KIRWAN-MUFFETT
A Brief History of the Kirwan's
Motto: J' aim mon Dieu, mon Roi et mon Pais
Some members of the family used the motto of :
“Gods’ Providence is our inheritance”, others used
(I Love) “My God, my King and my Country”
Recorded in various spellings including O'Kirwan, the popular Kirwan, and Kervan,
Kervon and Kirvin, the latter forms being principally recorded in the province of
Munster.
It is a developed form of the pre 10th century Olde Gaelic O' Ciardhubhan, from the
elements O' meaning male descendant of, and the compound personal name
Ciardhubhan to give the meaning of
"The descendant of the small dark and black person".
Whether this was the original meaning is subject to conjecture.
The Clan Kirwan were firstly associated with the province of Leinster, but by the
15th century had become one of the Na Tuatha Gaillimhe "Tribes of Galway",
and second only to Lynch.
The Tribes of Galway were fourteen merchant families who dominated the political, commercial, and social life of the city of Galway in Western Ireland between the 13th and 16th centuries.
The merchant family names were: Athy, Blake, Bodkin, Browne, D’Arcy, Deane, Font, French, Joyce, Kirwan, Lynch, Martin, Morris and Skerrett.
Thirteen of these families were of Anglo-Norman origin while The Kirwan’s were the only family amongst the Tribes of Galway to establish an Irish origin, tracing a descent from the second son of Milesius, one of the original Gaels.
The Kirwan's left many fine seats, including Cregg Castle, Castlehackett, Gardenfield, Glan and Woodfield.
Several of the Kirwans' have made their mark in Irish history with John Kirwan being mayor of Galway in 1686. This was during the reign of the last catholic monarch, James 1 of England and Ireland (1685 - 1690). He was defeated by William of Orange at the battle of the Boyne in 1690.
Richard Kirwan (1733 - 1812) Chemist, Mineralogist, Meteorologist and Geologist famed for
being a scientist and eccentric, was born the second son of four, in 1733, in Cloghballymore,
Co. Galway. His family lived in the historic Cregg Castle which was built by Clement
Kirwan in 1648, originally for defence. (pictured below)
Throughout his life he contributed to chemistry geology, meteorology and mineralogy to
which he is given the merit of first introducing the study into Ireland. He carried out
experiments on the properties of carbon in mineral coal and wrote essays on the analysis
of soils and the nature of manures.
He became President of the Royal Irish Academy , in 1799, a post he held until his death.
In 1801, he was elected President of the Dublin Library Society.
Some evidence suggests that Kirwan was a member of the United Irishmen in the 1790s,
though this is not certain. What is certain however, is that he befriended some of the
leading figures in the movement. One of these people was Archibald Hamilton Rowan,
William Rowan Hamilton 's father, who was imprisoned in 1794, but escaped to France.
It is reputed that Richard Kirwan lost Cregg Castle in a game of card to Francis Blake.
The castle today is leased by a group of Artists, it is a "bohemian, free minded" place to stay for only €55 a night the room consist of 2 doubles and a single bed. The toilet and wash basin en-suite however no hot water
"The woodlands are beautiful for walks with a natural spring which is where we get our water." (2016)
The Kirwan’s are also connected with the Bordeaux wine region in France.
An English merchant, Sir John Collingwood, bought a chateau and vineyards here
in 1751. His daughter married Mark Kirwan from Galway.
Mark Kirwan was beheaded in the French Revolution, but the family managed to hold on to the estate.
From Chateau Kirwan in the Medoc comes the prestigious French wine which still bears their name.
“The Kirwans are the only aboriginal family
who were admitted into the tribes of Galway.
They say “As proud as a Kirwan,”
it is a Galway proverb”
From Lady Morgan Memoirs (1781 – 1859) Irish novelist
Today in Galway there are still many references to the Kirwan's
Galway's most important medieval street is Kirwan's Lane which contains many relics of 16th and 17th century architecture. It is located in the centre of the area that was originally within the city walls it is home to Busker Browne's Pub which contains part of the 'Slate Nunnery', given to the Dominican nuns in 1686 by John Kirwan. Further down the lane is where Wolfe Tone played in the little theatre founded by 'Humanity' Dick Martin in the 18th century. The Lane, which stood in ruins for many years, has been recently revamped and restored to its former splendour.
Kirwan's Lane is now home to a number of unique craft shops, which features the best of Irish craftwork.
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