Ó Fearghail

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The Ó Fearghail are an Irish family from County Longford. The name means “descendant of Fearghail,” with Fearghail meaning “man of valour.” Fearghail was a great‑grandson of Angaile, a 10th‑century king who conquered Annaly, the land the family later ruled.

For about six centuries the Ó Fearghail were the Princes of Annaly and produced seven Bishops of Ardagh. The name later became Farrell; Kevin Farrell would become Cardinal Bishop of Dallas, Texas. Some historians connect the Ó Fearghail to the Conmaicne Rein, a group from the Erainn Celts who settled in Ireland around 500–100 BC.

The chiefs sat at Longford (Longphort Uí Fhearghail) and at Moatfarrell (Móta Uí Fhearghail) in eastern Annaly, between Ballinalee and Edgeworthstown. From the early 11th century until the early 17th century, they ruled Annaly as a principality, though English invasions in the 12th–13th centuries weakened them. By the 15th century they regained control and split into North Annaly (White Ó Fearghail) and South Annaly (Yellow Ó Fearghail).

In 1552, much of Annaly was granted to Baron Delvin by King Edward VI, including Ó Fearghail lands. In 1618 James I deposed the Ó Fearghail as Princes of Annaly, and the family lost their lands. After the Gaelic order fell, many became tenants of English and Scottish landlords.

Ecclesiastically, the Ó Fearghail produced seven Bishops of Ardagh across the 14th–15th centuries. The name has many spellings, such as O’Farrell, Farrell, O’Farrill, Farley, O’Ferrall, Ferrell, Ferrill, and Ferril. The first English record of O’Farrell is in 1620 (Father Richard O’Farrell of Longford). Some O’Farrell men served in a Spanish army during the Eighty Years’ War; by 1641 many returned to support Confederate Ireland. By the late 17th century, the O’Farrells had mostly come back to Ireland and remain common in the Midlands, especially County Longford.