Long Gone and Mostly Forgotten

Here's some ancient history.

Researchers used books by O'Hart, McLysaght, and O'Brien, the Four Masters, baptismals, parish records, and ancient land grants, and found that the family name, Kehoe, was first revealed in Tipperary where they had been seated from ancient times at Ballymackeogh, and were descended from the MacKeoghs who in turn were descended from their eponymous ancestor, Eochaidh O'Kelly, one of the ancient Kings of Ui Maine.

Many variations in spelling were found. The surname was from time to time spelt Hoey, O'Hoey, Hoy, Hue, Kehoe, Keogh, MacKeogh, Keough, and these changes in spelling frequently occurred, even between father and son. Also translations from the Gaelic varied, and there were preferences for different spelling variations, usually from a division of the family, or for religious reasons, or sometimes fro patriotic reasons. Church officials and scribes spelt the name as it sounded, sometimes different was in the lifetime of the same person.

Traditionally, the ancient Kings of Ireland were descended from King Milesius of Spain, the grandson of Breoghan (Brian), King of Galicia, Andalusia, Murcia, Castile, and Portugal. Milesius, a great general/king, was instrumental in defending Egypt from the King of Ethiopia. Milesius turned his attention northward to Ireland to fulfill an ancient Druidic prophecy. He sent an army to explore this fertile island. On finding that his son had been murdered by the three resident Irish Kings (the Danans), Milesius gathered another army to take his revenge on the Irish. He died before he embarked on the trip. His remaining eight sons conquered Ireland.

Heremon, eldest son of Milesius, reigned in Ireland for fourteen years, along with his brothers Heber, Ir, and Ithe, They named the land Scota or Scotia, their mother's name , in the land of the Scots. This name would later be taken by the Irish King Colla in 357 when he was exiled to Scotland, leaving the name 'Ir-land', land of Ir, youngest of the four sons of milesius, to the Emerald Isle. The four Irish kingdoms eventually broke into five separate nations under the High King, or Ard Righ. These royal lines would later produce such great Kings as the 4th century King Niall of the Nine Hostages who died in France while cutting off the retreat of the Romans from Britain, and King Brian Boru, who died in the Battle of Clontarf in 1014, finally expelling the Vikings from Dublin and Ireland.

This great Gaelic family, Kehoe, emerged in later years in Tipperary. They were also the lords of Magh Finn in their territory of Moyfinn in the barony of Athlone, county Roscommon, known as Keogh's or Hoey's Country. Keoghville, in the parish of Taghmaconnell, took its name from them. The name is chiefly found in the county of Leinster, but they also held lands in county, Wexford. They were hereditary bards to the O'Byrnes, and with them migrated in mediaeval times from north Kildare to county Wicklow and later to county Wexford. Maolmuire MacKeogh, sometimes called Hoey, was chief professor of poetry in Leinster in 1534. John keogh, 1653-1725, was a mathematician of note. Matthew Keogh was hanged in 1798 for his prominent part in the '98 Insurrection. John Cashel Hoey, 1828-1893, was editor of the "Nation", his wife Frances Sarah Hoey was a successful and prolific novelist. Prominent amongst the family at this time was John Keogh, Mathematician.

A succession of invasions troubled the Irish people. Strongbow in 1172, Cromwell in the 17th century, and then came the devastation of the great potato famine in 1845, all caused continued widespread misery and poverty, and the exodus from Ireland began, first a trickle, then a flood. Fifty years after the famine, the last straw, the population was reduced to less than half.

Irish clansman joined the armada of sailing ships which sailed from Belfast, Dublin, Cork, Holyhead, Liverpool, and Glasgow, many bound for the New World, some to Australia.

In North America some of the first migrants which could be considered kinsmen of the sept, Hoy, of that same family were James Hoey who settled in Charles Town, S. C. in 1772; followed by William Hoey in 1803; Charles, Dennis, John, Michael, Thomas, and William Hoey, all settled in Philadelphia, P. A. between 1840 and 1877; A. T. Hoy settled in San Francisco, Cal. in 1850; David, Francis, Jacob, James, John, Owen, Patrick, and Robert Hoy arrived in Philadelphia between 1766 and 1850; Jeremiah, John, Martin, Michael, Thomas Keogh all arrived in Philadelphia between 1795 and 1860; John Keogh landed in New York State in 1854; Hillip and William Keho landed in Pennsylvania in 1772 and 1830; Ambrose, Dennis, George, James, John, Martin, Patrick, Phillip Kehoe who all landed in Philadelphia, Pa. between 1830 and 1866; John Kehoe landed in Boston in 1822; Philip Kehoe landed in New York State in the same year; James Mckeogh landed in Philadelphia in 1842. In Newfoundland, Edward Keogh, born in the county, Wexford, settled at Stone Island in 1816; the family also settled in Petty Harbour, Sutton's Parish, Plate Cove, Bonavista, Fogo, Bell Isle, Newfoudland and many, many more spots.