O'Shea - Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Séaghdha
Meaning: “hawk-like, stately”
Traditional stronghold: Kerry
Pronunciation: oh-SHAY; Irish Ó Séaghdha / Ó Sé: oh SHAY
History of the O'Shea name
Ó Séaghdha, in modern Irish Ó Sé, derives from séaghdha, meaning 'hawk-like' or 'stately'. The sept belonged to the Corca Dhuibhne of west Kerry and before the Norman invasion its chiefs ruled the Iveragh peninsula. Though they lost political power early, the family never left its homeland, and O'Shea remains one of the most common surnames in Kerry, with Ó Sé still flourishing in the Gaeltacht. In the thirteenth century a branch migrated east to Kilkenny and Tipperary, where the Sheas or Shees prospered spectacularly as merchants and lawyers, becoming the only Gaelic family among the ten great mercantile 'tribes' of Kilkenny; Sir Richard Shee's Tudor almshouse still stands in Kilkenny city.
Variants: Shea · Shee · O'Shee · Ó Sé
Famous bearers of the name
- Jack O'Shea - Kerry midfielder regarded as one of the greatest Gaelic footballers of all time.
- Milo O'Shea - Dublin-born character actor of stage, film and television.
- John O'Shea - Waterford-born defender who won five Premier League titles with Manchester United.
- Páidí Ó Sé - Eight-time All-Ireland winner and later manager of the Kerry footballers.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: O'Sullivan · O'Connor · McCarthy · O'Connell · Fitzgerald · Griffin · Kelleher · Stack