The Carrigan Manuscripts: The Pedigrees of the First Baron of Upper Ossory

The pedigrees of Brian Mac Giolla Phádraig (ca. 1478-1575), who was created the First Baron of Upper Ossory in 1541 and from whom emerged the line of later barons, feature prominently in several important publications relating to the Mac Giolla Phádraig Lords of Ossory. Pride of place among the pedigree authors goes to the renowned Ossory historian, Rev. William Carrigan (1860-1924), who he published his magnum opus, The History and Antiquities of the Diocese of Ossory, in 1905. Early in his research career, Carrigan adopted the position of two scholars who had gone before him, viz., Dr John O’Donovan and Rev. John Shearman, notably, that Brian’s father was Brian na Luireach (i.e., ‘of the coats of mail’) Mac Giolla Phádraig. However, by 1922, toward the end of his life, Carrigan’s opinion had changed, and he came to the position that the father of the first baron was not Brian na Luireach, but Seaán Mac Giolla Phádraig. Here, a review of Carrigan’s Manuscripts reveals his research journey to uncover the true identity of Brian’s father.