Hanrahan

Hanrahan

Origin of the Hanrahan surname

Hanrahan is an Irish surname that is most common in the area of the Shannon Estuary (counties Kerry, Limerick, Clare and nearby Galway). The name originates from Anradhán, diminutive of the Old Irish word "ánradh", which translates as "warrior".

Spelling variations include: Handrahan, Hanraghan, Henrehan, Hannigan and many, many more!

Earliest known Hanrahan people

The name was originally spelled "hAnnracháin" and initially used in the Irish province of Leinster, where local nobles and kings with the name ruled. Eochaidh, King of Leinster, an early monarch who fled to Scotland in exile in 540, was the first ruler to bear the surname.

More recent examples of the surname recording include the baptism of Thady Hanrahan, the son of John Hanrahan,  at St Michans church, Dublin, on August 24th 1682, and later that of Daniel Hourihane at Drimoleague, County Cork, on December 5th 1682.

Hanrahan migration to Australia

Patrick Hanrahan arrived in Australia as an eighteen year old convict in 1802 aboard Atlas. Nothing is known about his childhood or his antecedents. He had been tried at Loughrea (Galway) on 25 March 1801 and sentenced to transportation for life.

Two ships called Atlas arrived in Sydney during 1802. The first, known as Atlas 1 arrived on 6 July and the second, Atlas 2, arrived on 30 October. The first was full of Irish rebels from the 1798 uprising and was a hell-ship on which an inordinate number of convicts died, some whilst being carried between the ship and the hospital in Sydney. The avaricious captain, Richard Brooks, was tried and he would have hanged if not for a legal technicality. He later returned to NSW and became a magistrate! There was no loss of life on Atlas 2.

It is not clear whether Patrick was transported to Australia on Atlas 1 or Atlas 2. When Patrick's Conditional Pardon was granted on 5 June 1815, his ship was recorded as Atlas 1, the 1798 rebel's hell-ship. He is known to have maintained close ties with the Irish community in NSW throughout his life and was a very loyal Catholic.

Notable Hanrahan ancestors

Click on the name of any of the notable ancestors listed below to read a short biography that I have written about them.

• Biography: Patrick Hanrahan (1784-1858)
• Biography: Mary Ann Hanrahan (1828-1907)

Hanrahan family memorials

For centuries families have created memorials to honour their forebears, including headstones, church monuments, memorial cards, obituaries and much more. This website is, in a way, just another innovation in this regard. Each of the links below takes you to a memorial page that is dedicated to that particular deceased ancestor.

• Mary Ann Hanrahan 1828-1907 – and her husband John Kessey 1836-1902
• Patrick Hanrahan 1784-1858 and Catherine Hogan 1807-1865

Hanrahan clan

The Hanrahan clan descends from Patrick Hanrahan.

• Legend:
• Subject
• Daughter
• Son
• Unknown Gender
• Spouse
• Duplicate

• Legend:
• Subject
• Daughter
• Son
• Unknown Gender
• Spouse
• Duplicate