae Rich. O Monyllae and Wm. m’Rickard buy, of same husbandmen”

• One can infer the relationship of these eight men from their Gaelic names, as follows:

• Melanghlin was the son of another Melanghlin, the grandson of Philip and great grandson of O’Monylla

• Edmund was the son of William

• Shan was the son of another Shan

• William and Edmund were the sons of Richard who is Richard O Monyllae

• We don’t know about Cormock or Oueny (Owen)

The names in the 1593 Pardon reveal the O’Maonghailes had existed for a least four generations or about 100 years

GBirth

1149

0  

The founder possibly “Maonghaile O'Doherty”              

2151

8 Philip O Monylla   Riccard O Monillae       (Unknown) O Monyllae

3154

5 Melaghlin O MonyllaWilliam O Monylla

Edmund O Monillae

Cormock O Monillae Oueny O Monyllae

Richard O Monyllae

4157

3

Melaghlin Oge O Monylla

Edmund O Monylla       Shan Oge O Monyllae

William O Monyllae

Estimating The Time Of The Common Munnelly Ancestor

• It is possible to estimate that the common ancestor of the Munleys lived between 1300 and 1500 A.D. Each of these methods is discussed below and leads to a similar result

– Using Dr. Klyosov’s linear method of computation and probabilities. The simplest formula is this: Number of haplotypes (samples) X Number of mutations from Model X .090 for 37 Marker samples = Generations to a Common Ancestor

– Using the 15 Munley samples currently on Family Tree DNA with at lease 37 markers, the formula is 15 X 21 X .090 resulting in 28.35 generations

– At 25 years per generation that is 709 years, at 30 years per generation it is 850. Working backwards from 2013 gives the years 1163 to 1304

• Family Tree DNA probabilities, the maximum estimated distance between pairs of the 15 samples as 850 years or about 1250. The two computations give similar results.

The Oral Traditions of Munnelly Origins

• The First Munnellys were told by an old woman to follow their cattle until they reached a large valley, which became Ballymunnelly. Seven brothers who settled in different places in the shape of star.

• The stories capture something about Munnelly settlement– It is spread out– It is in older areas– Probably settled when all of northern County Mayo was

controlled by the MacWilliam clan – before 1530. The territory was split with the Barrett clan in 1584.

• The Munnellys were from Spain

Part 2: Before County Mayo • Records in English begin around 1580 while Irish records ended as a result

of the Reformation and conquest.

• While written records begin as early as 700 A D they are not complete. The records were kept by monks and poets in Latin, Gaelic and Irish but they are qualitatively different from the English language ones.

• Annals of Ulster and other books noted significant events by year

• In this period research is increasing done by “Triangulating’ historical records with Y-DNA samples and place names to gain an understanding.

• Testing the Munnelly – Manley Y-DNA connection to the Doherty clan inconclusive

• The Cenel Moan or Clan Moan also show an historical connection and similarity in their Y-DNA to the Munnelly – Manley samples

• The historical and Y-DNA connections linking the O’Maonghaile and MacMaonghail groups

Summery of historical evidence pointing to a Doherty

connection

• In the Doherty clan genealogy, three ancestors bore the names Maenghuile, Moenghuile or Maonghail in the ninth and tenth centuries.

– The name is not associated with any other clan

– It was not used as given names or surname after this time

There is an old fort named Dunwiley is in the Doherty homeland next to Ardmiran in County Donegal and it is believed to preserve the name Maonghaile.

• O’Donovan’s comments in the Ordinance Survey Letters

• The oral tradition for five or seven brothers

The Maonghaile connection in the Doherty Genealogy is remote

• Aindilis• Conor managh (of the monks)• Donall• Rory• Donall mor• Angus• Muirchertagh• Dermot• Conor• Donal fin (white)• Donogh don (brown)• Donall of Drom Fornogh• Maenghaile• Donogh• Maonghaile• Dochartach (the first Doherty)• Maonghaile• Fiamahan• Cindaladh• Gairb• Ronan• Luighdheach• Seadna• Fergus• Conall Gulban

• Aindilis, the first chief of the Doherty clan in 1188 The Maonghailes lived in the 9 th Century

County Donegal

Donegal Showing Stranolar, Admiran, Dunwiley and the Clan

Moan Area

The Fort of Dunwiley

• The fort of Dunwiley. The first element in Maenghuile, Gaelic maoin, means wealth or treasure.  In the second element, ‘ghuile’, “gh” can be “dh” pronounced like ‘y’ or if it is located in the middle or end of a name, it is usually silent.  ‘Ghuile’ is thought to equate to ‘wiley’ in ‘Dunwiley, rendered as Dun Mhaonghuile’ or fort of Maonghaile and if the case, it would seem the history of the O’Dochartys can be tentatively traced to the ninth century.

