O'Gallager History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsEtymology of O'GallagerWhat does the name O'Gallager mean? The Irish name O'Gallager has a long Gaelic heritage to its credit. The original Gaelic form of the name O'Gallager is Ó Gallchobhair, derived from the word "gallchobhar," which means "foreign help." Early Origins of the O'Gallager familyThe surname O'Gallager was first found in County Donegal (Irish: Dún na nGall), northwest Ireland in the province of Ulster, sometimes referred to as County Tyrconnel, but claim descent from a warrior named "Gallchobhar" and held lands in the baronies of Raphoe and Tir Hugh. They held a castle at Ballyshannon and at one time also held the castle of Lifford. The Sept's chiefs were the traditional Marshals in the O'Donnells' military forces from the 14th to 16th centuries. The main branch of the family was based at Ballybeit and Ballynaglack. Early History of the O'Gallager familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Gallager research. Another 55 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1545, 1547, 1725 and 1751 are included under the topic Early O'Gallager History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. O'Gallager Spelling VariationsNames from the Middle Ages demonstrate many spelling variations. This is because the recording scribe or church official often decided as to how a person's name was spelt and in what language. Research into the name O'Gallager revealed many variations, including Gallagher, Gallacher, Gallaugher, Gallaughor, Gallager and many more. Early Notables of the O'Gallager familyNotable among the family name at this time was Bishop Redmund O'Gallagher, The Diocese of Killala, who was imprisoned and banished from the diocese on fraudulent charges; Redmond O'Gallagher, who was appointed Bishop of Killala by Pope Paul III in 1545; and Art O'Gallagher, Papal... Migration of the O'Gallager familyTo escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. 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 O'Gallager or a variant listed above, including: Charles, David, Francis, James, John, Michael, and Thomas Galagher who arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1865.
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