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DAUGHERTY FAMILY HISTORY IN IRELAND
TEN MILLENIUM OF O’DOCHARTAIGH FAMILY HISTORY
THE NEOLITHIC AGE (7,000 to 2,000 BC)
Back before the O’Dochartaighs knew they were O’Dochartaighs, they lived in Ireland. This was more than 9,000 years ago, during the Neolithic Age, at a time before the Egyptians, before Christianity, before the Roman and Greek civilizations and much before there was any written record of human civilization.
These O’Dochartaigh ancestors survived by hunting, fishing and collecting anything they could for food and shelter. They subsisted on fish and on mammals, primarily pig. They roamed, they propagated and they died. At that time, the climate was warmer, with lush vegetation and unlimited natural resources. Although travel was difficult because of this lush vegetation and took a long time, it was possible that these people could have traveled by foot back and forth between mainland Europe and Ireland.
For hundreds of years the O’Dochartaighs existed in this fruitful land using crude implements made from sticks and stones and animal bones. At the same time in other parts of Europe, man was beginning to use metals.
Settlements began to appear in County Donegal about 5500 BC and the O’Dochartaigh ancestors banded together for protection, for socialization and for education. They began to use flint blades called microliths and large polished stone axes. During this time rising sea levels severed the last land bridge between mainland Europe and Britain. It was still over a thousand years before the first date on the Egyptian calendar.
In about 4000 BC, our O’Dochartaigh ancestors began to farm. They domesticated animals, cleared forests, grew crops and began to make butter and cheese. How difficult it must have been to chop down trees with primitive axes, to herd unruly cows into makeshift pens, to put each seed in the ground one by one, and to live with disease on a daily basis. But they survived, they prospered and they left extraordinary monuments to their existence.
In 3200 BC our neolithic ancestors began building huge burial complexes. The Newgrange complex just north of Dublin has survived almost intact. These burial complexes were built throughout the country, and many were built by O’Dochartaigh ancestors.
One such burial complex still stands today on the Inishowen Peninsula, County Donegal. The Bocan Stone Circle near Culdaff, contains seven stones, but in 1816, consisted of twelve upright stones. Two huge stones mark the entrance. Opposite the entrance are two axial stones which serve to form the alignment of the stone circle. The stone circle also had an astronomical function: Depending on how the sun shone on certain stones, the farmers could tell when the seasons began and ended and when to plant and harvest.
THE BRONZE AGE (2000 BC to 500 BC)
Although the new Bronze Age arrived in Europe around 4000 BC, it did not arrive in Ireland for another 2000 years. The discovery of bronze (an alloy of copper and tin), a metal that could be molded into any desired shape was a key event in human history. It was much stronger than stone and could be put to much more effective uses. Slowly the culture of these bronze-working European settlers merged with that of the Neolithic Irish and gave birth to the Irish Bronze Age.
The Crannog, coming into being in the Bronze Age served some of the O’Dochartaighs well as a home base. Crannogs were artificial islands built in lakes and although at first they were used for fishing, they soon developed into well-protected homesteads, some even remained well into the 1600’s. Survival was a prime concern during this era and depended upon the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the people.
During the periods from 350 BC when Alexander the Great lived and ruled, to 218 BC when Hannibal crossed the Alps to invade Italy to 58-55 BC when Caesar took Gaul and made unsuccessful attempts to invade Britain, the Celtic-speaking people were taking over the principal centers of power and ritual used by our Neolithic ancestors. They raided, pillaged, and plundered the Neolithic people, but they also brought new ideas to the area. They intermarried with the Neolithic people and helped them to progress.
Ireland was rich in copper and much of it that was mined in Ireland was made into awls, axes and daggers. As Ireland’s population increased, and land was cleared of trees, the copper axe served the people very well. It was during this time that many of the myriad of lowland lakes left by the ice age also began to be choked by peat, forming the raised bogs that characterize many parts of lowland Ireland today. These peat bogs or “turf,” as it is popularly known today, played a big part in the daily life of the O’Dochartaighs.
The O’Dochartaighs of the Bronze Age lived similarly to their Neolithic ancestors in rectangular or circular houses constructed from timber beans with wattle-and-daub walls and thatched roofs made from reeds. These thatched roofs kept out the rain, but were home to bugs and other vermin, which would find their way through the thatch into the living quarters.
