About the Family Crest

I've had a few friends -- okay, just one -- ask me about the 'shield' at the top of this page. It's the O'Halloran family crest.

The name 'Halloran' in original Gaelic means something close to "stranger from afar", or sometimes more darkly, "pirate." It could hint that the first 'Halloran' in Irish history was someone from another country (Spain, perhaps?) who emigrated to Ireland, and the Gaelic locals called him "stranger." And the Gaelic name stuck. Thus, the O'Halloran family crest prominently features a horse on it (denoting a traveler) sometimes saddled, sometimes not. Plus three blue doves are featured on it (I've also sometimes seen it as three blue stars). The color red on the crest is derived from the host clan into which the Hallorans assimilated (Feargaill).

I have never been able to find a reliable online source to any of the above information, as most of the 'family crest' websites out there are designed primarily to sell keychains and coffee mugs, rather than being historically accurate. But if anyone knows a good reliable source, I'm all ears!