| ![Show Contents]() Conolley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Ireland While many Irish names are familiar, their past incarnations are often shrouded in mystery, reflecting the ancient Gaelic heritage of their bearers. The original Gaelic form of the name Conolley is Ó Conghalaigh, Ó Conghaile, or Ó Coingheallaigh. 1 Early Origins of the Conolley familyThe surname Conolley was first found in Connacht and Munster, as well as County Monaghan and Leinster. There were three Gaelic septs whose name was Anglicized as Connolly: the O Conghalaigh sept (also known as O Conghaile) who lived in Connacht and the adjacent County Monaghan; the O Coingheallaigh sept, which also used the alias Mac Coingheallaigh, were subordinate to the powerful O'Donovans and dwelled in West Cork in Munster; and another sept, related to the O'Maddens, resided in Connacht and were of the Ui Maine. 2 Early History of the Conolley familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Conolley research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1014, 1591, 1660, 1715, 1729, 1738, 1750, 1760, 1803 and 1825 are included under the topic Early Conolley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Conolley Spelling VariationsOfficial documents, crafted by early scribes and church officials, primarily contained names that were spelled according to their pronunciation. This lead to the problem of one name being recorded under several different variations, creating an illusion that a single person was many people. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Conolley that are preserved in the archival documents of the time are Connolly, Conolly, Connally, O'Connolly, Connolley, Conally, Connelly, Conoley, Connaleigh, Connelay, Conley, Conlay, Conlaye and many more. Early Notables of the Conolley familyNotable amongst the family name at this time was William Connolly (c.1660-1729), Speaker of the House of Commons. He was the son of a publican, or, as some say, of a blacksmith. Having been called to the bar, he soon made way in his profession; but he distinguished himself more particularly in the Irish House of Commons, of which he was chosen speaker 12 Nov. 1715. He continued to hold this post until his resignation through failure of health, 12 Oct...
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Conolley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Conolley familyNorth America accepted thousands of Irish immigrants during the 19th century as their homeland suffered under foreign imperialistic rule. Although settlers from the early portion of the century came to North America by choice in search of land, by far the largest influx of Irish immigrants came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Many of these Irish families left the country destitute and in some cases suffering from disease. However, those who survived the long ocean voyage were especially vital to the development of industry in the United States and what would become known as Canada. Research of immigration and passenger lists has shown many early immigrants bearing the name Conolley: Michael and Thomas Connally who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1834 and 1856 respectively; M. Connolley settled in New York in 1820; John Connolly settled in Virginia in 1773.
| Contemporary Notables of the name Conolley (post 1700) | + |
- Stephen Conolley McCaffrey (b. 1945), American legal academic who won the Stockholm Water Prize in 2017
- MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
- MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
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