O'Rourke (Irish: Ó Ruairc)[1] is an Irish Gaelic clan based most prominently in what is today County Leitrim. The family were the historic rulers of Breifne and later West Breifne until the 17th century. The O'Rourke Clan Chief was at odds with the O'Reilly Chief because both clans contested each other for the title Prince of Breifne.[2]
| O'Rourke Ó Ruairc | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parent house | Uí Briúin Bréifne |
| Country | Kingdom of Connacht |
| Founded | ca. 960 AD |
| Founder | Fergal ua Ruairc |
| Current head | Geoffrey Philip Columb O'Rorke |
| Final ruler | Tadhg Ó Ruairc |
| Motto | Serviendo guberno |
| Dissolution | 1605 |
| Cadet branches |
|
| Branches |
|
Naming conventions
edit| Male | Daughter | Wife (Long) | Wife (Short) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ó Ruairc | Ní Ruairc | Bean Uí Ruairc | Uí Ruairc |
Notable people
editO'Rourke may refer to several people:
- O'Rourke (baseball), baseball player
- Andrew O'Rourke, judge and politician from New York State
- Beto O'Rourke (born 1972), American politician in Texas.
- Brian O'Rourke (1540–1591), hereditary lord of West Breifne in Ireland
- Brian Oge O'Rourke (1568–1604), lord of West Breifne
- Bud O'Rourke (1919–2001), American basketball player
- Colm O'Rourke (born 1957), Irish footballer
- Danny O'Rourke (born 1983), American soccer player
- Declan O'Rourke, Irish singer
- Denis O'Rourke (born 1946), New Zealand politician
- Dennis O'Rourke (1945–2013), Australian documentary film director
- Derval O'Rourke (born 1981), Irish sprint hurdles athlete
- Edward O'Rourke (1876–1943), Polish Roman Catholic priest, bishop of Riga, first bishop of Danzig (Gdańsk)
- Frank O'Rourke (disambiguation), multiple people
- Heather O'Rourke (1975–1988), American child actress
- Jet O'Rourke (born 1983), Australian Pop/ Rock singer songwriter
- Jim O'Rourke (baseball player) (1850–1919), American professional baseball player
- Jim O'Rourke (musician) (born 1969), American musician and producer
- John O'Rourke (footballer, born 1945) (1945–2016), English footballer
- John O'Rourke (baseball) (1849–1911), American baseball player
- Joseph O'Rourke (disambiguation), multiple people
- Kathy Kirby, stage name of Kathleen O'Rourke, pop singer
- Kevin O'Rourke, Irish economist
- Lou Ann O'Rourke, (died 2019), American Bridge player
- Malachy O'Rourke, Irish footballer and manager
- Mary O'Rourke (born 1937), Irish politician
- Míceál O'Rourke, an Irish classical pianist
- Michael O'Rourke (gambler) (1862–1882 alias "Johnny-Behind-the-Deuce"), a professional gambler of the Old West
- Michael James O'Rourke (1878–1957), Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross
- Mike O'Rourke (baseball) (1868–1934), Major League Baseball pitcher
- Mike O'Rourke (athlete) (born 1955), New Zealand javelin thrower
- Paddy O'Rourke (disambiguation)
- P. J. O'Rourke (1947–2022), American political satirist, journalist, and writer
- Patrick Henry O'Rourke (1837–1863), Irish-born Civil War colonel
- Peter O'Rourke (footballer) (1874–1956), Scottish footballer and manager
- Ryan O'Rourke (born 1988), American baseball player
- Sean O'Rourke, Irish journalist and broadcaster
- Steve O'Rourke (1940–2003), manager of rock band Pink Floyd
- Timothy O'Rourke, American college football head coach
- Ualgarg O'Rourke, (died 1346), king of West Breifne
- William O'Rourke, New Zealand cricketer
See also
edit- O'Rourke (Livonian family)
- Laing O'Rourke, a construction firm in the UK
- Walton and O'Rourke, a famous team of cabaret puppeteers
- O'Rorke
- Rourke
References
edit- ^ "Ruarc — Database of Irish-language Surnames". Gaois. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
- ^ Newerkla, Stefan Michael (2020), Das irische Geschlecht O'Reilly und seine Verbindungen zu Österreich und Russland [The Irish O'Reilly family and their connections to Austria and Russia]. In: Diachronie – Ethnos – Tradition: Studien zur slawischen Sprachgeschichte [Diachrony – Ethnos – Tradition: Studies in Slavic Language History]. Eds. Jasmina Grković-Major, Natalia B. Korina, Stefan M. Newerkla, Fedor B. Poljakov, Svetlana M. Tolstaja. Brno, Tribun EU, pp. 259–279 (accessible online), here pp. 263–265.
External links
edit- O'Rourke family pedigree at Library Ireland
- The Irish O'Reilly family and their connections to Austria and Russia by Stefan M. Newerkla, with chapter 3.2 on the family O'Rourke in the Russian and Austrian context