Page 11 - O Mahony Society Newsletter NOV 2025_Neat

On Sunday, June 15, 2025, the final event of the gathering was the
clan rally at Rath Raithleann, the area thought to be the cradle of the
clan and ancestral lands where our O Mahony clan originated. What an
honor it was to be able to spend time there, it is a truly magical place.
Being there on the land where our ancestors once walked was a special
experience indeed. It is peaceful there, and on that sunny day with
the bagpipes welcoming us, it was full of life with dozens of O Mahony
relations celebrating our heritage. Dad would have loved every minute
of it, and he would have felt right at home there, as did I.
There is an old saying that goes, “all good things must come to an
end,” and leaving behind the wonders of County Cork, and the new
found friends and distant relations in the O Mahony Society was
certainly bittersweet. I have gained much, I have brought a bit of
Ireland home with me, and I have left a bit of myself and my family
behind, but I know in my heart I will see the clan again, and I will return
to Ireland, as soon as I am able.

Many thanks to the O Mahony Society for bringing us all together, and
to Coolcower House for hosting us. Here’s seeing you all again - at
future gatherings!!
Seo chugainn Éire! Go dtí go mbuailfimid le chéile arís…
(Here's to Ireland! Until we meet again…)

Jacque Mahoney

EDITOR’S NOTE: The local Cork newspaper highlighted the O Mahony Clan a few days after our 70th Anniversary
Gathering in Ireland! We thank Cisteoir Dermot O’Mahoney for forwarding the article, copied herein:

Descendent of the Bear

By Robert Hume – From the Southern Star – Ireland – July 2025

The surname O’Mahony derives from the Gaelic “Mathghamhain” meaning “bear”.
With its “O” prefix translating as “descendent of“, the full surname becomes “descendent of the bear”. Mathghamhain was the son of
Cian mac Maol Maudh and his wife Sadhbh, daughter of the great Brian Boru. Mathghamhain died alongside the high king at the battle
of Clontarf in 1014. The name was subsequently adopted by the Cenél Aeda, one of Munster’s leading families, before being Anglicized
to O’Mahony.
With the rise of the McCarthys in the 12th century, the influence of the O’Mahonys declined in Munster as a whole. But not so in Kerry
and West Cork, where members of the clan continued to own swathes of land from Cork City to Mizen Head, and were known as kings
or princes. Even during the lifetime of 17th century Bandon lawyer, sir Richard Cox, the O’Mahonys still held a dozen castles, including
Dunmanus, Rossbrin and Dun Locha - strong holds threatening to resist English rule.

Several spelling variations of the surname exist: O’Mahon, Mahony, Mahoney, and O’Mahoney, while in some areas where Gaelic is
spoken, it often retains its initial form: O’Mathghamhain.
From the late 17th century, and overwhelmingly during the great famine of the 1840s, many O’Mahonys emigrated, and today the
surname can be found all over the world from Barnet to Barcelona, Sydney to San Jose, Chicago to Campbell River, British Columbia.
But the vast majority of O’Mahony births are still registered in Co Cork - the area historically associated with the clan.
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