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The Mighty Mahers

Tara Dougherty traces the history of this fine Irish clan.

By
TARA DOUGHERTY,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Tuesday, March 10, 2009, 1:11 AM
Updated Thursday, July 23, 2009, 5:39 PM

 

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The Irish surname Maher, appearing also as O'Meagher, Meagher, O'Maher and Mahir, originated in County Tipperary. The name stems from the surname O'Meachair, a derivation of the word "meachar" meaning hospitable.

Over fifty percent of Mahers can trace their family history back to County Tipperary, where the ancient clan held control of the territory near Roscrea at the foot of Devil's Bit Mountain for centuries. Ui Cairin, modernized as Ikerrin, was a barony in the north of Tipperary and was a division of the ancient kingdom of Ely. The Mahers held control of Ikerrin, even against Norman invaders in the 10th century. It was not until the Cromwellian period that many Mahers would disperse from north Tipperary to southern baronies and further afield to France and Spain with the Irish Brigades.

Among the most famous of this clan was Thomas Francis Meagher (1823-1867). This Irish nationalist was a prominent leader in the Young Ireland Party. His speech advocating the use of force to liberate Ireland from British occupation earned him the nickname "Meagher of the Sword." He was part of the Young Ireland Rebellion of 1848 and was arrested and sentenced to life in prison. Meagher escaped and eventually made his way to America, where he would later become an American Civil War general as leader of the Irish Brigade in the Federal Army. A gravestone was unveiled In Meagher's honor at a ceremony held at the Green-Wood cemetery in Brooklyn this April.

Another clan member who is a rebel in his own right is subject of this issue's cover story, Bill Maher, who has become a household name due to his work in television. The native New Yorker began working as a stand-up comic while attending Cornell University. He became a regular on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, which ignited his television career. Maher later developed his own round-table current affairs talk show called Politically Incorrect, for which he received 11 Emmy nominations. He now hosts Real Time with Bill Maher, a similar discussion program on HBO.

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