Overview
In the central midlands of Ireland, the Farrells established a stronghold that gave County Longford its name and anchored their rule for centuries. From Longphort Ui Fhearghail, overlooking the River Camlin, they governed the lordship of Annaly for six hundred years, shaping the life and order of the region and leaving a legacy preserved in the very name of the county.
From their inauguration sites at Granard and Moatfarrell, the Farrell rulers held hereditary authority across the midlands. Their lineage reached back to the early eleventh century and the Battle of Clontarf, where Fearghail of Annaly fell among the allied forces of Brian Boru. Across generations the family produced seven bishops of Ardagh, defended their lands in times of conflict, and maintained a recognised position of leadership until the end of Gaelic rule.
The Cromwellian settlement brought that long period of rule to an end. Lands passed from Farrell possession, and the Penal era closed the path to recovery. During the Great Famine, the townlands long associated with the family were emptied, and Farrell families departed Ireland in growing numbers, carrying their name and inheritance across the Atlantic.
In New Haven, New York, Chicago, and other centres of Irish settlement, Farrell emigrants built new lives in industry, public service, and literature. Their descendants would help shape the civic, industrial, and cultural life of their adopted country, extending a history that began in medieval Annaly into the wider Irish American experience.
Drawing on the Annals of the Four Masters, Cromwellian land surveys, Griffith's Primary Valuation, Catholic parish registers, estate papers, and American archival collections, Sean Kelly traces the course of the Farrell lineage from its fortress above the Camlin to its place in modern America.
For Farrell descendants and readers of Irish family history, this work presents a lineage shaped by leadership, loss, migration, and endurance. Your heritage awaits.
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Details
- ISBN-13: 9798249917166
- ISBN-10: 9798249917166
- Publisher: Independently Published
- Publish Date: February 2026
- Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.15 inches
- Shipping Weight: 0.23 pounds
- Page Count: 70
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