A725 Tree

The Hoy Family in Donegal

Donegal Map from "Derryveagh Evictions" on A Silver Voice From Ireland

County Donegal or Dhún na nGall was originally Tír Chonaill meaning the land of Conall. This refers to the Cenél Conaill, or "Kindred of Conall", who were a branch of the Northern Uí Néill or Uí Néill In Tuaiscirt. Together with the Cenél nEógain or "Kindred of Eoghan", they ruled the land we call Donegal when Saint Patrick arrived in Ireland near Downpatrick in County Down in the mid Fifth Century. The former from the southwest near Donegal Town and the later from the Inishowen (Island of Eoghan) peninsula in the northeast. Both groups were part of the Dál Cuinn of Connacht, from "The Share of Conn of the Hundred Battles", who ruled from Cruachain or Rath Croghan in Roscommon and both groups claim descent from Néill "Noígíallach" or Niall of the Nine Hostages, who was a semi-mythical king. His sobriquet likely referred to the nine tribes of the Airghialla whose name meant the "Givers of Hostages". The modern consensus is that the Northern Uí Néill moved into Dhún na nGall, the Airghialla revolted against the Uladh and took Emain Macha, and the Southern Uí Néill moved into the Tara region in the mid Fifth Century.

Through the centuries, the Cenél nEógain drove the Dál nAraide part of the Uladh out of County Tyrone and gave it their name "Tír nEógain". The Cenél Conaill moved into Inishowen and Tír Chonaill took its present shape, but their base was still near Donegal Town in the south. Both the Cenél Conaill and the Uladh, whose leading group was the Dál Fiatach and from which the surname Hoey/Hoy/Haughey originated, were subordinate to the Cenél nEógain who often raided against them both whenever they left the north on an expedition, for example, against Brian Boru. When the Dál Fiatach were finally crushed by the Normans by 1200, the Cenél Conaill gave many of them refuge near Donegal Town on the north shore of Donegal Bay. The 2nd row, 2nd column picture shows Donegal (Town) and the Bay.

Francis J. Byrne (from Ardee, Louth) says that the Uladh king, Cu Uladh Ua hEochadha (The Hound of Ulster O'Hoey) changed his branch of the family name to Ua Duinnsleibhe after his grandfather Donn Sléibe Ua hEochada (Dunveavy O'Hoey) around 1137. His five sons all became kings of the Uladh from about 1150 to 1200 when they fell to the Normans and so, the last six kings of the Uladh were named Duinnsleibhe and this is what history records. It also records that they moved to Tír Chonaill and became hereditary physicians to the Cenél Conaill. It may be that some Ua hEochadha or ÓhEochaidh traveled with them because Griffith's Valuation of 1854 records both Haughy and Dunleavy in the same area of the far southwest of Donegal (see the 1st row, 3rd column picture below.

The 1st row, 2nd column picture below is a table of Haughy and Dunleavy in Griffith's and the maps show these locations. Haughy is highest in Glen Colmcilla (the glen of Saint Colm Cilla, a member of the Cenél Conaill royal family).

Donegal is entirely dominated by non-A725 sub-trees of M222 with only five A725 in the county and those in the same small area of SW Donegal outlined in the 1st row, 3rd column picture below. The SAPP process has identified a branch of A725 which contains these five men as well as five others. They are all named some version of Burns.

A newer group of men who are closer to the Hoy family, have recently appeared with the name of Gara or O'Gara in the tree below FGC37618 (est.1050AD). One is tested positive for FGC37618 and his nearest match on the SAPP tree is from the same area of Donegal (Kinnakillew, Glencolumbkille, Donegal) as the 10 Burns kits and the Haughey names from Griffith's.

Of the 21 men in the FGC37618 tree, 6 are McGeough (Mac Eochaidh), 5 are Gara, 2 are Byrnes, and 2 are Hoy (O'hEochaidh). Byrne in his book believes McGeough and O'Hoey descend from Eochaidh slain by the Northern Uí Néill on 1004 and king of the Dál Fiatach.

We have generated a map of all Haughey/Haughy/Hoey/Hoy, Gara/O'Gara, and Dunleavy/Dunlevy from Donegal and mapped them to their townland. Almost all of these are on the north coast of Donegal Bay. The home of the Cenél Conaill was near Donegal Town which is at the top of the bay and the Dunleavy are closer to it than the other names. Blue pins are Dunleavy, red are Gara, purple are McGough, and green are Hoy. Mouse-over shows the townland name and clicking the pin shows the surname and number.