McAuley is among the 100 most common surnames in Ireland, if we include the many variations of the name: McCauley, MacAulay, McCawley, McGauley, McCowley, McColley, Macauley, Cawley, Magawley, McCooley, Gawley, etc. The original Gaelic form of MacAulay was MacAmlaiobh or MacAmhalghaidh. There were at least two Irish McAuley clans from which these surnames are derived: (1)
in southern Fermanagh the descendants of Awley Maguire formed a
sept of the Maguire clan, |
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Since there were at least four McCauley clans (two Irish and two Scottish), and since most of their descendants have dispersed from the ancestral territories, it is extremely difficult for many McAulays to pinpoint their ancestral clan. Fortunately, DNA analysis technology can now help identify long-forgotten relationships, and the MacAulay Clan Society is coordinating a MacAulay DNA Study that will help MacAuleys find out which McCauley clan they are descended from.
The Fermanagh MacAwleys
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The barony of Clanawley in southern Fermanagh is the ancient homeland of this sept, which is descended from Awley Maguire (d. 1306) who was a younger son of Donn Carrach Maguire (d. 1302) the first Maguire ‘king’ of Fermanagh. It was during the lifetime of Awley and his sons that the Maguires spread from their stronghold in northeastern Fermanagh and crossed Loch Erne. Awley’s obituary cites him as “Chief of Muintir Pheodacain”, a district which was later renamed ‘Clanawley’ as his descendants proliferated. |
The territory possessed by the McAuleys was a swathe of land in South Fermanagh extending roughly from the present town of Arney south to Swanlinbar. Three different invasion routes into Fermanagh passed through this territory, and the Irish Annals mention several battles against invaders that took place in Clanawley. In 1502 Eamon MacAwley son of Phillip Reagh (see pedigree) was slain defending his territory against a force of O'Reilleys. In 1538 another raid by O'Reilleys burned the 'town of Clanawley'. In 1594 an English force marching to Enniskillen Castle was defeated by a Maguire-led army at a ford near the Arney bridge that was renamed "Ford of Biscuits" after the provisions that were left by the fleeing English army.
The MacAuleys were virtually dispossessed by the plantation of Ulster in 1607. Although Felim McAwly (apparently the chief) was allowed a lease for 50 acres, it appears that the bulk of the clan remained in its traditional stronghold between Arney and the rugged country along the Fermanagh-Cavan border. The last McCauley chief in Fermanagh was Arthur McAwley, who took a prominent role in support of James II in 1688, and apparently died during the war. Arthur’s oldest son, Thomas oge McAwley, was outlawed by name by the British Parliament in 1691 as an “Irish Jacobite”. (See the pedigree of this family in Appendix 1.)
The Westmeath MacAwleys
The MacAwleys of Westmeath ruled Calry, a territory in County Westmeath which British records of the 1500s referred to as McGawley’s Country. The core of this territory is the parish of BallyLoughlowe. They were a branch of the Southern O’Neills, with a pedigree that reaches back to Niall of the Nine Hostages (d. 405 A.D.), who was High King of Ireland and a contemporary of Saint Patrick. (See Appendix 2.) The eponomous ancestor was named "Amhalghaid" an ancient but difficult-to-pronounce Irish personal name. In English this was sometimes spelled 'McAwaley', but more commonly it is 'McGauley' or 'McAuley'.
The chiefs of this clan were known in Irish as Lords of Calry. The first reference to these McAuley chiefs in the Annals of Four Masters appears in 1045 : "Amhalghaidh, son of Flann, chief of Calraighe, died of an unknown disease...". The surname MacAmhalghada first appears in 1103 in an account of "The battle of Ath-Calgain ... in which Cinaedh, son of MacAmhalghada, lord of Calraighe-an-Chalaidh, died". Between 1103 and 1527 the MacAuleys are mentioned occaisonally in the Irish records, always as chiefs of Calry. Elizabethan records refer to this territory as "McGawley's Country". According to O'Donovan's research this territory included at least four castles. (See Appendix 2.) In 1600 during the Elizabethan wars, the army of Hugh O'Neill of Tyrone was hosted by William MacAwley at his castle at Ballyloughloe.
