The O’Halloran Family

John Rooney

A Genealogical History of Irish Families

1895

O’Halloran family crest

(Crest No. 217. Plate 15.)

THE O’Halloran family is descended from Milesius, King of Spain, through the line of his son Heremon. The founder of the family was Brian, son of Eocha Moy Veagon, King of Ireland, A. D. 350.

The ancient name was Halluran, meaning “Victorious.” The heads of the sept were styled Princes of Clan Fergail, and their possessions were located in the present Counties of Clare and Galway. The O’Hallorans were Chiefs of Fay-Ui-Hallurain, a district between Tulla and Clare, in the County of Clare, and also of Clan Fargal, a large district on the east side of the River Galway, near Lough Corrib, in Galway County.

The most noted representative of this family was Silvester O’Halloran, a surgeon and historian, born in Limerick, 1728. He studied in Paris, Leyden, and London, and wrote a number of able treatises on medical subjects. He was a devoted student of archaeology and Irish antiquities. He published a work on the “Introduction to the Study of the Antiquities of Ireland” and a “General History of Ireland.” One of his sons, Joseph, entered the British army, served for many years in India, and attained the rank of lieutenant-general. Sir Joseph O’Halloran died in 1843, aged eighty.

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