Lally — Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Maolalaidh
Meaning: 'descendant of Maolalaidh'
Traditional stronghold: Galway
Pronunciation: LAL-ee; Irish Ó Maolalaidh: oh mwayl-AL-ee
History of the Lally name
Lally is a shortened form of Mullally, from Ó Maolalaidh, a sept of the Uí Maine in County Galway seated near Tuam. The family lost its lands in the Cromwellian confiscations, and its most remarkable branch took the Wild Geese road to France: Sir Gerard Lally of Tuamlough served in the Irish Brigade, and his son Thomas Arthur, Comte de Lally-Tollendal, commanded the French forces in India, was unjustly executed for treason in 1766, and was posthumously vindicated in a cause championed by Voltaire. In Ireland the name remains strongly associated with Galway and the west.
Variants: Mullally · Mullaly · O'Mullally
Famous bearers of the name
- Mick Lally — Mayo-born actor beloved as Miley in Glenroe and a founding member of Druid Theatre.
- Thomas Arthur, Comte de Lally — French general of Galway descent, commander in India, executed in 1766 and later exonerated.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Kelly · Lynch · Connolly · Burke · Clarke · Hughes · Keane · Kenny