O’Doherty ~ Ó Dochartaigh

The Story of the O’Doherty Name

O’Doherty is the anglicized form of the Irish Ó Dochartaigh, meaning “descendant of Dochartach.” The personal name Dochartach comes from dochar, meaning “harm” or “disadvantage,” and was traditionally understood as describing someone difficult to overcome or obstruct.

The O’Dohertys became one of the principal Gaelic families of Inishowen in County Donegal, occupying the northernmost peninsula of Ireland—a landscape of mountains, sea, and rugged Atlantic coast. For centuries, their story was closely tied to the history of Gaelic Ulster.

One of the most famous members of the family was Sir Cahir O’Doherty, the young lord of Inishowen who led a rebellion against English rule in 1608. His defeat brought an end to the O’Doherty lordship and came only a year after the Flight of the Earls, marking another turning point in the passing of the old Gaelic order.

Behind the name O’Doherty lies the memory of a powerful Donegal family and a landscape at the edge of Ireland. Its story reaches back through generations of Gaelic history to one of the final chapters of the old world of Ulster.