• The fort has a unique design indicated a connection the Vikings or Romans.

The Fort of Dunwiley

• The Herringbone design of the fort suggests Viking or even Roman influence. The picture below shows a herringbone design in a reconstruction of the Viking settlement in L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, Canada or Vineland. Both forts date from 1000 A D

• The fort maybe older than the Doherty clan!

Comparison of Munnelly and Doherty Y-DNA

• Munnelly Y-DNA is similar to that of the Dohertys in that they are both R1b1a2a1a1b4b

• Most, but not all Doherty samples have a value of 22 at a location known as YCAIIb

• This nearly unique marker is not found in the Munnelly group

• Every Munnelley has a value of 12 at location 455. None of the Dohertys or any other group has the value 12 at 455

• If the Munnelly results had 22 at location YCAIIb there would be little doubt that they were at one time part of the Doherty clan, but that is not the case.

• They share other similarities along with differences

The Munnellys Show a Connection to the Clan Moan

• Munnelly Y-DNA is similar to a lesser known group of surnames historically part of a group known as the Cenel Moain or Clan Moain. The group was composed principally of the O’Gormleys clan, with several others such the O’Kanes, McHenrys.

• All of these groups and the Munnellys are 23 where the Dohertys are 22.

–

Ó Maonghaile, Mac Maonghail Surnames

According to Patrick Woulf

• Mac MAONGHAIL –IV M’Mounell, M’Monnell, M’Monyll, MacMonagle, MacMongegal, MacMonigal, MacMonigle, MacMunigal, Monagle: ‘son of Maongal’ (wealth-valour); an old Donegal surname. For unaspirated g, cf. Mac Congail

• Ó MAONGHAILE --I O Monhily, O Monnilly, Munnelly, Monnelly, Monley, Manley; ‘des of Maonghal’ (gilt-valour); found chiefly in Donegal and North Connacht.

Bishops of Raphoe Magonail – MacMaonghail or Conwall

• Padraig Magonail, MacMaonghail or Mac Congail Bishop of Raphoe 1367

• Donat Magonail or Mac Congail Sed 1563 death 1589 succeeded and assisted at the Council of Trent in 1563. He was the last Catholic bishop of Raphoe.

Mac Maenghal - Conwell

Moenghal in Early Medieval Times

• Moenghal appears in the Doherty family tree and in the name of several abbots in the “Annals of Ulster” and other books

– 851 Moenghal abbot of Ardstraw in west County Tyrone dies

– 855 Maenghal, abbot of Fobhar in West Meath dies

– 869 Maenghal the Pilgrim, abbot of Beannchair near Bangor County Down dies

– 873 Maenghal, Priory of Clonmacnoise died County Offaly dies

Moenghal’s Poem to King Niall

• In 844 Moenghal the Pilgrim wrote upon the death of King Niall

• Take with thee the total destruction of Niall,• who was not a judge without judgment,• To the King of heaven let him make submission, • that he may make smooth for him every difficulty.• Niall was drowned• Niall was good• Niall in the sea• Niall in fire• Niall without death.

Marcellus – Moenghal 9th Century Scribe, Writer, Musician and Missionary

• Was known as Marcellus. He travelled with his nephew and visited Bobblio, Italy

• Lived at St Gall Abbey in Switzerland

• Has two manuscripts one in Zurich and the other in Basel

• http://www.e-codices.unifr.ch/en/list/one/ubb/A-VII-0003

• Wrote in Latin and Greek

• Zimmer, a German Academic attempted to prove that Marcellus – Moenghal was the same man as the Moenghal the Pilgrim in Donegal

• A great musician and teacher to the Medieval composer Nokter (840 – 912)

St Gall Abby Switzerland

Moenghal-Marcellus’s Greek and Latin Manuscript in the Universitätsbibliothek Basel, Switzerland

The Moenghal Inscription at Inis Cealtra Monestary in County Galway

• “MOENGAL MAC LODGIN” was found carved on a stone at Irish cealtra Abbey in Galway. The context would date it to around 1000 A D. Mac Lodgin was possibly a person named Laidgen mentioned in the 7th Century.

Part 3: Speculative Evidence

• There are about 80 people using the name Moneghal in Barcelona, Spain with others in France and Uruguay

• Steve Dunford’s work on Rathfran Abby near Lackan

and Killala, County Mayo

Rathfran Abby County Mayo

. Standing 6’4” high and 2’ wide at the top, narrowing to 1’6” at the base, The inscription has been deciphered as possibly reading:- “Joannes O’Munilay

(or it could be O’Maille) me fiery fecit 1018. This date may not be correct.