The circular houses of the Crannog Era were from 13 to 23 feet in diameter and supported by a central post. Sometimes there was a fence that surrounded the house or a circular ditch around the entire property that aided in defense and kept the livestock in.
Cooking was accomplished using a wood-lined trough which had been dug into the ground and filled with water. Beside the trough, a fire was lit and stones heated in the fire. These stones were then thrown in the water. Water could be brought to a boil in 30 minutes by this method and a ten-pound leg of mutton could be cooked in about four hours. This type of cooking was used for thousands of years, even into the 1600s AD.
As the O’Dochartaigh ancestors sat around waiting for their meals to cook, they spoke a unique language that history did not record. It was not until the Celts arrived that languages became more stable. Most likely the language was a combination of the old Neolithic languages and the imported Celtic languages.
During this time, road construction began to connect villages. Road building was very difficult, but the O’Dochartaighs were up to the task by building roads using planks from felled oak trees, held in place by oak pegs through holes at the end of each beam, set transversely on a bed of birch and strong enough to hold carts. Even prior to the time of Christ, these roads, wide enough for two chariots to pass each other and ran the distance from Dublin to Derry, along the edge of County Donegal.
THE IRON AGE (500 BC to 400 AD)
Sometimes referred to as "The Celtic Age," not much is known about what took place during the Iron Age. Implements uncovered were of both iron and bronze, as bronze was still very much in use. Many finds were made in lakes and around the Crannog sites. The O’Dochartaigh ancestors most likely used horses for various activities as many horse trappings dating to this period were found and the use of chariots in battle has been described in the tales of ancient warriors. Because it was a simple agrarian economy, no coins were used and the cow was the unit of exchange.
There were at this time, five loosely organized provinces of Ireland, namely: Connaught, Ulster, Munster, Leinster and Meath. These provinces each contained numerous miniature kingdoms, probably about 150 in total. Each miniature kingdom, ruled by a “tuath” was ruled by a more powerful “tuath” who was generally ruled by one of the five provincial kings. It was during this period of time (Iron Age) when the O’Dochartaigh ancestors were first identified. Although little was written down, stories were passed down and later recorded in minute detail by the pagans and by monks. One such story, later recorded, was about Goidel Glas, an O’Dochartaigh ancestor who created the Gaelic language from an amalgamation of seventy two known languages. However, it was his descendant, and another direct O’Dochartaigh ancestor, Conn of a Hundred Battles (1), who was probably the most famous.
Conn arrived on the scene in the 3 AD. He had seized power from Cathair Mor, a legendary king of Leinster (the southeastern province) and constantly guarded his seized properties by engaging in battle after battle, thus earning him his name. He was one of the first High Kings of Ireland. His life and reign, however, were ended by his assassination at Tara, the legendary home (located just north of Dublin) of the Kings of Ireland. Reportedly, fifty robbers dressed as women and hired by the king of Ulster (northern most province) entered his safe haven and killed him.
Later on, Conn’s grandson, Cormac Mac Art (3), became King and ruled from Tara in County Meath during the third century. He streamlined his armies and successfully guarded the country against invasions. In the words of the later Chronicles of Clonmacnoise (translated by C. Mageoghagan), he was “Absolutely the best king that ever reigned in Ireland before himself.... wise, learned, valiant and mild, not given causelessly to be bloody as many of his ancestors were; he reigned majestically and magnificently.”
Cormac Mac Art is credited with being a great law-maker, was instrumental in formulating Ireland's Brehon Laws, and credited with rebuilding some of the monuments on the hill of Tara. He lost an eye in battle and had to abdicate his throne for it was an immutable law that the High King must be completely whole in body.
Several generations passed before another great King of Ireland came on the scene. Niall's father had become high king during the fourth century, and his mother was Carthann, daughter of the British King, Eochaid. Niall (8), Niall of the Nine Hostages (377-405 AD) lived and ruled Ireland greatly and strongly and was the most powerful King Ireland ever had. Without interruption, his descendants were High Kings of Ireland for over 600 years.
Niall’s first expedition as king was to protect some of his Irish settlers in Scotland. He quickly subdued the Picts in Alba, Scotland (just opposite County Antrium). Along with the Irish settlers, Niall raided Britain and, by some accounts, subdued the Roman legions under Maximus and drove them from Britain. He made several incursions into Britain and several into Gaul and carried back great booty and hostages. But out of evil comes good and during one of these raids, the lad Succat (later to become Saint Patrick) was taken, carried to County Antrium, and there for a period of time, he herded swine for Milcho, the Chieftain of the County.