The McGauleys of Westmeath were not entirely dispossessed by the Elizabethan conquest, but most became landless during the turmoil of the 1600s. Many of them went into exile, of whom the most remarkable was Philip Henry Magawley (1675-1756) who fought for James II and became a Jacobite exile to the continent in 1693. Joining the Austrian Army, he rose to the rank of general, and in 1734 was made a Count of the Holy Roman Empire. Although Magawley had no male survivors, he was allowed to pass the title to his nephew Francis and this line continues to the present. Francis's grandson married into the influential Cerati family, creating the line known as the Counts Magawly Cerati di Calry, which served the Austrian Empire in important military and administrative positions. In the 1840s this Austrian title received the "assent" of the British monarchy, so that the Counts Magawli Cerati were able to live in Ireland as gentry. The Counts apparently became Italian citizens after the breakup of the Austrian Empire in 1918, although some female-line descendants are Irish. Another branch of the Counts Magawley became German citizens about 1900, where they were distinguished in military and intellectual pursuits. Their arms are shown in Appendix 2.
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The best-known member of this clan was Mother Catherine McAuley (1779-1841) daughter of James McGauley (1722?-1783). Born in Dublin, she was orphaned at an early age. Devoting her life to religious service, she founded the Sisters of Mercy. She was pictured on the Irish five-punt note until 2002 when the Euro became the currency of Ireland. |
Scottish MacAuleys in Ulster
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The
majority of the MacAuleys in Ireland appear to be descended from Scottish
settlers, rather than the two indigenous clans mentioned above. The
bulk of these settled in Ulster, especially counties Antrim and Donegal. The largest concentration of McAuleys in the world is probably in County Antrim and in the Belfast environs of County Down. Nearly all of these are of Scottish origin although a few are known to be Fermanagh McAuleys. |
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McAuleys began arriving in the Glens of Antrim in the 1500s, long before the Plantation of Ulster in 1607, with many of them in the service of the McDonnells. After 1607 large numbers of Scots were encouraged to settle in Ulster to populate the region with loyal citizens. The Antrim McAuley population is divided fairly evenly between Protestants and Catholics, but it is likely that they have common Scottish ancestry, with the Catholics probably descended from MacAulays who settled before the Reformation. |
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Many of the Antrim McAuleys appear to have a direct connection to the
Scottish MacAulays of Ardincaple, including some of the most senior branches
of the clan. This remarkable quote is from a book published in 1793 by
Buchanan of Auchmar, Brief Enquiry into the Genealogy and present
state of ancient Scottish surnames:
“The next of that name to the family of Ardincaple is the representative
of Major Robert MacAulay, a gentleman of good estate in Glenarm, in the
County of Antrim, in Ireland, in which county a great many of the surname
reside.”
County Donegal also has a large number of McAuleys. Even though Donegal
is adjacent to Fermanagh, most of the McAuleys of Donegal are probably
unrelated to the Fermanagh clan. Between 1300 and 1600 the Irish clans
of Ulster and Western Ireland hired thousands of Scottish mercenaries
(known as gallowglass), many of whom settled in Ireland. MacAulay was
a gallowglass name, so perhaps some of the Donegal McCauleys are descended
from these warriors. In addition, one of the Undertakers of the Plantation
of Ulster was Alexander MacAwley “alias Stewart”, who created
a fortified settlement in Donegal in the 1610s. (See Appendix
3.)
