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Welcome! This website was created on 10 Jul 2005 and last updated on 10 Jun 2014.

There are 981 names in this family tree.The webmaster of this site is Sharon Anderson. Please click here if you have any comments or feedback.

About The Driscoll Family
The Driscoll or O'Driscoll clan comes from County Cork in the south of Ireland, particularly the area  around Baltimore and Skibbereen.  They were part of the Corca Laoighde tribal grouping which was  descended from the Érainn or Fir Bolg, Celts who settled the area before the arrival of the Gaels.  The  name comes from O hEidirsceoil, from eidirsceol, meaning "go between" or "bearer of news".  The  Driscolls were a powerful seafaring clan until about the 17th century, a history which provides the basis  for their Coat of Arms.  A number of castles and ruins of the O'Driscoll strongholds still exist today in  the area around Baltimore and Skibereen, one of which, Dun na Sead (the Fort of Jewels), still stands in  Baltimore.

The original Eidirsceol, from whom the family is descended was born in the early 10th century.   According to one legend, Lugh Ith was the leader of an expedition of Celts who arrived in the Baltimore  area seeking to escape Roman domination.  He was given the name Hy Drisceoil or O hEidersceol which  comes from the Irish Eidersceol meaning "go between" or "bearer of news".

The O'Driscolls, Princes of Corca laoigdhe, were one of the most powerful families of southwest Ireland.  Of ancient origin, their forebearer, Eidersceól [b. 910], descended from the Lughaidh Laidhe,  grandfather of Lulghaidh Mae Con, a third century King of Ireland. During the early Middle Ages the  O'Driscolls were Admirals who commanded the fleets of the Kings of Munster. They also controlled a  huge territory encompassing all of Bantry, Carbery and Beara baronies; an area co-extensive with the  diocese of Ross.  Around the close of the 12th century, pressure from the O'Sullivans drove them  eastward, and they settled in the vicinity of Baltimore.  Further encroachment by the O'Donavans and  the O'Mahonys reduced the septs holdings to a narrow strip of seacoast around the Bay of Baltimore.  Here in the year 1460, the Chief of the Sept founded a Franciscan monastary. Although their patrimony  was vastly diminished, the O'Driscolls remained one of the leading maritime families in the region,  retaining a number of strong fortified castles, down to the destruction of the Gaelic order in the 17th  century.  Many of the name played an important role in the Munster wars during the reign of Elizabeth I.   Staunch supporters of James II, several O'Driscolls were officers in his Irish army.  As a result of the  Jacobites' defeat at the Battle of Kinsale in 1690, the O'Driscolls' property was regranted to Lord  Castlehaven.  At this time, the name was also prominant in the roles of Irish Brigades in the service of  France, Austria, and Spain.  One of the exiles, Col. Cornelius O'Driscoll, greatly distinguished himself at  the Battle of Ondara in 1707.  Although the O'Driscolls suffered extensive losses in the Cornwellian and  Williamite confiscations and resettlements, today in Ireland, the majority of this sept reside in or not far  from their ancestral lands.

Information on the Driscoll Clan comes from family documents of unknown origin. Additional  information including the Coat of Arms comes from "Clans and Families of Ireland" by John Grenham  (The Wellfleet Press - 1993).

Special thanks to Lauren Neild for all her hours of hard work in researching the information used on  this site!

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Getting Around
There are several ways to browse the family tree. The Tree View graphically shows the relationship of selected person to their kin. The Family View shows the person you have selected in the center, with his/her photo on the left and notes on the right. Above are the father and mother and below are the children. The Ancestor Chart shows the person you have selected in the left, with the photograph above and children below. On the right are the parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. The Descendant Chart shows the person you have selected in the left, with the photograph and parents below. On the right are the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Do you know who your second cousins are? Try the Kinship Relationships Tool. Your site can generate various Reports for each name in your family tree. You can select a name from the list on the top-right menu bar.

In addition to the charts and reports you have Photo Albums, the Events list and the Relationships tool. Family photographs are organized in the Photo Index. Each Album's photographs are accompanied by a caption. To enlarge a photograph just click on it. Keep up with the family birthdays and anniversaries in the Events list. Birthdays and Anniversaries of living persons are listed by month. Want to know how you are related to anybody ? Check out the Relationships tool.

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