Michel family genealogy

Arms (of Mulvihill): Per fess ar. and gu. in chief a salmon naiant ppr. betw. two lions ramp. combatant az. supporting a dexter hand of the second, in base a harp or, betw. two battle-axes in pale, the blade turned outwards ppr.

MAOIN, a brother of Muirceartach (latinized "Muriartus") Mór MacEarca, the 131st Monarch of Ireland, and who is No.90 on "The (No. 1) O'Neill" (of Tyrone) pedigree, was the ancestor of O'Maolmicheille; anglicised Michil,[1] Michel, Mitchell, Mulvichill, Mulvihill, Melvill, and Mulville.

90. Maoin: son of Muireadach.

91. Columan ("columan:" Irish, a little dove); his son; a quo O'Culumain (of Tirowen), anglicised Colman.

92. Faelan: his son.

93. Endadaidh: his son.

94. Fionnbeartach: his son.

95. Tuathal: his son.

96. Dungal: his son.

97. Maolmichiall ("michiall:" Irish, folly): his son; a quo O'Maolmicheille and O'Maolmichil.

98. Uiruiman ("uiruim:" Irish, obedience): his son.

99. Ardait: his son.

100. Eachteoragan: his son.

101. Giollachriosd: his son.

102. Murcha: his son.

103. Duinesidhe ("duine:" Irish, a man; "sidh," gen. "sidhe," of a fairy hill): his son; a quo O'Duin-esidhe, anglicised Dennesy, and Dennehy.

104. Breannan: his son.

105. Eachmarcach: his son.

106. Coma: his son.

107. Giollachriosd (2): his son.

108. Muireadach: his son.

109. Niall: his son.

110. Giolla [2] Blein O'Maolmichil, "of the Battle Axes" ("blein:" Irish, the groin); his son; a quo MacBleinne.[3]

At this stage in this genealogy the family was expelled by the O'Connors, of Connaught, from Corca Eachlinn; when they settled in the county Clare, at Doon Maolmichiall, which they possessed up to the time of the Cromwellian confiscations in Ireland. In 1554 the castle of Doon Maolmichiall was besieged by the O'Briens; and Owen O'Maolmichil, of Doon Maolmichiall and Killowen, was the last of the family who possessed that estate—of which he was deprived by Oliver Cromwell. From this Owen descended Daniel O'Mulvihill, of Knockanira, county Clare, who died in 1820. This Daniel had five sons—1. Charles; 2. Daniel, of Kilglassy, county Clare; 3. George; 4. William; 5. Henry—the three last of whom were Medical Doctors. This Doctor William (fourth son of Daniel of Knockanira), of Gort, co. Galway, had a son—the Rev. Urquhart S. Mulville, A.B., living in 1881, in Strand-street, Tramore, co. Waterford. The fifth son, Henry Mulville, was a Medical Doctor in Dublin: this Henry had a son named Urquhart. Daniel O'Mulvihill, Kilglassy, had three sons, the eldest of whom was Captain Charles Blood Mulville, late of the 3rd Dragoon Guards, who, in 1881, was head of the family; whose dau. m. Captain French. This Daniel's (of Kilglassy) second son Neptune Blood Mulville was in 1881 living, and a wealthy merchant in the city of Sacramento, California.

Maolmichiall, No. 97 on the foregoing pedigree, did, in his advanced age, shave his head, and become a monk, very eminent for his sanctity: hence his name, which signifies "bald Michael;" on account of the monks shaving their heads in the tonsure. He had been a chief or prince of Tuatha Corca Eachlinn (or "the north swampy plain"), on the banks of the river Arigna (a tributary of the river Shannon), in the county Roscommon. In the "Monasticon" is mentioned, as an eminent ecclesiastic of this name, a dean of Cluan Dochrach, and professor of Divinity of Cluan MacNorisk.

The "Annals of the Four Masters," O'Dugan's "Topography," Lynch, in his Cambrensis Aversus, and the Books of Leacan and Ballymote all mention this family as lords of Corca Eachlinn, which they continued to hold down to about A.D. 1416. The Four Masters state, under the year 1189, that on the trial, for treason, of the son of Roger (Roderick) O'Connor, king of Connaught, by the chiefs and nobles of Connaught, O'Maolmichiall (or O'Maolmichil) was the fourth on the list. Under the year 1210, the Four Masters also state that the O'Connors of Connaught invaded Corca Eachlinn, but were beaten out of it with loss by O'Maolmichil; and, in 1232, a similar event took place, in which O'Connor's son, MacDermott, and O'Kelly were all slain by O'Maolmichil, "of the Battle Axes:" which raised the hero's fame so high, that it became an adage to say—"Maolmichil of the Battle Axes could not accomplish it." The O'Connors, however, eventually expelled the O'Maolmichil family from Corca Eachlinn; when they settled in the county Clare, at Doon Maolmichil, which they lost by confiscation in Cromwell's time.

Notes

[1] Michil: Another family of this name, whose pedigree we did not yet meet, is descended from Giollamichiall, a descendant of Colla-da-Crioch, who is No. 85 on the "O'Hart" pedigree; but, while Maolmichiall, No. 97 on the foregoing stem, literally means "bald Michael," the name Giollamichiall means "the devoted of St. Michael."

[2] Giolla: This Giolla Blein O'Maolmichil, "of the Battle Axes," possessed the Tuatha (or North Corca Eachlinn), in the county Roscommon, near the river Arigna, a branch of the Shannon.

[3] MacBleinne: It is considered that Blean, Blain, Blane, Blaney, MacBlane, and MacBlain, are anglicised forms of this Irish sirname.