Sunday 21 August 2016

Barr Coat of Arms

European Bronze Champion 2018

The performance by Thomas Barr in August 2016 at the Olympics with his sub 48 second 400 metres hurdle performance was inspirational.




This is the official description of the arms. Azure (blue) is the background colour. The eagle is displayed in argent (silver metal that appears as white). The fess or middle band is sable (black) and it is charged with two mullets (stars) that are or (gold metal that appears as yellow)


This is the reference for the Barr arms.

Flight, Barr and barr once owned the famous Worcester Porcelain Company.


Looking online for various examples of heraldry on porcelain by the company, various interesting examples can be found. A set containing 'Irish Arms' owned by Mrs Imelda (Ferdinand) Marcos in the Philippines came up for sale by 1stdibs. At the time the company did not identify the arms but readers of these pages will immediately realise that the arms were those of the Somerville of Athlumney (near Kentstown) 






The link with the page on the article on Somerville family (originally penned in 2011 for Riocht na Midhe) can be found here:




Sunday 14 August 2016

Glasnevin Heraldry

With the new museum and research facility at Glasnevin and the online resources, there is a lot of information available online. Here some of the interesting heraldry at Glasnevin is presented.


The arms of Kindelan for John Kindelan:



The inscription reads:

Erected by Patrick Kindelan Steelestown, Co Kildare in affectionate remembrance of his beloved brother, John Kindelan who died at his residence Malahide 7th March 1872 aged 44 years.


The Kindelan Inscription

The arms of Cosgreave for John Cosgreave:




The inscription is to John Cosgreave, naïve of Cork, Chief of his sept.
John, the son of James, the son of John, the son of Richard, the son of
Maurice, the son of John, the son of the 'elegant soldier' whose name
was believed to be John.



The arms of Hammond and Spring


The Hammond arms and crest and initial N.H. for Nicholas Hammond



The Spring arms and crest and initial A.S. for Anne Spring




The monument for Anne (Spring) Hammond

 Underneath lieth the mortal remains of Anne Hammond (nee Spring) the beloved wife of Nicholas Hammond Esqr, St Anne's Alma Road, Monkstown, Co Dublin by whom this monument is erected
to her memory. She died at 4 new Brighton, Monkstown, Co Dublin on the 6th Day of November
1877 aged 47 years. R.I.P.

The arms of Dublin impaling those of Bishop William Joseph Walsh (1885-1921)

Walsh: Azure, a lion rampant argent armed or, overall a fess per pale agent and gules.
Motto:Fide etb Labore.






The arms, crest and motto for Daniel O'Connell





The tomb of Daniel O'Connell in the O'Connell Vault


The Round Tower, beneath which lies the O'Connell Tomb

The achievement of arms of Ruthvan


The achievement of arms of Ruthven for Edward Southwell Ruthven who died 5th March 1856 M.P. for the City of Dublin.






The Ruthven Inscription


The Ruthven Monument






Friday 12 August 2016

Derry Ecclesiastical Heraldry - Bishop Edward Daly

The death of Bishop Edward Daly R.I.P. on Monday 8th August 2016 saw a great outpouring of admiration for this man of peace.

I thought we'd look at his coat of arms.

The arms of Bishop Edward Daly


The first version of the arms were taken from Derry Bishops.pdf document available at:

 http://www.catholicbishops.ie/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Notes-to-Editors-for-Installation-of-Bishop-Donal-McKeown-as-Bishop-of-Derry.pdf

 The second version is from Revd Bernard Canning's Book on the Bishops of Ireland 1870-1987.


From the dust cover dated 1987. The foreword for the book is by Derry-man John Hume.



The Arms of Bishop Edward Daly

It is interesting to look at the origins of the Daly surname and connection between the oak tree with both Daly and Derry.




The arms of the Daly family reflect the mythology surrounding its origins. The royal emblem of the lion probably derives from King Conaire, regarded as the family's human ancestor in prehistory, with the red hands coming from the name of Conaire's palace Bruidhin da derg, the fortress of the red god or goddess.

Curoi Mac Daire, the reputed divine ancestor of the Dalys, provides the crest, from Cu, meaning "hound", and Dair, meaning "oak-tree", both sacred in the old pre-Christian religion. Fr Daly and later Bishop Daly was to come to Derry.


see:                                                 http://ulster.gaa.ie/county/derry/

When he became bishop in 1974, he adopted the motto Pasce Oves Meas (Pastor my sheep) while his arms, combining an oak tree and a dove symbolised his wish for a growing peace in Derry. 


The arms on Bishop Daly's Gravestone


Bishop Daly's Gravestone

The Preceeding Bishops in Derry

Bishop Seamus Hegarty (from 1994-2011)
Bishop Edward Daly (1974-93)
Bishop Neil Farren (1939-73)
Bishop Bernard O'Kane (1926-39)
Bishop Charles McHugh (1907-26)
Bishop John Keys O'Doherty (1890-1907)
Bishop Francis Kelly (1849-89)


The arms of Bishop Seamus Hegarty (1994-2011)



The arms of Bishop Francis Lagan (Auxiliary Bishop 1988-2010)


The arms of  Bishop Neil Farren (1939-73)


The arms on Bishop Farren's Tomb



Bishop Bernard O'Kane (1926-39)


The arms of Bishop Charles McHugh (1907-26)



The arms of Bishop John Keys O'Doherty (1890-1907)
[Taken from Revd Canning and photographed from two stained-glass windows at St Eugene's Cathedral Derry]


The tomb of Bishop John O'Doherty at the Long Tower Church


Details about Bishop O'Doherty


The O'Doherty arms on the tomb
(These arms differ from those on the stained-glass windows in the Cathedral)



The arms of Bishop Francis Kelly (1849-89)

[On the bishop's residence at Derry, the date 1876 is over the main door]


The arms of the present bishop, Bishop Donal McKeown follow:



See:
http://www.catholicbishops.ie/2014/04/02/media-information-mass-installation-bishop-donal-mckeown-bishop-derry/

There are similarities with the arms of O'Neill, for more discussion see:

http://www.geoghegan.org/clan/heraldry.html