Introduction

Welcome to the Carroll of Oriel website. The purpose of this website is to record aspects of family history that pertain to the Carroll of Oriel family and to act as a template for future historical research. There is however another purpose, perhaps an even more important one, to give encouragement to people throughout the world today whose culture, whose way of life, is under threat. The Carroll of Oriel family survived military adversity, changing political structures and the attempted eradication of the entire Gaelic way of life by a hostile power.

I believe that we survived because we always retained a knowledge of who we were and how we originated as a family. Because of this a sense of continuity was passed down throughout the generations and no amount of political or economic upheaval could abolish that. I consider that our survival as a family is a remarkable achievement and an encouragement to others and I believe that it behoves us to share with others what factors helped us survive bleak historical times.

But there were also many high points worth celebrating. The wisdom and leadership given to my family by my ancestor King Donough O’Carroll in the twelfth century encouraged us through many centuries and even figures from remote historical times continue to inspire. In more recent times the devotion to the service of others and to the enrichment of the cultural life of the Irish nation by my more recent ancestors has equally been inspiring.

All this shows that a family is a connected unit which moves down through the generations, each generation refining and enhancing the work of previous generations. Although we are all merely points in a sequence each of us has an opportunity to contribute to the betterment of mankind. The Carroll of Oriel family has produced many remarkable people over the centuries who have contributed to the wider world. It is my ambition that this continues.