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Donnelly is an Irish surname. Also used as: O’Donnelly or Donley. It is derived from the Gaelic Ó Donnghaile meaning 'descendant of Donnghal',^[1] a given name composed of the elements donn ('dark, brown') and gal ('valour').^[2] O'Donnelly was historically of the Northern Uí Néill's Cenél nEoghain, descended from Donnghal,^[3] the great-grandson of Domhnall, King of Ailech.^[4]^[5]

It is most commonly found in Ulster, especially in County Tyrone and in parts of County Donegal.^[6]^[7] Donnelly is also prevalent in Connacht, particularly in County Galway.^[6]

The stronghold of the O'Donnelly family sept was Castlecaulfield was formerly known as Ballydonnelly (Irish: Baile Uí Dhonnaíle, meaning 'town or territory of O'Donnelly') a village in the south-east of County Tyrone in Northern Ireland.

Origins

The Donnellys (O’Donnellys) held the role of marshalls to the O'Neills of Tyrone. According to Gaelic Irish tradition, the Donnellys were part of the Cenél nEoghain making them kin of the O'Neills.

In their role as Marshalls to the O'Neills, they were responsible for fostering the children of 'The O'Neill'.

The Donnellys reached the height of their role during the time of Shane O'Neill when Dean Terrence Danyell (Turlough O'Donnelly) of Armagh played a key role in communications between Shane O'Neill and Elizabeth I.

Ballydonnelly

The earliest mention of Ballydonnelly is the Annals of the Four Masters in 1531 when it is said Baile-Ui-Donnghaile was assaulted by Niall Oge, son of Art, son of Con O'Neill. He demolished the castle; and he made a prisoner of the son of O'Neill, who was foster-son of Donnelly, and carried him off, together with the horses and the other spoils of the town.

At the start of the Plantation of Ulster, Ballydonnelly was allocated as a 'Servitor' portion and as such was granted to Sir Toby Caulfeild who had served in the Crown forces during the Nine Years' War. The Donnellys were involved in the 1641 rebellion where Castle Caulfield, was badly damaged by fire.

