Footsteps Through Time | Home
Patrick O'Brien's Siblings in America | Ireland | Patrick Farrell O'Brien | Mary Theresa Cafferty | Scenes of Miskaun Glebe in Aughnasheelin, Co Leitrim | Julia Ann Sullivan | Flurry and Mary-Margaret Sullivan | The Falvey Family | The Ahern Family | The Cafferty Family of Aughnasheelin | The O'Brien Family of Aughavas | The Descendents of James O'Brien and Katherine Kane
The Ahern Family
O'Aherne
From Oh Eachtighearna
The ancient translation from Gaelic is O'Hagherin. The original Gaelic is said to have been taken from `each'meaning
a horse, and `tighearna' meaning a lord. Legend has said that the family was of the Eoganacht tribe which settled originally in Cork, Clare and Waterford.
In ancient days, the Ahern family hailed from Clare. There, not far from Limerick, in the barony of Bunratty Lower, `Six Mile Bridge' marks their ancient lands up until the 14th Century.
O'Ahern is given as chief of Ui Cearnaidh in Keatings History, and was said to rule `as far as the hospitable port of Shannon, in County Clare.”
By the year 1659, the family had been forced south, and is found in great numbers in Cork and Waterford. In modern times, Counties Cork and Limerick are the centers for the name. The spellings of Hearn and Hearne are found in Waterford today.
Cornelius Ahern and his family were probabley related by marriage to our Sullivans. Cornelius came from Co Kerry, which is next to Co Cork. He and his wife lived next door to the Falveys.
William, the son of Cornelius, was the godfather for Harriet Margarete Cole, my grandmother.