Gallaghers Galore
Largest Clan Gathering in Recorded History
By Patricia Gallagher Cuff
28 September 2007
A Global Gathering
A Global Village of Gallaghers recently assembled in their native County Donegal. Their purpose was to surpass the Guinness Book’s World Record for the largest clan gathering in recorded history. Gallaghers—and Callaghers, Gollahers, and Golloughers—no matter the spelling, they were one clan.
Joining Ireland’s contingent after traveling from Australia, Africa, the USA, New Zealand, Canada, Britain, and Brazil, they came in response to a challenge. The valiant issue of the High King of Ireland, Gallchobhair, would take on the Jones Clan of Wales, record setters in 2006 with a head count of 1,224.
Could the Gallaghers keep up with the Joneses?
The Record Attempt
On a soggy September day in Letterkenny, the Gallagher Clan convened on the campus of the Institute of Technology. Tension mingled with good cheer as participants queued to present their credentials—photo ID or a birth certificate for the “née Gallaghers.” Officials stamped hands, and Katie Forde, the official Guinness adjudicator, clicked off the numbers.
“It wasn’t a foregone conclusion that we’d win,” commented Adrian Gallagher, Event Coordinator.
“And it was a great feeling of relief and delight when we did.”
At the 1,488th click of Katie’s counter, it was official. History was made. The Gallaghers claimed the Guinness World Records™ title for the Largest Same Name Gathering — ever.
A Deeper Purpose
Bragging rights were not what inspired history teacher Tim Gallagher to encourage the gathering. Four hundred years earlier, in September 1607, eight Gallaghers departed with the earls, beginning a diaspora that spread Gallaghers across the globe.
The organizers’ aims were clear:
- To unite Gallaghers worldwide
- To build a shared family history resource
- To document the clan’s accomplishments through the ages
Faces of the Clan
Not surprisingly, the Gallaghers were a friendly bunch. Conversation flowed easily, like cousins meeting for the first time.
- Laura Gerene Galliher, from Sitka, Alaska, whose dark hair and eyes reflected her Aleutian Eskimo heritage
- Ian Gallagher, born in Lisburn, returning home from Namibia after 44 years
- Mary Ann Gallagher, a rugged Canadian senior who writes hiking books
- Elsie from Texas, not a Gallagher by name, but by spirit: “With so many Gallaghers around me, I felt there must be a relative there someplace.”
Characters and Culture
Among the most colorful was Charley, the committee’s historian and a blacksmith by trade. With his period white shirt, shoulder-length hair, and commanding presence, he looked as striking in person as he did on the posters. On the Gallagher Clan website, he can be seen wielding a sword during a dramatic “escape” from Dublin Castle—undaunted on his way to the reunion.
Heritage in Action
The week unfolded with events celebrating shared heritage. One highlight was Lá Gaelach, a day immersed in Irish language and tradition. The group lunched at the Ostán Loch Altan Hotel in Gortahork before visiting the Ionad Cois Locha Visitor Centre in Dunlewey, where recreated scenes of shearing, spinning, sewing, and weaving revealed the harsh realities of ancestral life.
A visit to the stunning lake at the bottom of the Poison Glen followed—its name the result of a historic spelling error—along with time to shop for treasured Donegal gifts.
Stories by the Fireside
At dinner, Jane Crane, a native of the glen, joined the table. With frizzy red hair and a Dickensian presence, she announced she was a witch and gestured toward ceramic sculptures she’d made of the “Little People” she spoke to regularly. Thankfully, she said, her little friends had stayed home that night.
Later, Gaelic culture came alive as a nine-year-old boy and his sister sang songs in Irish, followed by a line of girls dancing with a precision rivaling Riverdance.
Remembering the Flight of the Earls
The week culminated in Rathmullen, commemorating the 400th Anniversary of the Flight of the Earls. On the windy waterfront, President Mary McAleese reminded the crowd that while the earls’ departure marked the end of Gaelic Ireland, it also led to the worldwide spread of Irish culture.
On the horizon, a ship waited. Pipes wailed as rowboats carried the symbolic “earls and their families” toward their fate.
Looking Ahead
Sorrow was short-lived. The craic returned that evening at the Gala Ball in Letterkenny’s Radisson Hotel. Addresses were exchanged, conversations continued, and plans were made.
Tim Gallagher called for volunteers to help organize the next clan gathering in Washington, DC, May 23–26, 2008.
Adrian Gallagher shared his vision:
“I’d like to set up a stronger organization — one with a central place to collect and conserve Gallagher heritage.”
And as for the record?
Rumor has it the O’Donnells are mobilizing.
“Good luck to them,” says Adrian.