In one of his forrays into Gaul, Niall was assassinated, not by a foreign enemy, but by the treachery of one of his own. He fell on the banks of the River Loire, in France, by the hand of Eochaid, the son of the King of Leinster. He died from an arrow shot from ambush.
END OF THE IRON AGE
The Iron Age ended, coincidentally, at the time of Niall’s death (405 AD). It was, however, the time when St. Patrick was to make his mark on Irish history. St. Patrick introduced Roman civilization and the Christian religion to Ireland. He was passionate and relentless and traveled all over the country preaching his gospel and baptizing his new followers. He baptized the sons of Niall during the fifth century at a location in the southern part of the Inishowen Peninsula, County Donegal. The picture below shows where Niall’s son, Eoghain, was baptized by St. Patrick.
Shown at the spot (in a 2000 photo) are O’Dochartaigh descendants (from L to R: Burdon “Duck”
Daugherty; Jerry Daugherty Haskin; Janice Daugherty Hueske Ruhter; Cherie Daugherty Hueske
Korgan; Annette Daugherty Hueske Korgan Koch; Carol Daugherty DeFrain; Ron Daugherty).
The Inishowen Peninsula owes its name to Niall’s son Eoghain (Owen). Inishowen means “Isle of Owen." However, it was from Eoghain’s brother, Conall Guban (9), that the O’Dochartaigh line is descended. More on that shortly, but first it should be pointed out that County Donegal gets its name from Conall, the O’Dochartaigh ancestor. The land of Tyr Conaill was named after Conall. Today, County Donegal traces almost exactly the boundaries that outlined old Tyr Conaill.
The O’Dochartaigh Clan as we know it today, originated in Inishowen and got their name from Dochartach, son of Maongal, grandson of Fianan, Lord of Inishowen, third son of Ceannfaola, prince of Tir Conaill and twelfth in lineal descent from Conall Gulban. Say that again, real fast!
So finally, in the ninth century, the O’Dochartaighs had a name. The meaning of the name O’Dochartaigh is widely disputed. Some say it comes from “Oak Houses” or those who lived in oak houses. However, professional research indicated that the name means “Destroyer” and is one of the oldest surnames in all of Europe. The name came from the actions of the Clan on the battlefields of the old Tyr Conaill.
The O’Dochartaighs first ruled the Finn River Valley, which is more in the southern part of County Donegal. This land, generally pastoral in nature, soon was not big enough for the Clan and so they battled north, winning and losing land, finally ending up on 300,000 acres of land known as the Inishowen Peninsula. The Inishowen Peninsula is located in the very northernmost part of Ireland, surrounded on the west side by Lough Swilly and on the east side by Lough Foyle.
The O’Dochartaighs became the Chiefs of the Inishowen and maintained their control there for several hundred years. During these years, they battled their fellow countrymen and they very likely battled the Viking Norsemen who came in the year 800; but as we will later learn, it was the British who would cause the fall of the Clan in the year 1608.
In these “dark ages” between the Viking arrival and the Clan demise, the O’Dochartaighs lived on their land as best they could. There were continual battles, and, no doubt the O’Dochartaighs were involved in many of them. Meanwhile, in the south, the Province of Munster brought forth another great king by the name of Brian Boru who ruled in Munster starting in 976. Later, he became the Ard Ri (High King of Ireland), but died in the Battle of Clontarf in 1014. Although he died, his forces won the battle and his family ruled Ireland for a period of time.
Between the eighth and seventeenth centuries there was a constant power struggle between the clans and from the twelfth century against the English. While the O'Dochartaighs maintained good relations with the English, they were used by the English to play the O'Neill Clan against the O'Donnell Clan. In the sixteenth century, the O'Dochartaighs preserved their lands and their lives by pretending allegiance to Henry VIII and Elizabeth I which accounts for many of the clan acquiring knighthoods during this period. Shane Mór O'Doherty was knighted in 1541. His son Shane Óg, who was knighted in 1585, was the father of the most famous and tragic of the many O'Dochartaigh rebels Cahir O'Doherty, who we shall hear more of later.
