The Farrell or O'Farrell clan (Ó Fearghail in Irish) is an Irish clan that traces its origins back to the battle of Clontarf in 1014. The descendants of Fearghal, who fought alongside Brian Boru at the battle of Clontarf, took the surname of Uí Fhearghail (descendants of Fearghal). The Uí Fhearghail went on to become Princes of the territory of Anghaile (Annaly), roughly corresponding to present day County Longford, their chieftain sitting at Longphort Uí Fhearghail (O'Farrell's stronghold), present day Longford town. Another site associated with the clan was Moatfarrell (Móta Uí Fhearghail), in the east of Annaly between the present day towns of Ballinalee and Edgeworthstown. A clan is a group of people united by kinship and descent, which is defined by perceived descent from a common ancestor. ... The Battle of Clontarf took place on Good Friday in 1014 (April 23) between the forces of Brian Boru, the king of Munster and High King of Ireland, and forces led primarily by Vikings from Dublin and the Orkney Islands, as well as the King of Leinster. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... County Longford (Irish: Longphort) is a county situated in the Irish Midlands, in northwest Leinster. ... Longford (An Longfort in Irish) is the county town of County Longford in the Midlands of Ireland. ... Edgeworthstown (Irish: Meathas Troim) is a town in County Longford, Ireland. ...
The clan's control of Annaly was disrupted by the English invasions of the 12th and 13th centuries, but by the 15th century, the clan had reasserted control over the territory. They had divided into two family subgroups, Uí Fhearghail Bán (White O'Farrell) and Uí Fhearghail Buí (Yellow O'Farrell), controlling the north and south of Annaly respectively.
The clan lost most of their lands during the colonial confiscations of James I in the early 17th century, with many of the clan members becoming tenants of the new English and Scottish landlords in what was now County Longford. See James VI of Scotland and I of England James I of Scotland James I of Aragon James I of Sicily James I of Cyprus This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...
The family name is still common in the midland counties of Ireland, especially in County Longford, where it is second only to O'Reilly in number. OReilly Media (formerly OReilly & Associates) is an American media company established by Tim OReilly, primarily focusing on books related to computer programming. ...
Farrell, Far(r)el(l)(y) (Farley), Farrill, Ferrall, Fer(r)al(l)(y), Ferrell, Ferrill, Frawley and any O-prefixed (grandson or descendant of) versions of the preceding surnames (Farrell being, by far, the most common spelling is thus the name for the clan) are all Anglicized forms of the Gaelic name Fearghail (fear man + gal valour), (source: "A Dictionary of Surnames".
The FarrellClan lost its control of the area just over 300 years ago when they were forced to take flight and lived abroad for 150 years, before returning to an uncertain future, the majority settling in County Longford and others settling elsewhere.
Farrells are presently plentiful in the county, but the big numbers live elsewhere, mostly in Dublin.
Farrell, with and without the prefix O, is a well known name in many parts of the country and it stands thirty-fifth in the statistical returns showing the hundred commonest names in Ireland.
Charles F. O Farrell (1840 - 1905), born in Virginia, was a lawyer, a Confederate cavalry colonel and Governor of Virginia from 1894 to 1898.
Charles Farrell (born 1906), a Dubliner, went first to Canada and then to the USA where, during the boom years of the Hollywood film industry, he appeared in many films and was Janet Gaynor's leading man in the classic film Seventh Heaven.
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