Craobhach

CRAOBHACH—IX—Creavagh, Creagh; Irish 'craobhach,' branching, or possibly belonging to Craobh, a common Irish place-name. The Creaghs are, according to tradition, a branch of the O'Neills of Clare and obtained the cognomen of Craobhach from one of their ancestors who carried a green branch in a battle fought at Limerick with the Danes. They were an ancient and respectable merchant family in Limerick where the name frequently appears in the list of mayors and bailiffs. Many of them, too, attained to high ecclesiastical distinctions. In 1459, William Creagh was Bishop of Limerick; in 1483 David Creagh was Archbishop of Cashel; a century later Richard Creagh was appointed by the Pope to the primacy of Armagh; and at the beginning of the 18th century, Pierce Creagh was Archbishop of Dublin. All these were natives of Limerick. The Creaghs were also an old and wealthy merchant family in Cork.

Alphabetical Index to Irish Surnames