Post Your Granted, Assumed or Desired Arms

[Gael Ridire]

I was quite elated to find this site and this forum. Nineteen years ago I received a grant for personal arms from the Chief Herald of Ireland having been turned away from Scotland due to my surname being Irish. I was knowledgeable in the Scots system of heraldry and had seen several Irish grants that were based on the clan chiefs arms. However when it came time to design my own this option was denied because on immigration the surname was changed from O'Brien/O'Bryan to that of Bryant. With only family tradition telling of the change I had no documented fact. In 2002 I volunteered for a DNA study which showed that I was indeed of the lineage of O'Brien, and that my branch stemmed off the main line about 1250-1325. My theory is that I descend from Mac-I-Brien Ara branch of O'Brien. However my arms do not indicate that of the O'Briens, which are modern arms having been changed from English king Henry VIII arms with a difference. Thus the O'Brien arms are really English arms and not Irish.

The meaning to my arms are thus: Mother's lineage is from Glenveagh, County Donegal (hence the ermine and hand holding a cross crosslet fitchee from the arms of Donegal. The two swords represent my having served in two branches of the military (air force & army) & I have two sons who became accomplished Olympic fencers, and the ancient arms of O'Brien. Green chevron is for Ireland, and the sun a canting charge for my wife's surname of Day. The lion crest is from the modern arms of O'Brien but not divided in tincture. Motto is Gaelic and translated is "Reap what is sown." Normally the manteling should be the principal color & metal, but an old medieval practice was to use red & white, the correct coloring is in the crest wreath (green & white). Still I like the Scot style of basing the arms design on that of the chief's. Ireland doesn't have such a design rule. My arms can be seen in my avatar.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

A chara-- two very interesting posts and, I must say, I am most pleasantly surprised by your compliment concerning Irish "clan badges"-- it is nice to think that one has made a recognizable contribution to the art and science of heraldry, and even more so to have that contribution acknowledged. Thank you very much.

le Mise--

MoR

[ctbuchanan]

This is the heraldic achievement recently granted by the Lyon Court to the Clan Buchanan Society International, Inc. As a member I am permitted to display it, but not claim it as my own. The three boars heads go back to the earliest arms of clan chiefs when they used the name MacAuslan. They later adopted the place name Buchanan and around 1400 started using the Black Rampant Lion in their arms after a marriage into the Stewart family. The phoenix rising symbolizes the clans recent resurgence through the work of the Society (our last chief died in the late 17th c.) The ducal cap and rose come from our clan badge. The motto is translated "Gather the pieces lest they be lost".

[Gael Ridire]

MacMillan of Rathdown,

I did a little research on the subject for my own knowledge. I love the claddagh symbol for what it means, and is recognized by the world as being "of Ireland." It truly is a much needed device! The second design is by Celtic Studio out of Vancouver, where he uses a very stylized Celtic cross on the background with the shield of arms laid over it. He went with the shield because 1) many Irish clan arms don't have a crest; 2) He feels the claddagh is over used. The third style is out of a company in Texas of whom I could get no answer from but they use the shield also.

I wish the Council of Irish Chiefs had approved your style. And would also make a statement approving the Irish kilt. But hey, what can one expect from a bunch of Irishmen mostly raised in England. I had The O'Brien once tell me, "You know more about my heritage then I do." He was right.

[Gael Ridire]

Right you are about display of the Society arms! The clan I now associate with is working on obtaining a grant of arms from the Lord Lyon and obtaining the status of getting a "Commander" of the clan.

[WVHighlander]

Gael Ridire,

Did the DNA test help with the substantiation? I ask because I am currently working on doing my genealogy in order to go for a grant from Lord Lyon. If this doesn't work I may, like you, have to either go through Ireland or England. I just found a prominate line back to Ireland on my father's side. (And an awesome War of Independence Story to boot) or I could go back through the Morgans (Welsh) or Lucketts (English). However, with a Scottish last name I would like to go that route.

[ctbuchanan]

Right you are about display of the Society arms! The clan I now associate with is working on obtaining a grant of arms from the Lord Lyon and obtaining the status of getting a "Commander" of the clan.

Thank you, our Herald didn't feel it proper for us to be displaying achievements of past chiefs so we obtained our own. We have several armigers looking to establish a council and obtaining a "Commander" as well. Quite a laborious process. I am also aware that the Clan Cunningham is pursuing the same.

[Gael Ridire]

There needs to be I "believe" several members of the clan society who are armigerous, and a derbfine meeting is held (takes several years for this to happen). A commander is chosen and they are such for ten years before being made the new clan chief. Lord Lyon likes the chief to hold property in Scotland. How the MacBean was elected is a very interesting story.

[Gael Ridire]

DNA for surnames must be one's own surname which is the Y chromosome that is only carried down the generations from father to son. Women don't have this, if they want to check on their surname they must have a brother or paternal uncle with the surname do the test for them.

I had arms granted ten years before the DNA project. The design might have been different had I have this information then. Who knows.

Any case the DNA can only be on your surname. What helps is if your clan has a chief and he will do his DNA (say at least 37 markers) as a baseline for others to match to. The O'Brien Surname Project has all 150 participants mapped out showing relationship with in the clan, with the chief's DNA as the baseline.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

There needs to be I "believe" several members of the clan society who are armigerous, and a derbfine meeting is held (takes several years for this to happen). A commander is chosen and they are such for ten years before being made the new clan chief. Lord Lyon likes the chief to hold property in Scotland. How the MacBean was elected is a very interesting story.

Do tell. I was under the impression that McBain proved up his claim to the chiefship, and upon his his death it passed to his son, the present chief of the McBains.