|
This superb genealogical and historical account traces the O'Sullivan sept a full thirty-one generations from the author’s Carolina origins to the family’s Irish roots in 170 AD. Mr. McCreight demonstrates that the O'Sullivans may be the oldest documented royal family on record, based on examinations of archaeological, linguistic, and DNA evidence. Little wonder that esteemed genealogist Brian Mitchell callsO'Sullivan "a phenomenal piece of research and wide-ranging discussion into the origins of a very significant Irish family and in the process a well-illustrated history of Ireland."
O'Sullivan. The Earliest Irish Royal Family: History and Genealogy traces six O’Sullivan lines, from the first person called Sullivan, to France, Spain, and America. Mr. McCreight sets the stage for his genealogies with a lavishly illustrated historical essay that places the O’Sullivan fortunes and misfortunes in historical context. At their height in Ireland, the O’Sullivans controlled hundreds of thousands of acres and occupied thirty-two castles, principally in Counties Kerry and Cork. Like many of their counterparts who resisted the English invasions under Queen Elizabeth, Oliver Cromwell and the Stuarts, most of the O’Sullivans expatriated to France, Spain, and America. One such was Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare, whose epic march to Leitrim Castle in 1603 is traced in detail and whose family ultimately escaped to Spain. One French O'Sullivan descendant of the family was Patrice MacMahon, Duke of Magenta, second president of the Third French Republic. The author's earliest American forebear arrived in Virginia from Ireland in 1655. A 19th-century ancestor fought on the Confederate side of the Civil War, and Mr. McCreight’s immediate forebears operated a number of hotels in South Carolina. Full of colorful personalities and extraordinary photos of the Irish countryside and ancient relics, O'Sullivan. The Earliest Irish Royal Family: History and Genealogy will captivate students of Irish history and Sullivan descendants alike.
|
