Above : Irish Family Map (Click for larger image)

Nothing was of greater importance to the clans of Ireland than the records of their ancestry. Until the time of the final destruction of the clan system itself, every tribe jealously preserved the tradition of its descent from some famous ancestor. In early times these records were of vital importance : they were the title deeds of the clan to the territory it occupied ; they formed the bond which united various clans into one great tribe ; they justified the tributes which the different Kings imposed upon their subordinate clans. The genealogies of the clans were,’therefore, carefully recorded, especially in the cases of those ” riding clans ” who imposed tribute upon their neighbours, and who afterwards supplied the Kings who ruled over the great divisions of the island.