Show ContentsMcGalle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Gaelic name used by the McGalle family in ancient Ireland was Mac Ciele, which is derived from the word ciele, which means companion.

Early Origins of the McGalle family

The surname McGalle was first found in County Mayo (Irish: Maigh Eo) located on the West coast of the Republic of Ireland in the province of Connacht, from before the 12th century.

Early History of the McGalle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McGalle research. Another 62 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McGalle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McGalle Spelling Variations

The archives that survive today demonstrate the difficulty experienced by the scribes of the Middle Ages in their attempts to record these names in writing. Spelling variations of the name McGalle dating from that time include MacHale, McHale, MacHail, McHail, McCale, MacCale and others.

Early Notables of the McGalle family

More information is included under the topic Early McGalle Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the McGalle family

In the 18th and 19th centuries, thousands of Irish families fled an Ireland that was forcibly held through by England through its imperialistic policies. A large portion of these families crossed the Atlantic to the shores of North America. The fate of these families depended on when they immigrated and the political allegiances they showed after they arrived. Settlers that arrived before the American War of Independence may have moved north to Canada at the war's conclusion as United Empire Loyalists. Such Loyalists were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Those that fought for the revolution occasionally gained the land that the fleeing Loyalist vacated. After this period, free land and an agrarian lifestyle were not so easy to come by in the East. So when seemingly innumerable Irish immigrants arrived during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s, free land for all was out of the question. These settlers were instead put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Whenever they came, Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name McGalle or a variant listed above, including: Anthony, James, John, Martin, Patrick, Peter and Richard MacHale all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860.



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