O´Farrell / O´Ferrall / Farrell / Ferrall
Sus armas: en campo de sinople, un león rampante, de oro; y por cimera, sobre una corona ducal, un lebrel saltando, de sable
Los O'FARRELL -con o sin el prefijo O'- provienen en su gran mayoría de Co.Longford, lo que es natural porque el gran clan de O'Fearghaill tuvo su sede en Annaly y su caudillo residía en Longphuirt Ui Fhearghaill (la fortaleza de los O'Farrell), de donde viene, además, el nombre del condado, ya que su traducción al inglés es Longford.Tan importante fue este clan que las referencias correspondientes a sus miembros en los "Annals of the Four Masters" ocupan más de siete columnas en el índice de esa monumental obra. Hubo dos ramas de este clan, cuyos caudillos eran identificados como el O'Farrell Boy (Buidhe, es decir, amarillo) y el O'Farrell Bane (Bane, que es blanco o rubio). Hoy en día, este apellido ocupa el quinto lugar entre los más habitualmente encontrados en Irlanda, residiendo en la provincia de Leinster la mayoría de sus descendientes. En las listas de pasajeros irlandeses llegados a Buenos Aires se registran 58 FARRELL, de los cuales uno es un O'FARRELL.
Farrell, Far(r)el(l)(y) (Farley), Farrill, Ferrall, Fer(r)al(l)(y), Ferrell, Ferrill, Frawley and any O-prefixed (grandson or descendant of) versions of the preceding surnames (Farrell being, by far, the most common spelling is thus the name for the clan) are all Anglicized forms of the Gaelic name Fearghail (fear man + gal valour), (source: "A Dictionary of Surnames". Oxford, 1994.), King of Conmacne who was slain by the Danes in A.D. 1014 at the Battle of Clontarf (NE Dublin). The O'Fearghails were one of the four chief clans of the Conmacne {race of Conmac (son of legendary Fergus MacRoigh and Queen Maedhbh (Maeve)}. They were the princes of Annaly (roughly the Irish midlands); their chief seat of power was Longphort Ui' Fearghail (O'Farrell's fortress) (present-day Longford town). (source: "Farrell Clan-a brief history" by Hugh Farrell).
The Farrells have been associated with this midland region for almost 1,000 years. The Farrell Clan lost its control of the area just over 300 years ago when they were forced to take flight and lived abroad for 150 years, before returning to an uncertain future, the majority settling in County Longford and others settling elsewhere. Farrells are presently plentiful in the county, but the big numbers live elsewhere, mostly in Dublin.
The name O'Farrell or Farrell in Ireland is derived from the native Gaelic O'Fearghail Sept who dominated the region of County Longford. This name is among the fifty most frequently found in Ireland and it is in the Province of Leinster that the majority of descendants can still be found.