THE ARRIVAL OF THE ENGLISH
Around 1170 the English first started making inroads into Ireland, beginning the 800 year struggle between England and Ireland. It was during that time that Richard de Clare, known as “Strongbow,” arrived to become King of Leinster and, shortly thereafter, ending the reign of Rory O’Connor, the last high king of Ireland.
Several dates are important in the Irish struggle with England. In 1258, mercenary soldiers came to Ulster from Scotland; in 1264, Walter de Burgo was made Earl of Ulster; and by 1272, the English had conquered most of Ulster, as well as most of Connacht and Munster.
In 1361, the British issued an edict that pure-blooded Irishmen could not become mayors, bailiffs, officers of the king or clergymen that served the English. Five years later, the statutes of Kilkenny forbade Irish-English marriages and prevented English from using the Irish language, customs or laws.
In 1529, Henry VIII (famous for his string of wives including Anne Boleyn) broke with the Catholic Church and set himself up as the head of the Church of England. Twelve years later, he declared himself king of Ireland. In 1547, Henry VIII died, and after the unsuccessful reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, Elizabeth I became queen.
When Elizabeth I came to power, Ireland was divided politically and culturally into English and Gaelic parts. The O’Dochartaighs lived predominately in the Gaelic West and North but were small in numbers; and because the economy was generally pastoral in nature, their impact was somewhat limited. At the time, Gaelic politics were intensely local, with power residing in the numerous rival clans and chieftaincies.
The English considered the Irish a rude and savage people (“the wild Irish”), living in bogs and mountains. The more “Civil English” lived in the south around Dublin in towns and villages. Moreover, the English landowners lived in defended towerhouses (outside the towns and other safe havens), with their tenants and many Gaelic clansmen living in wattle and daub cabins.
There were constant confrontations between the “wild Irish” and the English. In 1588, a major skirmish took place in which the O'Dochartaighs assisted survivors of the Spanish Armada which had been shipwrecked during a severe storm along the coast of Ireland. The chiefs of the O’Dochartaigh Clan who had assisted the storm's victims were incarcerated by the English because they had helped the Spaniards!
In 1600, John (the younger) O'Doherty (O’Dochartaigh) led a small force against Sir John Chamberlain of Derry because of continual encroachment by the English. In response, English forces were sent to prey on and plunder O'Dochartaigh country. However, the English were unprepared for the ferocity of the O’Dochartaigh Clan, and the large force of English was defeated following a fierce battle in which the commanding officer and most of his troops were slain.
The gradual escalation of violence and atrocities, which resulted in the Elizabethan Wars during the last part of the sixteenth century, was partially based on the fact that the “wild Irish” prided themselves on family loyalty and the English prided themselves on loyalty to the crown. This all led to O’Dochartaigh Clan making one final stand in trying to rid themselves of English rule. Elizabeth I had tried to exert her influence in many ways. First, she imposed the Anglican (Church of England) faith upon the hostile Catholic populace and began steadily expanding the previously unsuccessful plantation system.
Because of Elizabeth I’s policies, the Irish began to rebel. In 1593, Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, took the “illegal” Gaelic title of "The O'Neill" and prepared to lead the Ulster chiefs in defense of their territory and religion. In response, the English appointed Lord Mountjoy as the governor of Ulster and under his leadership, the Irish campaign began to wither.
To keep their hopes alive, the Irish resistance contacted their friends in Spain and asked for assistance. The Spanish did make a valiant attempt to help. In 1601, King Philip III sent a Spanish fleet with 3,800 troops to Kinsale in southern Ireland to help the beleaguered Irish. However, they were soundly defeated. O'Neill, hearing about this significant defeat soon gave in. In March 1603, he signed a peace treaty with the English that allowed him to retain his lands and earldom; but the treaty did not last long.
When James I succeeded Queen Elizabeth in 1603, he resumed the plantation of English and Scottish settlers with a vengeance, especially in the part of Ireland that had been the center of the uprising: Ulster. In 1607, threatened by all the newcomers, O'Neill and about one hundred of the most important people in Ulster fled the country from Rathmullan, County Donegal. This “flight of the earls” is generally agreed by historians to be the real end of the Gaelic civilization as a political entity in Ireland.
