O'CONROY, CONRY, O'MAOLCONAIRE, MAC CONRAOI
CONRAI, M'MULCONRY, CONERY, CONRAHY
The names of CONRY and CONROY have been so often taken on by other families
and mistranslated by others that it is often difficult to determine their
origin.
At the turn of the last century official records show CONRY families using
the names and spellings of CONARY, CONRAH, CONREE, CUNREE, CORY, MULCONRY,
and KING.
The name CONRY was less distorted with CONNERY, MULCONRY, and CONROY being
used interchangeable with that name.
More properly the name stems from O'CONRAI of eastern Galway/Roscommon areas,
and from MAC CONRAOI of the barony of Moycullen in the west of Galway.
The most noted are of O'MAOLCOONAIRE. They were centered in the parish of
Clooncraff near Strokestown in Roscommon and commonly spelled the name as
CONRY. They served as poets to the chieftans of the area and are easily
found in the records there.
Keating's work cites MAC CONROY thusly:
"MAC CONROY possesses in peace, Gno Mor of the numerous harbors."
MAC CONROY was chief of Gno Mor which lay upon the western banks of Lough
Corrib, between that lake and Galway Bay, in the barony of Moycullen, County
Galway.
O'Hart gives the O'MAOLCONRYs as ancient chiefs in Teffia or Westmeath. When
they crossed the Shannon River in the 10th century they received lands from
the O'Connors, Kings of Connaught. They are given here in the barony of the
Roscommon, County Roscommon, as hereditary historians and bards. In 1846 the
head of that family was then living inn Berkshire, England, under the name of
Sir John CONROY.
|