It is actually not widely known, but my surname's origin is not Irish. It comes from the region today known as England, but there is some dispute as to whether it is Dobunni (a Celtic Briton tribe) or Anglo-Saxon in origin.
For the sake of privacy, I shall not tell you what my surname is by birth. However, since I am gaelicising, as all proper ones do, I have also gaelicised my surname. In Irish, it is Mac Bréifneach. Anglicised that is MacBreffna or MacBreffnagh, but an anglicisation is not really necessary, all things considered.
I am also between 50-75% Irish, so gaelicising is just the next logical step before applying for Irish citizenship.
I remember hearing from somewhere that I descend in the male-line from the Kings of Northumbria, but this is not only impossible to verify, but also extremely unlikely. Furthermore, not pedigree was provided, so we shall not be exploring this possibility. The earliest I can verifiably trace is a Sir Adam, Lord of the Manor, who floruit in 1493.
So, to answer the question: I am Prince Díolún of the House of Mac Bréifneach which is a branch of the Ó Conchobhair dynasty.
Now, I do get asked how we can be a part of the Ó Conchobhair dynasty of Connacht when we do not descend in the male-line from them. The answer is simple: Every single living Mac Bréifneach descends from Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair, the last High King of Ireland and the only ever King of Ireland (I do not recognise the English kings of Ireland, even if they are my ancestors and relatives). Furthermore, our agnatic lineage is only broken by one female generation in two of our lines of descent from him, which is fairly uncommon.
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Notable Ancestry of H.R.H. Prince Díolún of Ireland
Non-FictionThis is a non-fiction work about my own ancestry. We will be taking a look at why I can genealogically claim to be King of Ireland, but also some other interesting aspects of my lineage, including some theoretical or probable lineages that are not n...