However, the “flight of the earls” to Spain was just the beginning of the end of the O’Dochartaigh Clan. On January 27, 1601, a young clan member, Cahir O’Dochartaigh, nearly seven feet tall, witnessed the death of his father Sean Oge O’Dochartaigh, slain in battle. Shortly thereafter, in May 1601, at the age of 14, Cahir became the Chieftain of the O’Dochartaigh Clan. As a way of winning his loyalty, Cahir was knighted by the English Crown and became Sir Cahir O’Dochartaigh. However, he soon discovered that he was being used by the English, from that point on, Cahir’s allegiance was to his clan. Although his father was dead and his brother had fled with the earls to Spain, Cahir was determined to protect his family and homelands.
The pivotal blow to the Clan came when Cahir was insulted in public by the Governor of Derry. In those days, this was a very serious affront. In retaliation, Cahir rallied his troops at the O’Doherty Keep in Buncrana and began his trek. From Buncrana, he marched on Derry, captured the Culmore Fort, sacked Derry, and killed the Governor of Derry. He retreated to his home at Burt Castle, but soon was forced back to the vicinity of Letterkenny where on July 5, 1608, at age 21, Cahir, the last chieftain of the O’Dochartaigh Clan was slain by a stray bullet, and the Gaelic resistance in Ulster died. Sir Cahir’s body was captured by the enemy and rushed to Derry where it was quartered and the head taken to Dublin Castle where it was displayed above the main gate.
O’Doherty Keep in Buncrana Burt Castle – Last home of Clan
Doon Rock – Near Kilmacarren and spot where Chieftain Sir Cahir Rua O’Dochartaigh was slain
After their leader Cahir-was slain, the resistance could no longer hold out. The battles were over, the O’Doherty Keep in Buncrana had been burned and in 1609, six thousand O’Doghartaighs and supporters were exiled to Sweden as slaves to fight for the King of Sweden. Some escaped at Belfast on the way, but only two of those who reached Sweden returned to tell their story. The survivors wrote a book about their experience but no copy of this publication survives today.
The English wasted little time in exerting their influence in the area and by 1610, the settlement in County Coleraine (Derry) was renamed and became known as Londonderry. Although still used today, the new name is still very controversial and most Irish people from the Republic use the name Derry.
Soon after, the native Irish began paying rent on their own land to the English landlords. Records recovered from that period show that in 1622 Phelim O'Doghertie (sic) paid rent to Sir Arthur Chichester. During that same year, we know that more than 13,000 Protestants lived in Ulster, but by 1641 their population was over 100,000. Within 30 years of the arrival of King James’s first settlers, only slightly more than 10 per cent of Ulster still belonged to the native Irish.
THE O’DOCHARTAIGH LINE SURVIVES DURING DIFFICULT TIMES
Our ancestor, Diarmaid O’Dochartaigh (43), the grandson of Brian Gruamach O’Dochartaigh (41) and son of Cumhaighe O’Dochartaigh (42), was born about 1550. Early Derry City Council records indicate that he was a contemporary of Cahir Rua O’Dochartaigh, the last clan chieftain. Diarmaid’s son, Niall-A-Churaigh O’Dochartaigh (44) was born about 1570. He belonged to the Royal Family as shown in “-John O’Harts Irish Pedigrees-.” Exactly what the “Royal Family” designation meant to Niall-A-Churaigh is unknown; apparently it didn’t do him much good as we shall later see.
Niall-A-Churaigh O’Dochartaigh had three children: Connor, John and Cahir. Connor (45), the oldest, was born in the Scalp Mountains (located just to the northeast of Burt Castle on the Inishowen Peninsula). The Scalp Mountains were heavily forested and made a great hiding place. The family had apparently fled to these mountains during the warring periods just prior to and during the O’Dochartaigh Rebellion of 1608.
Connor married and his son, Cornelius O’Dougherty (46), was born in 1636 in Carrownamaddy, near Burt Castle, Fahan. Fahan, a Parish at the time is shown as the center area of the map below. This area boasted some of the best farmland in County Donegal.
By 1641, the Irish had revolted again, establishing a national parliament in Kilkenny that stood not only for independence but for full liberty of religion and conscience. The English government countered by sending Oliver Cromwell to quell this revolt in 1649 to-50. Tens of thousands of the native Irish were murdered. Consequently, the Catholic religion was outlawed, and the rights of the native Irish reduced to little more than the rights of livestock.
