Cork, Driscoll Name Study

Location: County Cork, Ireland
Surnames/tags: Driscoll O'Driscoll

Return to main Driscoll Name Study freespace page

The goals of the CORK, DRISCOLL AND O'DRISCOLL NAME STUDY project are:

1. To find every non-living person with the Driscoll and O'Driscoll surname who lived in County Cork, Ireland. and make a wikitree profile for them.
2. To make a family tree including all Driscoll and O'Driscoll who ever lived in County Cork, and connect that tree to the Global family tree on Wikitree.
3. To find the origins of the Driscoll and O'Driscoll of County Cork, likely old Gaelic tribes and clans, and connect our County Cork Driscoll and O'Driscoll families to any earlier Driscoll and O'Driscoll in County Cork or where ever they may have lived in Ireland
4. To determine exactly when and why the Driscoll and O'Driscoll came to County Cork.
5. To learn more about the interesting history of the Driscoll and O'Driscoll, and their role in the Battle of Castlehaven, the Battle of Kinsale, and possibly the Sack of Baltimore.

Right now this project just has one member, me. I am Sharon Troy Centanne. This is my great grandmother's maiden name, so I am especially interested in Driscoll and O'Driscoll Family research! I am concentrating on the Driscoll and O'Driscoll family from Ireland, as this is the birthplace of my Irish great-grandmother Mary Driscoll of Ardagh, near Lough Hyne just south of Skibbereen.

Here are some of the tasks that I think need to be done. I'll be working on them, and could use your help.

• Add Driscoll and O'Driscoll Family members from the 1901 and 1911 Census of Ireland

• Add Driscoll and O'Driscoll Family members from the Griffith's Valuations, Cancellation Books and Tithe Applotments records

• Add Driscoll and O'Driscoll family members from the church and cemetery records of Ireland

• Connect all Driscoll and O'Driscoll family members to the global family tree.

• Add relevant sources

• Add categories, and subcategories

EARLY HISTORY OF THE DRISCOLL AND O'DRISCOLL FAMILY IN COUNTY CORK by Sharon Troy Centanne

The O'Driscoll Clan did well in the 1400s, and built several casltes, many in Collymore, which is the east side of the Ilen River, and another one, Rincolisky, in Collybeg, which is the west side of the Ilen. There territory was concentrated in the area now known as Aghadown or Aughatown Civil Parish. Fineen O'Driscoll, one of the famous clan chieftain's was probably born in one of these castles, sometime in the mid 1500s, and passed away at Clogheen Stony Place Castle in 1629 located in Lough Hyne.

The Irish Clan O’Driscoll were at the beginning of 16th century the “premier maritime lords” of southwestern Ireland. Their territory was vast. Their wealth came from the rich fishing grounds off the coast of Baltimore. During this time the herring migrated to the area, attracting foreign fisherman. Herring needs to be salted immediately to retain it’s flavor, so the O’Driscolls benefited from charging fishermen for the use of their harbors and bays. These charges were known as black rents.^[1]

28 Sept 1583 "Fynyn O'Dryscoyll to Lord [probably Burghley]. Under stands Her Majesty's favourable disposition. Prays for despatch, as he hears of 100 sail of fishermen gone to Baltimore, and fears his tenants may fall out with them.^[2]

Fineen (Florence) O'Driscoll More and a handfull of others were knighted in Ireland by the lord deputy, 16 May 1585.^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ O`Mahony, Edward. Baltimore the O`Driscolls and the end of Gaelic civilisation 1538-1615. [1] accessed 23 Oct 2016 In 1537/8, the O’Driscolls (an earlier Fineen O’Driscoll, his son Conor and his illegitimate son Gilly Duff) charged a merchant vessel carrying wine to Waterford, three pipes of wine to pilot their ship to safe anchor off Sherkin Island during a storm. Not content with their three pipes, the O’Driscolls seized the ship and the remainder of the wine. Such blatant acts, seldom go unrevenged. The citizens of Waterford, led by the mayor, launced a counter attack. They bombarded Dunalong castle on Sherkin Island, continuing through the night. By dawn the garrison had fled and the Waterford men spent the next five days, destroying villages, boats, the abbey and a mill.<ref></ref> During the following years, it became evident that the English government intended to take over more and more of Ireland. Some Englishmen applied for fishing grants on the southwest coast of Ireland. They also asked to incorporate the town of Baltimore, presumably to create a settlement. The Privy Council approved this in April 1569. Did the O'Driscolls know about this imminent danger to their livelihoods? It was reported on 2 Nov 1568, that Fineen O'Driscoll (chief of the O'Driscolls) and others, "are come in, of their own accord" to meet a representative of the government. This too may have been an earlier Fineen, since estimates of Sir Fineen's birth in 1560 would make him only eight at this time.<ref></ref> In 1573, Fineen O'Driscoll and other O'Driscolls were pardoned for their role in the Desmond rebellion, but it is unknown precisely what part they played.<ref></ref> Fineen O'Drisoll applied for surrender of his lands and regrant to the Queen and the government in 1573. It was favorably received and he was regranted his land.<ref></ref> Baltimore became an important port for the English government, during the years leading up to the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. It was reported that Spanish ships were frequently seen around the harbors in the area, perhaps spying out places to launch an invasion. 15 Aug 1583, from "Sir Warham Sentleger to Walsyngham. The bearer, Mr. Fynyn O'Driscoll, has loyally behaved in this dangerous time and animated the Chieftain of Carbery to the finding 100 soldiers. His good actions against pirates."<ref>Calendar of the State Papers Relating to Ireland, of the Reigns of Henry VIII., Edward VI., Mary, and Elisabeth: Preserved in the Public Department of Her Majesty's Public Record Office. 1574 - 1585, Volume 2. Longmans, Green, Reader, & Dyer, 1867 [https://books.google.com/books/reader?id=hdk9AAAAcAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&source=gbs_atb_hover&pg=GBS.PA463 p. 463]</li> <li id="_note-0">[[#_ref-0|↑]] "Calendar of the State Papers Relating to Ireland, of the Reigns of Henry VIII., Edward VI., Mary, and Elisabeth: Preserved in the Public Department of Her Majesty's Public Record Office. 1574 - 1585, Volume 2. Longmans, Green, Reader, & Dyer, 1867 [https://books.google.com/books/reader?id=hdk9AAAAcAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&source=gbs_atb_hover&pg=GBS.PA471 p. 471]</li> <li id="_note-1">[[#_ref-1|↑]] Shaw, William Arthur. ''The Knights of England: A Complete Record from the Earliest Time to the Present Day of the Knights of All the Orders of Chivalry in England, Scotland, and Ireland, and of Knights Bachelors. Incorporating a Complete List of Knights Bachelors Dubbed in Ireland, Volume II.'' London : Printed and published for the Central chancery of the orders of knighthood, Sherratt and Hughes [https://archive.org/stream/knightsofengland02shaw#page/n89/mode/2up p. 83]</li></ol></ref>

