Herkunft & Geschichte

Anglicisation of the Irish Gaelic 'O Domhnaill', meaning 'descendant of Domhnall', where 'Domhnall' derives from the Old Celtic 'Dubno-valos', composed of 'dubno' (world, deep) and 'valos' (mighty, ruler) — meaning 'mighty one of the world' or 'world-mighty'. The O'Donnells were the ruling dynasty of Tyrconnell in County Donegal, one of the great Ulster kingdoms, and rivals of the O'Neills for supremacy in the north. Red Hugh O'Donnell (1572–1602) led the Nine Years' War alongside Hugh O'Neill and remains a heroic figure in Irish nationalist memory.