By 1653 the English had completely subjugated the entire island, and by the combination of massacres, pestilence, and starvation, it was estimated that between half and two-thirds of the Irish people died or were killed. Untold thousands of others were shipped to the American colonies and the West Indies as slaves. Those who could, fled to other European countries.
Following the massacres and confiscations of property by Cromwell in 1653, the landed gentry of Ireland changed from that of the Irish and Old English (Anglo-Irish) to that of the Protestant New English. Lands in Ulster that had belonged to the native Irish were given to veterans of the Parliamentary Army and to adventurers under Cromwell. However, as fate would have it, the Cromwellian regime collapsed in December 1659, and Charles II was proclaimed King. Charles II continued the plantation of the English into Ireland.
Shortly after this terrible point in Irish history, about 1670 Cornelius married Sarcha O’Kelly, and their son Niall was born in the Scalp Mountains. The family probably was still in hiding from the British, and it must have been very difficult just to exist during those bleak times.
A CATHOLIC ON THE ENGLISH THRONE – NO HELP!
By 1685 James II ascended the throne. James II was a Roman Catholic, and during his reign, a more pro-Catholic policy was enacted in Ireland. However, as a result of Protestant nervousness in England, the English removed James II from the throne in 1688. The Irish prepared to rebel and invited the ousted King James II to lead them.
James II borrowed troops from France and landed in Ireland in 1689, the year that William (III) and Mary ascended to the throne in England. The new king wanted to put an end to the Catholic Irish, who, comprising the vast majority of the population, had supported the King James II cause. So, in June 1690, King William III and his troops landed at Carrickfergus (near Belfast) to face the French and Irish forces under James II.
On July 11, 1690, just north of Dublin, the English defeated James II and his forces on the banks of the Boyne river, and James II fled to his benefactor, Louis XIV of France. The war ended with the Treaty of Limerick in 1691. The terms of the Treaty were initially satisfactory to the Irish but were subsequently dishonored and Limerick became known as the city of the violated treaty. The Treaty of Limerick marked the "flight of the Wild Geese,” a time in which many of the old Irish and English military and gentry left Ireland to seek their fortune in European countries.
The Battle of the Boyne marked the beginning of Protestant control over Catholics in Ireland. Even now, its anniversary is celebrated in July of each year when the Orangemen of Northern Ireland march in parade, celebrating this “great” victory of King William III of Orange.
AFTER THE “FLIGHT OF THE WILD GEESE”
The Early 18th Century
The 18th century had just begun when Niall O’Dougherty (47) married Margret Macarthur from Derry City. They had three children: Cornelius (48), Conn and Cahir (Charles). Cornelius (48) was born about 1700 in Elaghbeg, which is located in the southern most part of the Inishowen Peninsula. It is not known exactly when the family left the Scalp mountains, but at some point they did and most likely became tenant farmers on their own.
The family witnessed numerous additional burdens that had been placed on the Irish Catholics and some Protestestants. In 1695, the beginning of penal legislation had been enacted against the Irish Catholics and dissenters in Ireland. Between 1695 and 1728, a series of acts were passed which forbade Irish Catholics from practicing their faith, and the vast majority of wealthy Catholics were stripped of their wealth, their positions, their estates, and their homes, leaving them virtually paupers. The penal acts prevented Catholics from bearing arms and from owning horses worth more than £5. The acts restricted rights to education, to buying land, and on death, if there was any Catholic property, it was required to be divided among all sons. Catholics were banned from serving in the army, holding public office, entering the legal profession, becoming Members of Parliament, or voting. In 1720, an Act declared the right of the British Parliament to pass laws for Ireland.
As a little known event that added to the troubles of our ancestors, a famine occurred in 1739-1740, which was said to have caused nearly 400,000 deaths in Ireland. Later in the century, revolutionary fervor, ignited by rebellions in France and the newly formed United States of America, spurred new rebellions in Ireland.
It was during this time that ancestor Cornelius (48) and wife Madge Duffy married and had seven children: Hugh (49), Philip, Niall, John, Dermott, Moira, and Margret. Hugh was born about 1730 at Elagh, Kilderry (Church of Derry), County Donegal. Hugh (49) married Sarah McCallion and had four children: Arthur, Edward, Cornelius Neal and Hugh (50). Hugh, most likely the third born of Hugh and Sarah, entered the world about 1768. It was this Hugh (50) who became the immigrant ancestor to the United States, but more on that after a discussion of the reasons he probably left Ireland.