Notable Donnellys

Alan Donnelly (born 1957), British politician and former trade unionist
Arthur Barrett Donnelly (1875–1919), US Army general
Arthur Donnelly (1890–1954), New Zealand lawyer, sports administrator, and chairman of the Bank of New Zealand
Brendan Donnelly (born 1950), British politician
Brendan Donnelly (born 1971), baseball player
Brian Donnelly (disambiguation)
Charles Donnelly (disambiguation)
Charley Donnelly (1885–1967), American educator, golfer, and football and golf coach
Christine Donnelly, founder and CEO of the Aboriginal Dance Theatre Redfern in Sydney, Australia
Ciaran Donnelly (footballer) (born 1984), English footballer
Dan Donnelly (disambiguation)
Danny Donnelly (politician), Northern Irish politician
Davis A. Donnelly (1927–2020), Wisconsin senator
Declan Donnelly (born 1975), English television presenter, producer and actor, one half of Ant & Dec
Desmond Donnelly (1920–1974), British politician, author and journalist
Dick Donnelly (1941–2016), Scottish football player, journalist and broadcaster
Donal Donnelly (1931–2010), Irish theatre and film actor
Dougie Donnelly (born 1953), Scottish television presenter
Edward Terence Donnelly (1871–1929), US Army general
Elfie Donnelly (born 1950), British-Austrian children books writer
Eoghan Ó Donnghaile (Fl. c. 1690) Irish poet, took part in the controversy involving the Red Hand of Ulster
Fin Donnelly (born 1966), Canadian politician
Gary Donnelly (born 1962), American tennis player
Gary Donnelly, Irish republican
Giselle Donnelly (born 1953), American writer and director of the Center for Defense Studies at the American Enterprise Institute
Greg Donnelly, Australian politician
Henry Edmund Donnelly (1904–1967), American Catholic bishop
Ian Donnelly (born 1981), Australian rugby league footballer
Ignatius L. Donnelly (1831–1901), Minnesota politician
Jack Donnelly (born 1985), English actor
James Donnelly (bishop) (1823–1893), Irish Roman Catholic bishop
James S. Donnelly Jr. (born 1943), American historian
Jamie Donnelly (born 1947), American actress
Jason Donnelly (born 1970), New Zealand rugby league footballer
Jennifer Donnelly (born 1963), American novelist
Joe Donnelly (born 1955), American attorney and politician
Joseph Francis Donnelly (1909–1977), American Catholic bishop
John Donnelly (disambiguation)
Ken Donnelly (born 1950–2017), American politician
Kieran Donnelly, Irish Gaelic footballer
Liza Donnelly, American cartoonist and writer
Luke Donnelly (born 1996), Scottish footballer
Laura Donnelly (born 1982), Irish actress
Meg Donnelly (born 2000), American singer and actress
Malcolm Donnelly (born 1943), Australian baritone singer
Mark Donnelly (born 1955), Professor, Publisher, Author
Martin Donnelly (disambiguation)
Mattie Donnelly, Irish Gaelic footballer
Mattie Donnelly, Irish hurler
Melinda Romero Donnelly (born 1971), Puerto Rico politician
Michael Donnelly (1927–1982), Roman Catholic priest from Ireland
Michael Donnelly (1959–2005), Gulf War veteran, activist, and author
Mike Donnelly (born 1963), American hockey player
Patrick Donnelly (disambiguation)
Peter Donnelly (born 1959), Australian mathematician
Peter F. Donnelly (1938–2009), American patron of the arts
Phil M. Donnelly (1891–1961), Missouri governor 1945-49 and 1953–57
Rich Donnelly (born 1946), American baseball coach
Ruth Donnelly (1896–1982), American stage and film actress
Ryann Donnelly, American musician
Scott Donnelly (born 1987), English football player
Scott C. Donnelly (born 1961), Chief Operating Officer of Textron
Seamus Donnelly (disambiguation)
Shannon Donnelly, Children's novelist
Sharon Donnelly (born 1967), Canadian athlete
Simon Donnelly (born 1971), Scottish footballer
Sinéad Donnelly, Irish professor of palliative medicine
Tanya Donelly (born 1966), American musician
Tara Donnelly (born 1998), Irish Gymnast
Thomas Donnelly (Saskatchewan politician) (Thomas F. Donnelly, 1874–1948), Canadian member of Parliament
Thomas Donnelly (sergeant-at-arms) (1764–1835), New York legislative officer
Thomas Charles Donnelly (1933–1997), former Alberta MLA
Thomas Dean Donnelly, American screenwriter
Thomas F. Donnelly (New York City) (1863–1924), New York politician and judge
Tim Donnelly, (1944–2021), American film and television actor
Tom Donnelly (Thomas Mathew Donnelly, born 1981), New Zealand rugby union player
Tom Donnelly (footballer) (born 1947), Scottish footballer for Motherwell and East Stirlingshire
Tommy Donnelly (footballer), Irish association football player
William Donnelly (disambiguation)
The Black Donnellys, a feuding Canadian family

Fictional people

Elizabeth Donnelly, character in American crime drama, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Glen Donnelly, character from Australian soap opera, Neighbours
Helen Elliott Donnelly, character in American soap opera, Love is a Many Splendored Thin

References

^ "Last name: Donnelly". The Internet Surname Database.
^ Norman, Tess (2003). A World of Baby Names. Penguin. p. 286. ISBN 9780399528941.
^ The most accurate source for the pedigree of Donnghaile (Donnelly) can be found in O’Cleary, Michael, et al., Annals of the Four Masters, see O‘Donovan's edition [1] Volume 6, page 2426. Other Irish genealogies (Book of Ballymote and Book of Lecan) have the line of descent of Donnghaile incorrectly stated as the great-grandson of Domnall Ilchelgach, High King who died in 561 A.D.
^ Neafsey, Edward (2002). The Surnames of Ireland: Origins and Numbers of Selected Irish Surnames. Irish Genealogical Foundation. ISBN 978-0-940134-97-3.
^ King Domhnall served as co-ruler of Cenél nEoghain from about 896 A.D. with his paternal half brother Niall Glundub until 911 A.D. when King Domhnall abdicated to “enter religious life” and subsequently died in 915 A.D.[2] Hudson, Benjamin, Prophecy of Berchan,Irish and Scottish High Kings in the Middle Ages, Greenwood Press 1996 page 148.
^ ^a ^b Kenny, Kevin (1998). Making Sense of the Molly Maguires. Oxford University Press. p. 300. ISBN 9780195116311.
^ Woulfe, Patrick (1923). "Ó Donnghaile - Irish Names and Surnames". www.libraryireland.com. Retrieved 30 May 2023.

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