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From:
Subject: Re: [DNA] Hammer's Y Haplogroup Tree
Date: Sun, 6 Apr 2008 13:09:36 EDT


In a message dated 4/6/2008 12:17:20 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
writes:

<And some of the recognized chiefs of the name in Ireland right now think no
<one but them has the right to display the coat of arms of their name...snobs
<then and snobs now.

<Elizabeth

As one of those Chiefs who has been called a snob and worse, I must jump in.
Most people who display coats-of-arms of their "name" know little or nothing
about heradic usage, which may vary somewhat from country to country. In
Irish usage, only the Chief by proven descent has the right to bear
"undifferenced" coats-of-arms, which the "your name variety" almost always are. All
others require a heraldic difference to distinguish them from the actual chiefly
arms. This can be a very minor detail, but should follow the rules of heraldry.
Moreover all names are not entitled to arms, so that many of the non-chiefly
Irish arms and those of many of other nations as well, are essentially bogus.
We can thank the "Your Name Coat of Arms" business for contributing to this
situation.

Anyone who uses arms not granted to a direct male ancestor or used with some
historical basis for many generations within one's family should employ
differencing, or at least display them along with a notation that they may be the
arms of their sept or clan. I think this is not too much to ask. Chiefs
rightly regard their coat-of-arms as hereditary property, which enjoy copyright and
other legal protections.

For what it's worth, based on my own family history, pedigree and haplotype
reasults ("Irish Type-III"), I am oif the opinion that the chiefly lines are
the ones represented by the smaller numbers of matches for a given royal/chiefly
name. I suspect the genetic contribution of the many followers and clansmen
who later assumed their Chief's surname far outnumbered the contribution of
the chiefly lines themselves which took the brunt of warfare, feuding,
execvution, forced emigration, as well as of famine and disease suffered by all.

Len Keane,
The O'Cahan



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