Raftery — Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Reachtabhra
Meaning: 'descendant of Reachtabhra' (from reacht, decree)
Traditional stronghold: Galway, Mayo
Pronunciation: RAF-ter-ee; Irish Ó Reachtabhra: oh RAKH-tow-rah
History of the Raftery name
Raftery is a Connacht surname, Ó Reachtabhra, from an old personal name built on reacht ('law' or 'decree'), and is distinct from the Ulster name Rafferty despite the similar sound. Its homeland is the Mayo-Galway region, where it has always been most numerous and where it is inseparable from Antoine Ó Raifteirí (1779-1835), the blind wandering poet born at Killedan near Kiltimagh, whose verse - 'Mise Raifteirí an file' - generations of Irish schoolchildren learned by heart. The related form Rafter occurs further east. The name remains concentrated in Connacht, and in modern Ireland it became a byword for fearless investigative journalism through Mary Raftery's exposure of institutional child abuse.
Variants: Rafter · Raughtery
Famous bearers of the name
- Antoine Ó Raifteirí — Blind Irish-language poet of Mayo and Galway, the last of the wandering bards.
- Mary Raftery — Investigative journalist whose States of Fear documentaries exposed abuse in Irish institutions.
- Barry Raftery — UCD archaeologist and leading authority on Iron Age Ireland.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Kelly · Walsh · Lynch · Connolly · Burke · Clarke · Hughes · Keane