Some of the HISTORY OF THE BYRNE CLAN

http://www.geocities.com/charlesbyrnemusic/byrne.htm

HISTORY OF THE BYRNE CLAN
Byrne or O'Byrne, together with its variants Beirne and Byrnes, is one of the ten most frequent surnames in Ireland today. In the original Irish the name is Ó Broin, from the personal name Bran, meaning "raven". It can definitely be traced back to Bran, son of Molmórda, a King of Leinster who ruled in the eleventh century; but it may be older again, as many have attributed the origins of the name to the son of King Milesius of Iberia, the leader of the last ancient invasion of Ireland, the Milesian invasion.
The name is mainly found in Wicklow or surrounding counties; but its origins were in CO Kildare. In the early 13th century the Norman invasion drove us from our homeland s there into south Co Wicklow, where we remained.
We Byrnes are a great Clan! One or another of the Byrnes have been involved in the great events of Irish history: Famous warriors of the clan include the great Fiach MacHugh O'Byrne, who fought the armies of the English queen, Elisabeth 1st, and defeated Lord Grey in1580. After his execution in 1597, his son Phelim became the last chieftain of the O'Byrnes, dispossessed of his lands in 1680 for continued disobedience and rebellion. In other words, continuing the family tradition!
IN the late 17th century some of the poetry of the family, part of the great Filiocht traditions of Ireland, were collected in a famous book celled the Leabhar Branach (book of the O'Byrnes). This collection was a fabulous history of the clan during the 16th century and previously.
Some of the Byrnes traveled to Scotland, and became 'Burns' (notably the famous Scottish poet Robert Burns). Other names from the same root Bran, include MacBroin, or McBrin. In English these are usually also given as Byrne.
Famous Byrnes have included our namesake, Charles Byrne, 1768-88, the Irish Giant, who had a brief but famous career as the eight and a half foot tall side show attraction. Andrew Byrne, 1802-62 had a longer but no less glorious career as a catholic missionary to the Native American and first bishop of Little Rock. We continued to be a rich source of revolutionaries and rebels, notably Miles Byrne 1780-1862, who played a prominent role in the 1798 rebellion, emigrated to France, had there avery distinguished career and was awarded the Legion D'Honnuer. He wrote his memoirs, including a famous account of the 1798 rebellion.
Famous modern sons of the clan include Gay Byrne, our legendary broadcaster and talk show host, and Gabriel Byrne, smouldering star of stage and screen.

& do not forget David Byrne of the Talking Heads!!!



(Posted on FB Wednesday, June 3, 2009 at 8:08pm)