- O'Higgins clan
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The O'Higgins Clan refers to a small number of Irish septs of the name O'Higgins who existed before the end of the Gaelic era in Ireland. Branches of this clan were predominantly located in the modern day counties of Meath, Westmeath, Longford, Roscommon, Leitrim and Sligo. The main seats of the clan were at Kilbeg in Westmeath, Dooghorne in Sligo, Monteige in Sligo and Ballynary in Sligo. Ancient records show that several members of the O'Higgins claimed a hereditary right to be file or poet in the courts of the Irish Chiefs and Kings [1][2]. All of the O'Higgins claim a common descent from Niall Naoighiallach, King of Tara, through his grandson Uigín, whose name means "sea farer" [2] however, other scholars have argued that the O'Higgins take their name from a later and less mythical Uigínn who lived ca. 1100AD [3], either way the O'Higgins are a sept of the Royal House of O'Neill[4][5]. Recent DNA research supports this tradition among the O'Higgins [6].
Contents
Loss of status and migration
Due to their loyalty to Gaelic culture and religion, the O'Higgins septs suffered under the English Crown in Ireland and by 1654 all had lost their lands in Sligo and Westmeath[7]. While most remained in Ireland as tenants on their own lands, many members of the family migrated to Spain where they achieved high office in the service of the King. In 1627, Peter Higgins was ordained a Catholic Priest in the Dominican Order in Spain before returning to Ireland where he re-esstablished a priory at Naas in County Kildare in the 1630s. On March 23, 1642 Peter Higgins was executed in Dublin on the orders of Sir Charles Coote, Governor of Dublin, who had ruled that all Catholic priests were to be killed. In 1992 Pope John Paul II beatified Peter Higgins among 17 Irish Martyrs who had died for their faith.[8] During the 18th and 19th centuries many more emigrated to the USA, England and Australia. Ambrose O'Higgins who was born in Ballynary ca.1720 is an example of an O'Higgins who left Ireland during these times and obtained high office abroad. After his family migrated to Summerhill in Co. Meath ca.1721 he left for Spain where he worked as an Engineer in the Spanish Military. From there he went to South America and achieved the highest office possible as Viceroy having previously been made 1st Barón de Ballinar, a title of the Spanish Crown not to be confused with the family's existing Gaelic title, and later made the 1st Marquis de Osorno in 1792 by King Carlos IV[9][10]. Chilean independence leader Bernardo O'Higgins was Ambrose O'Higgins' illegitimate son.
Later role in Irish Free State
The O'Higgins who remained continued to make a contribution to Irish society and the cause for Irish freedom. When the first Dáil was elected in 1918 there were two O'Higgins kinsmen in the Provisional Government of Ireland, Kevin O'Higgins whose family originally came from Athboy in Co. Meath and Brian O'Higgins of Kilskyre also in Co. Meath. Brian O'Higgins' great grandfather before him had participated in the 1798 Rebellion in Meath. Later on Kevin O'Higgins' nephew Tom O'Higgins was elected to the Dáil in 1948. He served as Minister for Health in the Government of the 15th Dáil. In 1966, he ran against incumbent President Éamon de Valera, losing by less than 1% of the vote. He was instrumental in bringing about the 1973 coalition government, turning down a ministerial post in favour of again contesting the Presidential election. This time he was beaten by Erskine H. Childers. In 1974 Tom O'Higgins became Chief Justice, a post he held until 1985, when he was appointed to the EU Court of Justice, a position he held until 1991.
Clan revival
In 2005 the O'Higgins Clan Association was formed and registered with Finte na hÉireann or Clans of Ireland, the independent authority that maintains the Register of Irish Clans. Thomas O'Higgins, resident in Cheshire, England, and a scion of the O'Higgins of Ballynary in Sligo, was acclaimed as Clan Chief. There are over 200 registered members of the O'Higgins Clan Association with an estimated 45,000 people worldwide who carry the surname Higgins or O'Higgins. Today, the tradition of people of the name Higgins or O'Higgins being poets continues. Aidan Higgins, a member of the elite artistic body Aosdana, is descended from this clan.
References
- ^ The Annals of the Four Masters, Book IV and V.
- ^ a b Eleanor Knott, Bardic Poems of Tadhg Dall Ó hUiginn (1922), I, xx-xxii:
- ^ letter from Prof. Eóin Mac Neill to Prof. Knott written in December 1919
- ^ The National Genealogical Office (Dublin), MS 165. p. 396-399.
- ^ Genealogy of Ó hUiginn from O Clery Book of Genealogies (based on edition by Séamus Pender, Analecta Hibernica 15, 1951)
- ^ http://www.familytreedna.com/landing/matching-niall.aspx
- ^ O'Rorke, T. (1889) “The History of Sligo Town and County Vol. II – Conclusion” (Dublin: Duffy & Company).
- ^ http://www.catholicireland.net/pages/index.php?art=416
- ^ Dictionary of National Biography 1885 and 1900.
- ^ Ricardo Donoso, (1941) “El Marquis de Osorno, Don Ambrosio Higgins” (Santiago: University of Chile Press).
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