O'Keeffe

This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate.

O'Keeffe and Keeffe, are the anglicised versions of the Irish Ó Caoimh, from caomh, meaning "kind" or "gentle".

The original Caomh from whom the family descend lived in the early eleventh century, and was a descendant of Art, King of Munster from 742 to 762. See the main article, Eóganachta, for more discussion, as well as Eóganacht Glendamnach, the specific sept of the O'Keeffes.

For all of their history the family has been strongly associated with County Cork. Originally the territory of the family lay along the banks of the Blackwater river, near modern Fermoy, and were active in the wars of the twelfth century between the O'Connors and the Eoghanacht dynasties of Munster.

However, the arrival of the Normans displaced them, like so many others, and they moved west into the barony of Duhallow, where their territory became known, and is still known, as Pobal O'Keeffe, where the senior branch of the family had their seat at Dromagh in Dromtarriff Parish.

The last chiefs of this branch were Domhnall O'Keeffe of Dromagh (d. c. 1655), who was prominent in the Catholic Rebellion of the 1640s, and his son Captain Daniel O’Keeffe, who was killed fighting for King James at the Battle of Aughrim in 1691. The family estates were confiscated and sold in 1703 to the Hollow Blades Company.

Even today, Pobal O'Keeffe is still the area in which the name is most common, with surrounding areas of Co. Cork also including many of the name. It remains relatively rare outside that county. In 1890, more than two thirds of the births of the name are recorded in Co. Cork.

Like many of the dispossessed Irish nobility, the O’Keeffes were active in the service of the Catholic monarchs of Europe. In 1740 Constantine O'Keeffe (born c. 1670) was admitted to the French aristocracy on the basis of his Irish pedigree, and his long service. The name "Cuif", found in the Champagne district of northern France are descendants of O'Keeffe soldiers.

The original spelling is with 2 ff's (O'Keeffe) and church officials recorded names as they were wrongly spell't, then often resulting in the name of a single person be recorded under several sub spellings that include O'Keefe, Keefe, Keeffe, Keiffe and othere's

People

• Andrew O'Keefe, Australian TV personality
• Alfred Henry O'Keeffe, New Zealand artist and art teacher
• Batt O'Keeffe, Irish politician
• Ciarán O'Keeffe, British parapsychologist
• Daniel O'Keefe (1950-) Author and professor at Northwestern University.
• David O'Keeffe, jurist
• Derrick O'Keefe, Canadian writer, teacher and political activist
• His Majesty O'Keefe - book and film based on it, both derived from the real-life character Captain David Dean O'Keefe (see Rai stones)
• Eoin O'Keeffe, Irish composer based in the UK
• Eugene O'Keefe, founder of the O'Keefe Brewery in Toronto in 1862
• Jake O'Keeffe English football player
• Frank Robin O’Keefe, a paleontologist specializing in plesiosaurs.
• Frank O'Keefe (1912-89), Australian politician
• Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986), American artist/painter
• Jim O'Keeffe, Irish politician
• Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (1978-), American actress and model
• John O'Keefe (British writer) (1747 - 1833), actually spelled O'Keeffe; an Irish playwright.
• John A. O'Keefe (1916 - 2000), American planetary scientist
• John O'Keefe, cognitive neuroscientist
• John O'Keeffe, Irish footballer
• John O'Keeffe, Irish Radio and Club DJ, also known as Johnny Murda. He also produces weekly house mixes called "Sweat".
• Johnny O'Keefe, Australian musician
• Jonathan Rhys Meyers, stage of Irish Actor Jonathan O'Keeffe
• Joseph "Specs" O'Keefe, one of the participants in the Great Brinks Robbery
• Kerry O'Keeffe, Australian cricketer and sports commentator
• Lauren O'Keefe, American singer and member of girl group Jada.
• Miles O'Keeffe, American actor
• Ned O'Keeffe, Irish politician
• Padraig O'Keeffe (1887-1963) Irish traditional musician
• Richard O'Keefe, computer scientist
• Ruth O'Keeffe, British government councilor
• Sean O'Keefe, Chancellor of Louisiana State University, former Administrator of NASA and former United States Secretary of the Navy
• Sean O'Keeffe, DJ & Musician, founding member of 2 Bad Mice, also records under his solo alias Deep Blue (musician)
• Timothy O'Keeffe (1926-1994), Irish-born editor and publisher
• Brothers Joel O'Keeffe and Ryan O'Keeffe, members of Australian hard rock band Airbourne.
• bill O'Neil chairman of tom thumbs

Donna O'Keefe DJ and Entertainer in the South West of England,linked with the O'Keefe aristocracy. originally O'Keeffe

See also

• Irish royal families
• Eóganachta
• Eóganacht Glendamnach
• Clídna
• Irish nobility
• Carling O'Keefe breweries
• The O'Keefes, a short-lived television series

References

• Byrne, Francis J., Irish Kings and High-Kings. Four Courts Press. 2nd edition, 2001.
• Charles-Edwards, Thomas M., Early Christian Ireland. Cambridge University Press. 2000.
• MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families: Their Names, Arms and Origins. Irish Academic Press. 4th edition, 1998.

This page or section lists people with the surname O'Keeffe. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to their surname.