ORIGIN OF THE NAME
According to the Flannery Clan, the surname O'Flannery (or more commonly Flannery, since the prefix O was
generally dropped in the nineteenth century) is usually an Anglicization of the Gaelic surname Ó Flannabhra, and signifies
descent from a person named Flannabhra. However, it is equally important to note that both Flannery and Flannelly were used as
an Anglicization of the Gaelic surname Ó Flannghaile, a name which signifies descent from a person named
Flannghaile.
It is interesting to note that the accent or fada over the prefix Ó, which
serves to lengthen the sound of the vowel, was gradually modified to an apostraphe O' by the early scribes in order to render the
closely spaced lines of manuscript more aesthetically attractive.
Flannabhra was a Gaelic personal name, not uncommon in the early and middle
ages. The name is a compound of flann (= ruddy) and abhra (= eyebrow or brow), thus the literal meaning is "red
eyebrow". This descriptive name possibly referred to a person with prominent red hair.
DISTRIBUTION OF
THE NAME IN THE 1850s (Griffith's Valuation)
Of approximately 260 Flannery
references (may indicate multiple families) listed by townland, three counties
accounted for over half (54%) the occurrences of the surname. Bearing in mind that Clare,
Galway, Offaly and Limerick border
Tipperary and that Sligo, Galway and Roscommon border Mayo, a pattern of concentration can be quickly be identified --
kind of a comma (or reverse C).
Rank Order of Distribution of Flannery (may
represent multiple families) by Townlands
1. Tipperary
2. Mayo
3. Galway
4. Clare
5. Sligo
6. Limerick 7. Offaly
8. Roscommon
Map source: GoIreland.com
IRISH FLANNERYS IN THE U.S.
provides genealogical information for a few Flannery lines that this
author has personally researched and also links to research by other
descendants of U.S.-settled Flannerys.
