O’Kelley-Ireland

The surname O’Ceallach, O’Cealaigh, or Ó Ceallaiġ pronounced as O’Kelly is believed to be associated with the Irish meaning, “grandson of Caellach”.  Reported to be descendants from Milesius, King of the Celts, the Kelly name and many variations is one of the most popular names in all of Ireland.  The O’Kellys were treasurers of Connaught. They had castles in both Galway and Roscommon.

From all reports it does appear O’Kelly is a old and honorable name in Irish History dating back to 874 AD, many O’Kellys gave their lives in the many battles over the soil of Ireland.

 

The Coat of Arms is different for many branches of the family, and the animal standing on the two sides of the tower was added in 1014 AD after the battle of Clontarf when it was reported the animal rose from the sea saving the life of a fallen comrade.

The animal is described in the Burke’s General Armory as “the head of a fox, the chest of an elephant, the mane of a horse, the forelegs of an eagle, the body and hind legs of a greyhound, and the tail of a lion”.

 

The ancient Kelly burial ground are located in Clonmacnois and Kilconell.

The O’Kelley spelling of the name only seems to appear in America. No evidence to date has been uncovered to indicate why the name is spelled in this manner in America but one can only speculate this occurred as a result of a name translation or to indicate a split in a family. Several publications do report that the many variations of the name is common within the same family even today.  As listed at the top of this page, the Gaelic spelling which would have been more common when my ancestry came to America is spelled much differently but to an English speaking ship master, it is very likely the name O’Ceallaigh would be spelled in English as O’Kelley or O’Kelly or Kelly and that is more likely how my family name came to be spelled with the second “e”.