Family history Baron of Athenry

Baron of Athenry – The History of the House of Bermingham

The Barons of Athenry came from the Anglo-Norman house of de Bermingham. The family came to Ireland in the late 12th century and settled first in Tethmoy in present-day County Offaly. In the 1230s, Meiler de Bermingham received land in eastern Connacht from Richard de Burgh. On the Clareen River, he founded Athenry and began building the castle in 1235.

Around the hall building, a planned city was developed. Meiler promoted trade and crafts and founded the Dominican Priory in 1241. Irish families also supported its construction – a sign of close connections to the surrounding area. The walls, gates, and ornaments of the „School of the West“ made Athenry a jewel of medieval Galway.

Meiler’s son Piers continued the rule. The de Berminghams asserted their status and dominated the city for centuries. At the Battle of Athenry in 1316, forces under Richard de Bermingham and William Liath de Burgh defended it against the army of Felim O’Connor. In the 15th century, the family built a townhouse; the castle henceforth served as a garrison.

The house remained present even in the modern era. Francis Bermingham, the twelfth Baron, served during the Confederate Wars in Connacht. After the upheavals, the family regained possession of estates. Thomas Bermingham, the twenty-first Baron, was granted the title Earl of Louth in 1759 and brought the line to new glory.

With his death in 1799, the title did not immediately pass to an acknowledged successor. However, several related Birmingham lines continued and preserved their connection to Galway. Athenry Castle, the Priory and large parts of the city wall still vividly tell the story of more than five centuries of family and urban history.

Sources: Heritage Ireland, Dictionary of Irish Biography, University of Galway Landed Estates, Galway Archaeological and Historical Society

Family coat of arms Baron of Athenry

This Coat of arms corresponds to Coat of arms the historically documented Anglo-Irish family of de Bermingham, who held the Baronetcy of Athenry. Blazon: Split in gold and red with a jagged dividing line.

The shield is divided into a golden and a red field vertically. The middle dividing line runs in large, regular bands that allow both colors to blend together. Above the shield is a dark tournament helmet with red-gold trim.

The de Berminghams arrived in Ireland in the 12th century and founded the town of Athenry in County Galway.

Sources: John O’Hart, Bermingham family, Lords Baron of Athenry. The Complete Peerage, entries for the Baronetcy of Athenry and the Bermingham family. Excerpts History