 from Grant of Arms to Constantine Maguire Courtesy of Robert Charles Maguire |
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| Notes regarding Fermanagh MacAuleys Genealogy
of the Chiefs of the ClanAwley of Fermanagh Donn
Carrach Maguire (Maguire Chief and King of Fermanagh, d.1302) Awley
Maguire (Chief of Muintir Pheodacain, d 1306) |
Philip
Maguire (Chief of Muintir Pheodacain, d. 1351)
sons: Awley oge, Niall, Hugh, GillaIosa, Flaherty, Rory, Sean
Awley oge Maguire (Chief of Muintir Pheodacain, d.1400) son: Brian
Brian
MacAwley Maguire (Chief of his tribe and Lord of Clanawley, d.1466) Philip
Reagh MacAwley (Chief of his tribe, d.1480) Eamon MacAwley (sl. 1502) sons: Donnach, … Donnach MacAuley (sons: Donnach oge, Reamon, Hugh, Magnus dubh) Hugh MacAuley (sons: Brian, Art, GilPatrick) Art MacAuley (sons: Thomas, William) Thomas MacAuley , (sons: Arthur, Brian, Reamon) Arthur MacAuley (sl. 1689?) sons: Thomas oge, Felim, Brian buidhe, Patrick Thomas oge MacAuley (outlawed 1691) sons: Arthur, Dominick |
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[NOTE:
The pedigrees of the other branches of the sept are provided in Geinealaighe
Fearmanach, entries #797 through #839 plus #898 through #911.]
Sources: Annals of Ulster, Geinealaighe Fearmanach, Annals of the
Four Masters
A 1718 Account of the Fermanagh MacAuleys, by John Dolan
[John Dolan was a local historian who wrote a manuscript circa 1718 about the leading families and places in Fermanagh. The following paragraph is taken from this manuscript, which was published in The Clogher Record, 1958. Note that all the people mentioned below also appear in the pedigree above.]
“From Donn the son of Daniel are derived several off-spring in Fermanagh. From Amhly his son are the family called the progeny of Brian mac Awly who had an estate in the Legan of Clinawly called of that ilk, i.e. Duthaigh Sleachta Brian. Of this family are many but the most eminent in credit and ability since our remembrance was Artt MacAwly whose sons were Thomas oge, deceased , and Brian boy, now extant, who also pretends to as much antiquity by demonstrations of writings and traditions as any of the name or more. Yet I do not here undertake to insert them for being the very eldest of the name lest I shoulden. I leave the deciding of such to the old antiquaries of the county.”
From Analecta Hibernica, 1970, by the Irish Manuscripts Commission; here is a chart prepared to accompany some court documents describing a property dispute between leading members of the Westmeath Magawley clan:
__________________Auly
Mor McAuly____________________ |
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Auly Maol | Auly Duff (sl.1527) |
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Farrell Carragh | |
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[ Note that there appears to be a gap of several generations between the end of the pedigree and the beginning of the genealogical chart from Annalecta Hibernia.]
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Exerpts from Ordinance Survey Letters, by John O'Donovan (September 4, 1837)
The parish of Ballyloughloe derived that name from a small village of the same name, situated about five miles east and north of Athlone... the people never call the parish Ballyloughloe, but Calree, which was the ancient name of Magawley's country in Westmeath. The name Ballyloughloe seems originally have been that of a castle situated on the bank of a lake called Loch Luatha, and to have been in later ages transferred to the parish. Of this castle only one vault remains, but its site should be marked on the ordinance map. ...I find that local tradition ascribes the erection of it to Magawley, the Irish chief of Calree.
...The hill of Tullymagawley preserves as a 'momumentum aere perennius' the name of the ancient lord of the soil. It was perhaps, the hill on which Mag Amhalghadhe was inaugurated. Mag Amhalghadha of Calraighe an chalaidh is of the southern Ui Neill, and descends from Maine progenitor of the men of Teffia.
The following ruins of castles are still to be seen in this territory of Calry, and if, according to tradition , they all belonged to Magawley, he must have been a chief of no small power:
1. The castle of Carn (Ballyloughloe),
2. The castle of Creeve,
3. The castle of Cloghamarshall (Cloghmarichall),
4.The castle of Moydrum.
Prepared
by Patrick MacAuley. Updated March 7, 2008
For comments contact themacmog@aol.com
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