Hundreds of years ago, the Gaelic name used by the Feehley family in Ireland was "Mac Fithcheallaigh," from the word "fithcheallach," referring to a chess player.
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Early Origins of the Feehley family
The surname Feehley was first found in counties Donegal and Derry, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.
Early History of the Feehley family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Feehley research. Another 127 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1516, 1548, 1555, 1559, 1567 and 1626 are included under the topic Early Feehley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Feehley Spelling Variations
A name was often recorded during the Middle Ages under several different spelling variations during the life of its bearer because literacy was rare there was no real push to clearly define any of the languages found in the British Isles at that time. Variations found of the name Feehley include Feeley, Fealy, Feally, Feely, Fehilly, Fehley, Feley, O'Feeley, O'Feely and many more.
Early Notables of the Feehley family
More information is included under the topic Early Feehley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Feehley family
In the 19th century, thousands of Irish left their English-occupied homeland for North America. Like most new world settlers, the Irish initially settled on the eastern shores of the continent but began to move westward with the promise of owning land. The height of this Irish migration came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. With apparently nothing to lose, Irish people left on ships bound for North America and Australia. Unfortunately a great many of these passengers lost their lives - the only thing many had left - to disease, starvation, and accidents during the long and dangerous journey. Those who did safely arrive in "the land of opportunities" were often used for the hard labor of building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. The Irish were critical to the quick development of the infrastructure of the United States and Canada. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the Feehley family came to North America quite early: Margaret Fihilly, and her four children who arrived in Charleston Massachusetts in 1803; Michael Feely, whose Oath of Allegiance was recorded in Philadelphia in 1802.
