Coat of Arms & Family Crests Store
  Nally Coat of Arms / Nally Family CrestThe surname NALLY is from the Gaelic Mac an Fhailigh and means 'the poor man'. The name is found in counties Mayo, Roscommon and Oriel. In the cenus of 1659 the name can be found as MacAnnully, MacEnolly and MacAlly. The name is of Norman or Welsh origin taken to Ireland by settlers. Ireland was one of the earliest countries to evolve a system of hereditary surnames; they came into being fairly generally in the 11th century, and indeed a few were formed before the year 1000. The surnames in Ireland originally signified membership of a clan, but with the passage of time, the clan system became less distinct, and surnames came to identify membership of what is called a 'sept'; a group of people all living in the same locality, all bearing the same surname, but not necessarily descended from a common ancestor. Adoption of the name by people who did not otherwise have a surname and by dependents was not uncommon. Just over one hundred years after the Norman Conquest of England, the first Normans arrived in Ireland. Richard de Clare, Second Earl of Pembroke (died 1176), was known as Strongbow. He was invited to Ireland by Dermot MacMurrough, King of Leinster, whose daughter he married, to help him in his wars with his neighbours. He was accompanied by several retainers whose name, like his own, have become well established as surnames in Ireland. The Normans established themselves in Leinster and paid homage to Henry II of England. Some of the Norman settlers acquired surnames derived from the Irish. A notable member of the name was Ramond McNALLY (1926-89) the Irish actor, born in Buncrana, Donegal. He made his London debut in 'A Cheap Bunch of Nice Flowers' in 1962, and he won international acclaim and an academy award for his performance as the papal envoy in 'The Mission'. It has long been a matter of doubt when the bearing of coats of arms first became hereditary and it was not until the Crusades that Heraldry came into general use. Men went into battle heavily armed and were difficult to recognise. It became the custom for them to adorn their helmets with distinctive crests, and to paint their shields with animals and the like. Coats of arms accompanied the development of surnames, becoming hereditary in the same way. |
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