An Chlann Mhic Cárthaigh Riabhaigh
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The MacCarthy Reagh Clan

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The Chiefship of the MacCarthy Reagh clan fell into abeyance in 1754 and so the Organizing Committee of the MacCarthy Reagh Clan, together with The O’Sullivan Mór (who has always conferred or withheld the Rod of Kingship as steward of legitimate Chiefship over the Clan MacCarthy) and The MacAodhagain (who’s family served as hereditary Brehon to the Clan MacCarthy), endorses, supports and desires an Ad Hoc Derbhfine for the election of a new Chief of the Name MacCarthy Reagh in order to secure the heritage and future of the MacCarthy Reagh clan.

 

A determination by the most thorough efforts possible has established that the bloodlines descending from the last Chief of the Name, Finghin of Benduff, and Cormac, by his wife Lady Eleanor MacCarthy of Muskerry, are both extinct in the male-line. The next senior lineages then stem from Cormac’s younger brother, Finghin MacCarthy Reagh. The descendants of that said Finghin are found today in the pedigrees published in John O’Hart’s Irish Pedigrees, recorded by the Ulster King of Arms in Genealogical Office Ms. 111f, fol. 125, and folio 21/2023 of the Chronicler of Arms of Castile and Leon.

 

All descendants of the MacCarthy Reagh clan are now formally invited to participate in this historic event — the election of the first Chief in three centuries!   Kinsmen are encouraged to nominate chiefly candidates who are at least 18 years of age, bearing the McCarthy surname, descended in the male-line from The MacCarthy Reagh with proven and certified pedigrees. Nominations will be accepted through 13 July 2025.

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The Kingdom of Desmond Association has published guidance about organizing an Ad Hoc Dearbhfhine (pronounced der-i-fin-uh, [dʲaɾˠəˈvʲɪnʲə]), and as it is the guidance endorsed by The MacCarthy Mór, it is what we have adopted. 

 

1) Identification of Nominees and Participants

In accordance with the Brehon laws and the published guidance of the Kingdom of Desmond Association, all nominees for the Chiefship must:

• have a claim predicated on agnatic descent (i.e. descent from father to son) from a previous Chief,

• be a male 18 years of age or older bearing the surname McCarthy (or a variant spelling),

• be armigerous, or otherwise have a right to Armorial Bearings with a petition for Grant, Matriculation, Confirmation, or Certification of Arms already submitted to their respective Heraldic Authority,

• be well versed in traditional Gaelic practices and have an understanding of the Gaelic order prior to the end of 17th century,

• be willing and able assume responsibility for the clan/family,

• willing and able to undertake projects which support the Clan.

 

Nominees must submit their certified pedigree, a short biography, CV, and Armorial Bearings to the secretary at info@maccarthyreagh.org. These materials will be published on the Clan website to allow participants the opportunity to review each candidate’s qualifications. 

 

Even if not qualified as a nominee, kinsmen are invited as participants in the Ad Hoc Dearbhfhine, but will be required to contact the Organizing Committee at info@maccarthyreagh.org and submit a valid email for each voting member, which will be used for further coordination (namely, for a Zoom invitation and to cast a vote in the election). 

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2) Clan Meeting

You and your family are invited to attend an clan assembly via Zoom at 13 July 2025, 7:00pm IST (Irish Standard Time), 2:00pm EST (Eastern Standard Time), where we will host a short Q&A for questions regarding the Ad Hoc Dearbhfhine process, and then introduce the final nominees who will be given the opportunity to address the assembly. This Zoom invitation will be sent only to the emails provided to the Organizing Committee, but will also be recorded and posted to the clan webpage to allow those who could not attend the opportunity to still hear the candidates. 

 

3) Election

Due to the vast geographic dispersion of clan members, the election will be held via the secure online election platform, ElectionRunner.com, 13 August 2025, at 12:00am IST and will run through 13 August 2025 at 11:59pm IST. Voting participants will receive an email as soon as the election window opens and will have 24 hours to submit their vote. Each member will have a unique ID which will limit one vote per person and provide anonymity of the voter. 

 

3) Certification

After the election window closes, the votes will be counted by the Secretary and a notice will be made with the results. There will then be a 42 day provisionary period (in accordance with the standard practice of Lord Lyon’s Ad Hoc Dearbhfhines for Scottish clans), during which time challenges to the election can be lodged. After this 42 day period, the elected candidate will assume the role of hereditary Chief of the Name MacCarthy Reagh. 

 

4) The Future

The new chiefly family will be required to select a successor from within the new Dearbhfhine kin group.