By 1755, England had taken over so much Irish Land that the Irish owned less than 5 percent. The Irish were forced to rent strips of land from the British, most no larger than an acre, to farm and grow food. Families of six or more had to survive for a year at a time on one acre of land.
During the 18th century, Protestant power in Ireland reached its peak, politically due to the loss of voting and office-holding privileges of the Catholic majority. In the latter part of 18th-century Ireland, rural protest movements were a common reaction to laws that imposed new taxes, payment of tithes, enclosure of lands, high rents, etc.
In 1778, after France declared war on England, a volunteer corps was set up to help defend Ireland (and ultimately England) from possible invasion. The “Volunteers” soon began to wield their organized military power to win political and economic concessions from England. The extra-parliamentary lobbying of the “Volunteers” was instrumental in securing free trade for Ireland in 1780 and legislative independence in 1782.
In 1789, the outbreak of the French Revolution encouraged the Protestant and Presbyterian middle-class to campaign for reform of the representative system under the banner of the “United Irishmen” in the mid-1790s. Although a Protestant himself, Theobald Wolfe Tone, one of leaders of the “United Irishmen,” published a pamphlet entitled "An Argument on Behalf of the Catholics of Ireland” which was used by the United Irishmen to unite dissenters and Catholics, as well as all Irishmen, against Anglican rule.
As a result of fear of revolution sweeping Europe and having lost the American colonies, England passed the Act for the Relief of 1793 in an effort to appease the large Irish population persecuted by the earlier Penal Laws. Although not granting full civil rights, the Act lifted restrictions on Catholics to buy and sell land and to educate their children. It also allowed the right to practice at the bar and to marry Protestants. However, Catholics still could vote only for Protestant candidates.
The alliance of the “Defenders” and “United Irishmen” along revolutionary lines, and their new-found alliance with France which had come as a result of Theobald Wolfe Tone’s persuasions resulted in an attempted invasion of Ireland by French forces. In 1796, these French forces, under Admiral Hoche, sailed to Bantry Bay only to be turned back by bad weather. In March 1798, as troubles continued to brew, the English, fearing an Irish uprising, had many leaders of the United Irishmen arrested. A valiant yet poorly coordinated uprising soon followed. In fact, Theobald Wolf Tone actually landed with a French force at Buncrana, just north of our ancestral home, but was soon captured and put to death.
IRISH IMMIGRATION TO AMERICA
There are stories that the earliest Irish immigrants to the American continent were on Viking ships in the 10th century. However, there is no historical record of these voyages, and historians do not know if this is true. In any case, Irish immigration was a major proportion of immigration to the American continent. By 1922, about 5 million Irish people had immigrated to the American colonies and the United States.
The first phase of Irish immigration took place between 1630, more than a century before America became an independent country, and 1776, the beginning of the American Revolutionary War. Much of the immigration was due to religious reasons: Neither the Catholics nor the Presbyterians could practice their religions freely in Ireland. England had separated from the Catholic church in the 16th century and formed the Church of England. However, most native Irish people were Catholics, and those in Ulster were Presbyterians, that is, they belonged to a Protestant church other than the Church of England.
By 1776, a quarter of a million Irish people, mainly Protestants, had immigrated to America. In general, they were happy in America because they could practice their own religion, farm their own land, express their opinions freely, and participant in politics. During the American Revolution, the Irish, natural revolutionaries, and because of their long-standing hatred of the British, played an important role in the revolution--disproportionate to their numbers in the population as a whole--as nurses and soldiers, and officers in the military. It is estimated that the military during the Revolutionary War comprised about one-third Irish and Irish American individuals.
THE IMMIGRANT, HUGH DAUGHERTY
Until the 1820s, the typical Irish immigrant was an Ulster protestant, though a few Catholics had been immigrating from the beginning. Because Hugh Daugherty (50) arrived in America prior to 1800, the chances are good that he was Protestant, but we don’t know for sure. We do know that he was born in Kilderry, located in County Donegal, primarily Catholic, and close to the city of Derry, where his wife Mary Blaine was born, primarily a Protestant area.
It is no wonder, however, with all the turmoil going on in the region and the restrictions placed on the native Irish, that Hugh Daugherty (50) immigrated to Pennsylvania. More than likely he was involved in political activities in Ireland, but it is not known exactly why and exactly when he left. We do know that his arrival in Pennsylvania was most likely in the mid to late 1790s.