• Fineen O'Driscoll on Wikipedia
• Fineen O'Driscoll and the Battle of Castle Haven on Wikipedia
• A more modern genealogy begins with some interesting O'Driscoll Hisotry which names this Fineen O'Driscoll as the O'Driscoll Cheiftain - http://www.westcorkgenealogy.com/Files/Driscoll%20.pdf
• Pirates and Privateers: The History of Maritime Piracy Information about Fineen O'Driscolls life as a legal pirate for the crown of England.
• http://www.selectsurnames.com/driscoll.html
• Of Castles, Pirates and Kings: The O'Driscoll Clans of Ireland. This site has images of the homes of Fineen O'Driscoll in Baltimore and Lough Hyne/Loughine: tahtonka.com
• O'Driscoll DNA website
• O'Driscoll Genealogical and Family Archive
• O'Driscolls Past and Present (book review) - Chapter 3 is entitled "Finghan the Rover" - Cape Clear Museum Books
• Pamphlet from the Knockomagh woodland trail overlooking Cloghan Castle, with information about the Castle's origins: http://www.skibbheritage.com/KnockomaghTrail.pdf
• http://www.fluckers.com/family/driscoll/#Driscoll Clan
• https://holywellsofcork.com/tag/fineen-o-driscoll/
• http://www.odriscolls.me.uk/images/loch%20hyne.jpg
• https://www.google.com/search?q=images+LOUGH+HYNE&tbm=isch&tbs=rimg:CQizfz8ijgx2Ijj44t1_1f4IE9uione_1IYpAmDrhDoDtAxPIDlJguiWnY-21iyzsAfJ9tdzM8ZbA5yWx0MX02LIRtVSoSCfji3X9_1ggT2ESzyXNWQTiV-KhIJ6Kid78hikCYRZm3KsPHoce0qEgkOuEOgO0DE8hEWa_1Z1JHCeAyoSCQOUmC6Jadj7EWZtyrDx6HHtKhIJbWLLOwB8n20RHT9jFyW_1m6AqEgl3MzxlsDnJbBEaaswpnGz8LSoSCXQxfTYshG1VETu8Cz6rOR8p&tbo=u&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiZiLnYiYTgAhVNVK0KHfV7DWYQ9C96BAgBEBg&biw=875&bih=379&dpr=1.56#imgdii=rcL-KB-8TZoAzM:&imgrc=THBmoPP_1AkMJM:

• Down's Survey of Ireland for Creagh Parish, 1656-1658 (almost 30 Years after the death of Fineen O'Driscoll, Mor in 1629) - http://downsurvey.tcd.ie/down-survey-maps.php#bm=Carbury&c=Cork&p=Creagh

Sources for further research

1. Church parish and Civil Registration online from irishgneealogy.ie - https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/irish-records-what-is-available/church-records
2. Church parish records from the National Library of Ireland - https://registers.nli.ie/about#about_background_header
3. Griffith's Valuation of Ireland from the 1850s - http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/
4. Tithe Applotment Records of Ireland from the 1820s and 1830s - http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/index.jsp
5. 1901 and 1911 Census of Ireland from the National Library of Ireland
6. Skibbereen Heritage Centre in Skibbereen - https://skibbheritage.com/
7. West Cork Graveyard database - https://skibbheritage.com/graveyards/
8. Cobh Heritage Museum in Cobh, Ireland where the Titanic had it's last port of call in 1912, and where the bodies from the Lusitania were washing up on the shores in 1915. Cobh is also known as Queenstown because it was visited by Queen Victoria about 1850.