A deed of adoption by the Mac Fhlannchadha (McClancy) brehon family of Tradraighe, County Clare, is translated from Latin. The document provides useful details on the practice of fosterage amongst learned Gaelic families in the late sixteenth century and is reproduced in the appendices to facilitate greater interest in this oft-neglected area of research into Gaelic social organisation. The paper presents historical notes relating to the Síol Fhlannchadha of Tradraighe and evaluates their importance as a learned lineage in Co. Clare.

This article first appeared in Vol. 13 No. 2 (2011) of ‘The Irish Genealogist’. Clare County Library is grateful to Luke McInerney and to The Irish Genealogical Research Society for permission to reproduce this article.


   A Mac Fhlannchadha Fosterage Document, c.1580: Notes on the Síol Fhlannchadha of Tradraighe (PDF)