Mulcahey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
There are multitude of rich histories underlying the many Irish surnames in use today. The name Mulcahey originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Maolchathaigh, which means "a descendant of a devotee of St. Cathach." The surname is not, as is often believed, derived from "cathach," meaning "warlike."
Early Origins of the Mulcahey family
The surname Mulcahey was first found in County Tipperary (Irish: Thiobraid Árann), established in the 13th century in South-central Ireland, in the province of Munster. 1 They claim descendancy from the Moores, hence the same shield. "John, a younger brother or Roger Caoch who is No. 114 on the 'Moore' pedigree, was the ancestor of Mulcahy." The author continues with a footnote, "From a similarity in the pronunciation of the names, some were of opinion the Maolcaich, who is mentioned in the Stowe Missal, might have been the ancestor of the family. " 2 From these early beginnings, two additional branches were established in Ardpaddeen and in Kilkenny. Of this latter branch, "the ancient fort or rath in the parish of Castleconor, County Sligo known as Rath Maoilcatha, has suggested the idea that this family may have derived their name from the Maolcatha after whom the rath is called; and therefore that they are descended from the royal stock from which branched the O'Connors, Kings of Connaught." 2
Early History of the Mulcahey family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mulcahey research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mulcahey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Mulcahey Spelling Variations
Numerous spelling variations were revealed in the search for the origin of the name Mulcahey family name. Before widespread literacy, a person entrusted the proper documentation of his name to the individual scribe. As a result, a name was often recorded under several different variations during the life of its bearer. Variations found include Mulcahey, O'Mulcahey, Mulcahy, O'Mulcahy, Mulcahee, Mulkey, McMulkey and many more.
Early Notables of the Mulcahey family
Notable among the family name at this time was
- Jeremiah Mulcahey, noted Irish Painter
Mulcahey migration to the United States +
North America received thousands of Irish immigrants from the English-ruled Ireland during the 19th century. Once in the United States or what would become Canada, these immigrants quickly contributed to the ongoing settling and industrialization processes. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. An exhaustive examination of immigrant and passenger lists has shown many early immigrants bearing the surname of Mulcahey:
Mulcahey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- John Mulcahey, who landed in Michigan in 1870 3
Mulcahey migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Mulcahey Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Miss. Mary Mulcahey who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "John Bolton" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in 1847 4
Mulcahey migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Mulcahey Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Abigail Mulcahey, aged 19, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Nashwauk" 5
- Margaret Mulcahey, aged 21, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Grand Trianon"
Mulcahey migration to New Zealand +
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:
Mulcahey Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Thomas Mulcahey, aged 27, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Steinwarder" in 1864
Contemporary Notables of the name Mulcahey (post 1700) +
- Joseph J. F. Mulcahey, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1916 6
- Anna Mae Mulcahey, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1980 6
- Patrick Mulcahey, American five-time Emmy Award winning, three-time Writers Guild of America Award winning television writer
- Douglas W. Mulcahey, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Navy, during World War II, credited with 8 aerial victories
Citations +
- MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
- O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 48)
- South Australian Register Monday 14th May 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Nashwauk 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/europa1855.shtml
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 27) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html