The Surname D'Arcy [Gen-042]

Extract from "Irish Families" by Edward MacLysaght.

Published by Hodges Figgis & Co., Ltd., Dublin. 1957.

D'Arcy, O'Dorcey, MacDarcy

The name is often spelled D'Arcy. This is historically correct in the case of those families of the name which descend from Sir John D'Arcy who was Chief Justice of Ireland in the 14th century whose chief seat for centuries was Platten, Co. Meath, and it is reasonable to assume that the D'Arcys of the east midlands of Ireland are of that stock.

It may be mentioned here that though Norman in origin, the family being originally D'Arci (from Arci, a place in Normandy), these D'Arcys did not come to Ireland as early as the Norman invasion.

There is no justification for the D'Arcys of Munster and Connaught (with very few exceptions) using the form D'Arcy because they were of native Irish stock and their name is a corruption of the Gaelic O'Dorchaidhe, which was first anglicised as O'Dorcey. There are two minor septs so-called, one in County Mayo was located around Partry, near Lough Mask: the other in East Galway was a branch of Uí Máine. In the "Annals of Loch Cé" the name MacDarcy appears as that of a County Leitrim chieftain in the years 1384 and 1403. O'Donovan in his notes to the Four Masters under the date 1310 places the MacDarcy sept in the parish of Oughteragh, County Leitrim.

The most distinguished of the name were the lawyer, Patrick D'Arcy (1598 - 1668), a prominent member of the Supreme Council of the Confederation of Kilkenny, and Patrick Count D'Arcy (1728 - 1779), Chevalier and Marechal-de-camp in the service of France, who was a mathematician of note as well as a famous soldier. Oliver D'Arcy was bishop of Dromore 1670 - 1674, having previously held the See of Ardagh.

It has been proved by O'Donovan that the D'Arcys who became one of the Tribes of Galway were of true Gaelic stock, being descended from the O'Dorceys of Partry, County Mayo.

Mary D'Arcy (1823 - 1884), wife of Michael D'Arcy.

The picture is a photograph of an oil painting in the possession of Mrs. Maureen Toolan McGinn which came from the D'Arcy home at Enniskerry Road, Phibsborough, Dublin. A matching oil painting of Mary D'Arcy's son Patrick (Robert) is with the family of the late Leo D'Arcy in Australia. (Sydney?).

The maiden name of Mary D'Arcy is unknown at present (1984).