Who are you? Who am I? Do you have any ID to prove your identity? We are generally known by our personal first name and our family surname. Yes, we are all here today because of the McGrath family name. There are 88,000 McGrath families in the world of today.

That means we are actually part of a Clan.

A Clan is defined as a group of families whose heads claim descent from a common ancestor. We have learned this year that we all descend from the work of king Brian Boru, who somewhere during his reign as king of all Ireland (from 1002 to 1014 AD, when he died at the Battle of Clontarf, outside Dublin) decided that Irish people should be known by their surnames and not just be called like Sean son of Seamus.

We come from a tribe of Gaels called Dal Cassians, who lived in the kingdom of Thomond, which means 'North Munster'. The Gaels of Munster were descendants of emigrants from European Gaels, who were fleeing from Roman imperialism. As early as 220 BC, the Romans were attacking and butchering Gaelic people in the Po River Valley of Northern Italy (to which they had moved from what is now Bohemia). These refugees tried to get away from Rome and its greedy imperialism, and they moved to Gaul, then to Spain, and from northwestern Spain they emigrated to the isle of Erin, in the Milesian waves of emigration (from 500 BC-50 AD).

The Dal Cassians were reogranised by Brian Boru, and given professions and names. There were at least 26 Dal Cassian families descended from the relatives and allies of the O'Briens. These family names were O'Brien, Kennedy, Ahearne, Lorcan, McMahon, McNamara, O'Heihir, O'Loughlin, Mulconry, Clancey, O'Haynes, Morrissey, O.Gorman, Considine, O'Halloran, Liddy, O'Meara, MC GRATH, O'HICKEY, O'Dea, Moloney, O'Grady, McInnerney, Clunes, Horan, and Flynn.

We know that the MCGRATH AND O'HICKEY families were appointed to a special kind of work. The McGrath's were said to be from the descendants of Brian Boru's brother Ahearne, and were appointed to be bards and historians. The O'HIckeys were their close allies and neighbours, with whom they often intermarried, and they were appointed to be physicians.

This we know from many sources and from the many appearances in the Irish Chronicles listing the McGraths as bards, historians, poets, chroniclers, antiquarians, singers, story tellers, and termoners. Termoners were appointed to be in charge of church lands, as laity, to organise and administer the properties so that the clergy would not have to be entrusted with these things. Many McGraths also became clergymen. From their work as termoners, who were to give hospitality to pilgrims, they naturally came to be involved in keeping hostels and public houses.

The ancient Gaelic people all had family totems, signs, and emblems, which they painted on their shields. This was the origin of Family Crests and Heraldic designs. They were not invented nor imported by the Normans or Anglo Saxons, as many erroneously think. Our McGrath crest shows five important things:

1. The 3 lions of the O'Briens, showing we are descendants of the O'Briens.

2. The Maltese Cross, showing that we were dedicated to healing, history and church.

3. The Battle Axes, showing that we were often involved in battles, unfortunately.

4. The Antelope, a Mediterranean animal, showing that we came across that Sea to Erin.

5. The family motto: SALUS IN FIDE, --- we were dedicated to Salvation by faith.

These are the important and vital things we know about the McGrath Clan. May we never lose this historic knowledge. May we never get involved in useless feuds and fights over sectarian and political factions, and forget our common ancestry and common goals.