Coat Of Arms History

The Red Hand symbol, which is claimed by the O'Neills of Ulster among others, is by right, the "property" of the Magennises, being the senior descendants of Conall Cearnach, who was chief of the Red Branch Knights of Ulster in or around the 1st century A.D.

The symbol is believed to have its source in the legend of an early Magennis who sought the hand of a lady in marriage who also had another suitor. Apparently the lady's father decided that his daughter would be allowed to marry the winner of a race whose route would be decided by him, and which finished on the furthest bank of a large river. Towards the end of the race, the Magennis, despite his best efforts, found himself lagging behind his competitor while crossing the river, and since his prospective father-in-law had stipulated that the winner would be the man whose hand first touched the river bank at the finish, he drew his sword, and cutting off his right hand, flung it with his left one past his rival and onto the bank, thereby ensuring the right to marry the object of his affections.

One can only wonder at the charm and beauty of this lady who inspired such a painful act of self-mutilation, but quite obviously our distant ancestor thought the sacrifice well worthwhile!!

The lion on the coat of arms is believed to be one of three carried on the crest of King Milesius of Spain, whose people colonised Ireland at some stage in the very distant past. It was this wave of colonists who defeated the magical "Tuatha de Danaan", but who allowed them to remain masters of the underground world, while they remained in control of the surface. The Tuatha de Danaan ultimately became known as the "Sidhe" or fairy folk of Irish mythology and folk-tales...) Milesius had three sons, and to each of these he bestowed the right to carry the golden Milesian lion on their own crests. The Magennises are ultimately descended from Heber Donn, one of the three sons mentioned, and his particular lion is described in heraldic terms as a "lion rampant", i.e. in an upright, attacking position, the other two being the lion "passant" and the lion "dormant".

This was shared with me courtesy of fellow genealogist Tony McGuinness.
You can visit Tony McGuinness' website as well.
Make sure to drop him a line when you stop through his site.