It is not known if Hugh and Mary were married when they left Ireland, but it is quite possible. The time period of Hugh and Mary’s emigration, mid to late 1790s, is based on the fact that Mary, (daughter of William Blaine and Martha Duffy) was born in 1778 and their first born son, Hugh Jr. (51) was born in 1798 in Pennsylvania. They had a total of nine children: Hugh Jr. (51), William Dan, Martha, Margaret, Mary Jane, James Robinson, Daniel K., Harry and Elizabeth.
The voyage to the states was probably quite an experience. Conditions on 18th century emigration ships were overcrowded to say the least. Because of the weather, emigrants had to stay below deck, sometimes for days and even weeks. All emigrants were accommodated in the space between decks – the height between decks seldom exceeding 5 ½ feet although 4 ½ feet was common. In one ship, berths were triple tiered and 18 inches wide and 24 inches in height. Port-holes to provide ventilation and light were non-existent in most ships.
Upon their arrival in Pennsylvania in the late 18th century, Hugh Daugherty and Mary Blaine would have recognized many of their countrymen, as nearly one-third of Pennsylvania’s 350,000 inhabitants were of northern Ireland origins. Many of the Ulster immigrants had come as indentured servants. In return for payment of their passage, the emigrant signed an indenture, agreeing to serve the ship owner for a specified period, up to seven years. Although the price for an indentured servant is not known for the last part of the 18th century, in the 1770s, indentured servants were sold on board vessels for 15 pounds and for a term which varied from two to four years. The price of a horse was then 25 to 40 pounds! Whether Hugh and Mary were indentured when they came to America is not known, but it is quite possible because they had to pay for passage in some way.
Hugh and Mary’s oldest son, Hugh (52), also chose for his wife, a young lady by the name of Mary. Was it a coincidence or fate that Hugh (Jr.) married Mary (same names as his parents)? It was most likely a coincidence, because at that time many people were named Hugh and Mary.
Like his parents, Hugh (52) and Mary also had nine children: May, Rachel, John, William, James, George (52), Robert, Arthur and Sarah C. Again, we do not know their religion, but their son James is buried in a protestant cemetery in Eldersridge, Pennsylvania.
Another son, our ancestor, George (52), born in 1836, and his wife, Mary Ann Morgan, are the key figures in The Daugherty Story, published in 1984, by Melvin J. Daugherty, their great grandson. Thus, this tale ends at this point, and the reader is referred to that work for further family history.
“Who so ever asks me of my birth – I will tell them I am born of Irish Princes who ruled Donegal a thousand years ago; that I am descended from the High Kings of Ireland, and my name is from the Clann O’Dochartaigh.”
SONG about Lord Cahir O'Dogherty
In the north, by summer's light
When days that lengthened are still bright
We gather the wealth of friends, once foes
to join in harvest and feast no woes
As pipes are lit and fiddles tuned
and whiskey sipped for the voice to soothe
the tales of long ago come forth
about the lines once drawn by loathe
From the stone moss covered graves
Upon the Hills of Castle Green
the singers tell how heritage was sown
There once was the land of Inishowen
At sixteen, Cahir did see his father slain
When the Spanish fleets, they never came
and there in the year Sixteen – o - one
he became Chief of Kinel-Owen
Fostered was he by cousin Macdevitt's clan
who freed him from O'Donnell's hand
And so brave was he in the field of Augher
that he, Lord Inishowen became knighted there
Then came the Flight of Earls
When to Spain, sailed the Tryconnel's
Though faith's own change may be the cause
British reign still became an Irish loss
It was in Sixteen - o - eight
That the Planets charted luck so gray
For from the rafters hung the head
Of pour Lord Inishowen, he was dead
So, I hear the stories of families I never knew
Who fought for lands on which they grew
And like so many more, lost their lives
For castles that now in ruins lie
So along the lines of Belfast, that once did divide
I see them dance, in many kilts, they are clad
Patterns worn, before so many deaths did reign
Once forward, once around and then back again
Note: The author wants to especially thank JANET DAUGHERTY PARRACK for editing this section. Her suggestions and recommendations were very much appreciated.
Please note: The number following the name indicates the generations starting from Conn in the second century AD.
Typical Crannog
Flight of the Wild Geese
