RSS
Families & Clans


Home Page > Roots > Roots Families & Clans > The Keough clan

Blogs


comment on article 1 Comment
print this article Print
email this articleE-mail

The Keough clan

By
CONN CORRIGAN
,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer
Published Sunday, September 13, 2009, 8:31 PM
Updated Sunday, September 13, 2009, 8:31 PM
Read more: County Wexford, Donald Keough, John Keogh, Riley Keough, Shorty Keogh, University of Notre Dame, Culture and Lifestyle, Irish Ancestry, Leinster Province, Ireland


Donald Keough
Donald Keough

Keough, Keogh, Kehoe, O'Hoey, Hoy, Haughy, Haugh and MacKeogh are all derivatives of the Irish surname Mac Eochaidh.

The clan originated in Leinster, and the name is common in Co. Wexford, and in the Munster counties of Limerick and Tipperary, where the Irish spelling is MagCeoch or MacCeoch. In medieval times the MacKeoghs from Leinster moved from Kildare to Wicklow and then down to Wexford.

Branches of the family were also located in Ballymackeogh, Co. Tipperary.

In 1534, the Annals of the Four Masters describes Maolmuire MacKeogh as Chief of Poetry in Leinster. The family also produced two famous Protestant clergymen who also followed other careers: John Keogh (1653-1725) who was a mathematician, and John Keogh (1681-1754) who was a botanist and a zoologist. The Keoghs also made their mark as both rebels and politicians. Matthew Keogh (1744-1798) was hanged for his role in the Irish rebellion of 1798. John Keogh (1740-1817) campaigned for voting rights for Irish Catholics and repeal of the Penal Laws.

In more recent times, Christine Kehoe (D) has been serving as a California senator since her election in 2004. Prior to which, she was a state assembly woman.

The Keoghs also made great soldiers. Myles Walter Keogh (March 25, 1840 - June 25, 1876), born in Co. Carlow, signed on as a volunteer with the Union Army and saw action in the Gettysburg campaign. After the war he obtained a commission as a captain in the 7th Cavalry Regiment under George Armstrong Custer. Myles was killed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. His horse, Comanche, was the only military survivor of the battle. Shortly after the battle, on June 25, 1876, the Army honored Myles by naming Fort Keogh after him.

1 2 3 4 5 Next page >

Vote now - Buzz this story up!


The Keough clan | Irish Clans and Irish Family Crests | IrishCentral


print this article Print
email this articleE-mail


Most recent comments - See all comments

Report abuse
Posted by slobber on Nov 26, 2009, 06:10 AM EST
i love the history behind the keough name my name is sandra marie keough and my dad was phillip keough the second. my dad always told us we were irish catholic and that his ancestors came to america during the potato famon. i would love to go to ireland some day to visit. why are there so many sur names and spellings.






remember me on this computer
forget your password?     
IrishCentral.com is also home to Irish Voice and Irish America magazine