Scully - Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Scolaidhe
Meaning: “student, scholar”
Traditional stronghold: Westmeath, Tipperary
Pronunciation: SKUL-ee; Irish Ó Scolaidhe: oh SKUL-ee-heh
History of the Scully name
Ó Scolaidhe derives from scolaidhe, a scholar or student. The sept originated in Westmeath, in the district of Delvin, but was displaced after the Anglo-Norman invasion and re-established itself in Munster, above all in Tipperary, where the name has been concentrated ever since. The Scullys of Kilfeacle became prominent Catholic landowners and lawyers in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; Denys Scully was a leading strategist of Catholic Emancipation. The great Scully Cross erected by the family beside the Rock of Cashel was a Tipperary landmark until lightning destroyed its upper portion in 1976, and its base still stands among the royal ruins.
Variants: Skully · O'Scully
Famous bearers of the name
- Denys Scully - Tipperary lawyer and author whose writings drove the campaign for Catholic Emancipation.
- Sean Scully - Dublin-born abstract painter, twice a Turner Prize nominee and among the most collected living artists.
- Vin Scully - Legendary Irish-American broadcaster, voice of the Dodgers for 67 seasons.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: O'Brien · Ryan · Kennedy · Daly · Carroll · Hogan · Tobin · Keating