“D'Arcy Castle” with a Menhir (ancient stone monument) in the foreground. 

The Castle is located in the far West of Ireland in Clifden, Connemara.   I took this picture during a visit to Ireland in about 1994.The castle is situated on the coast, near the mouth of Galway Bay. My mother’s maiden name was D’Arcy. She grew up in the city of Galway.

 The “castle” is not an ancient one. It was built in about 1815 by John D’Arcy (1785-1839) and served as his home. He built the nearby town of Clifden and helped improve the local economy. The castle was abandoned and fell into ruins during the great famine of 1845-1849.  

Irish relatives told me about the castle when I was growing up and I also heard that John D’Arcy is a distant relative of my mother’s family. He inherited his wealth from a relative who also bore the name of D’Arcy. Because of the British “Penal Laws”, he was required to convert to Protestantism before he was eligible to receive his inheritance. He used his wealth to improve the economic conditions of the poverty stricken Irish peasants of Connemara. My mother’s family clung to their Roman Catholic religion despite the disadvantages that went with it under British rule.

The name D’Arcy dates back to the Norman invaders of Ireland. The Normans invaded and conquered Britain in the year 1066. A hundred years later they conquered Ireland. Over time, they intermarried with the native Irish. Many Irish names are of Norman origin. The Normans (Norsemen) were descended from Vikings who invaded northern France and settled there and spoke French. The name D’Arcy is obviously French, but don’t forget the Norse origins.                                                     (Editor: Gerald D'Arcy Klee)

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Photo of the wedding of my brother, Frederick D'Arcy Klee and Ildara Elmore, circa 1951 The flower girl is Carole Bermeo, daughter of my sister Eleanor Klee Bermeo.  Fred is immediately to the left of the bride. I served as best manand I am to the immediate left of Fred.   Gerald D'Arcy Klee 

(Carole Bermeo has been married to Rick Newcombe for many years. They have two grown children, Sarah and Jack D'Arcy Newcombe. On this Labor Day weekend of 2006, Sarah  is having her own wedding.)