Conroy

Conroy — Ó Conraoi — is a significant Connacht surname, concentrated in Roscommon and east Galway. The name means hound of the plain and the family was associated with the O'Conor kings of Connacht.

Origins and History

Conroy — Ó Conraoi in Gaelic — is primarily a Connacht surname, concentrated in Counties Roscommon, east Galway, and south Mayo. The name means hound of the plain — con being the Irish for hound (appearing in many Irish names) and raoi meaning plain or field. The Ó Conraoi were historically connected to the Uí Briúin Aí, one of the royal families of Connacht, and the surname appears in early Irish genealogical records as a family of some standing in the Roscommon area.

A separate Mac Conraoi family existed in Clare, and there is also a Munster presence that may represent a distinct family of the same name. As with many Irish surnames, the question of single or multiple origins is unresolved.

The O'Conor connection

The Conroys of Roscommon were historically associated with the O'Conor kings — the Connacht royal family who provided the last High Kings of Ireland. The Conroys appear as part of the network of families dependent on or connected to the O'Conor dynasty, which is why the name clusters in the same geographic area as the O'Conor heartland around Roscommon town and Clonalis.

Famine emigration

Roscommon was one of the worst-affected counties in the Famine. The county's population fell by more than a third between 1841 and 1851. Conroy families emigrated in large numbers, principally to New York and the industrial cities of England. Griffith's Valuation shows Conroy most densely distributed in the Roscommon and Castlerea registration districts.

In the Diaspora

In the United States, Pat Conroy — the American novelist, author of The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini — is the best-known bearer of the name. His family's Irish roots trace to the Connacht emigration. The name is found across Irish-American communities in New York, Boston, and Chicago.

In Australia, Conroy appears in colonial records particularly in Victoria and Queensland, following the Connacht emigration route via Liverpool. In Canada, the name is found in Ontario and the Maritime provinces.

Notable Conroys

• Pat Conroy — American novelist — The Prince of Tides, The Great Santini — of Irish-Connacht descent
• William Conroy — 19th-century Irish-American politician, New York State Senate
• Sr. Helena Conroy — 19th-century Irish-born missionary to the American West