11.29.2014 07:32 AM

Kinsella krest kicks

That’s a weird alliteration, I know, but I’m pooped.  You get what you pay for, etc. etc.

Anyway: my gal Lala is back from Ireland! Very, very happy about that.  And she brought me back various Celtic cadeaux (there I go again), among them this Kinsella family crest, plus accompanying history.

She bought it in Dublin, she told me, and only spotted the bit at the bottom afterwards.  Check it out: I’m heretofore a notable Kinsella! My billable rate is going way up, now!

KinsellaKrest

12 Comments

  1. W the K - No, not Warren says:

    There was a time in this town when it would have dropped your rate to “will work for victuals.”

  2. Lance says:

    Heh, was in Dublin myself just this October for two weeks. I could live in the Temple Bar, *sigh*.

  3. VC says:

    I think the motto is particularly apt, given your line of business. It’s the kind of line that you could throw out there at cocktail parties as an ice-breaker, as in, “So, uh, Warren, what line of work are you in, what do you do for a living?” “I overcome difficulties.” It’s got that air of mystery, something like a ‘fixer’ (without the unlawful undertone, of course).

  4. Zandoz says:

    I thought “Kinsella” was Lithuanian or Estonian or even Latvian…. and now we find out it’s Irish!!!

    Now if you went back to your roots you should spell your name “Kinsellagh” and we wouldn’t mistake you for anything but an Irish potato…..

  5. Craig McKie says:

    Always wise to remember the fact that surnames did not exist until the Norman invasion and the instigation of universal tax rolls in the 1100s in England, much later in other parts.

    But, for what its worth: http://www.kinsella.org/history/eanna.htm

    According to ancient Irish manuscripts, the name Cinnsealach (later anglicized to Kinsella) first came into being in the year 365 AD. The occasion was a battle between the King of Tara, Eochaidh Muighmheadhon, and Eanna, King of Leinster.

    The battle was fought at a place called Croghan Hill and was decisively won by King Eanna. Near the end of the battle, Eochaidh Muighmheadhon’s druid, Ceadnathach, was taken prisoner and brought to Eanna who was standing on the Hill amidst the dissipating battle. Upon seeing Eanna, the druid said, “Thou wouldst never conquer from this hill on which I am, if I were to live.” Upon this Eanna transfixed him with his spear; and, as the spear pierced his body, a laugh broke forth from Eanna. “Alas,” said the druid, “that is a foul laugh, and it is this that will be given as a name to thy posterity after thee for ever”.

    Based on this account, Cinnsealach means foul laugh. Other versions exist however:

    Cinn means head, point, chieftain, commander and selach means unclean, vile. So one version of Cinnsealach is unclean head.
    Another version, and one you could believe the druid would have uttered, is vile chieftain.
    One favored by an Irish family in Ireland is crest of a wave as the Gaelic word for sea or salt water is saile.
    Finally, according to a Gaelic dictionary, Cinnsealach means authoritative.

    Eanna Cinnsealach was powerful in his time, as may be seen from the poem composed by Dubhthach son of O Lughair, who was chief ollamh (poet) of Ireland when Patrick came to preach the Gospel. A battle fought by the Leinstermen is the beginning of that poem but I shall here quote only these two stanzas of it, from which it may be inferred that Eanna was powerful in his time:

    The tribute which was given to Eanna,
    From Leath Cuinn of the feasts,
    Was a screaball from each house,
    All of fionndruine

    The tribute which was given to Eanna,
    From Mumha with insults
    Was an ounce of gold from each lios
    In the ensuing year.

    The clan composed of Eanna’s direct descendants became known as Ui Cinnsealach (Hy Kinsella in modern times). From the 4th century until the Norman invasion in the 12th century they ruled over a large area of south eastern Ireland composed of Co.Wexford, Carlow, and parts of Kildare and Kilkenny.

  6. James Smith says:

    Not to be a Kill Joy but…

    There is no such thing as a Coat of Arms for a Family name.

    The term CREST is part of the ACHIEVEMENT of ARMS or COAT OF ARMS and refers to the Helmet that rests on the Crest of the Shield of the coat of arms. The term Crest for Coat of Arms is likely due to those who have the RIGHT to ARMS who will sometimes wear the Crest of the family’s Arms on the pocket of a Blazer.

    Arms are unique to a family who applies to have a patent of arms granted, and these Arms are pasted from father to son. While both are living, the son may display the family’s arms, but they must be Differenced, the same goes for other heirs, who must Difference the Arms further. There are rules and conventions.

    Despite the sale of these so-called FAMILY COATS OF ARMS there is no such thing. Each Coat of Arms must be granted by a Heraldic Authority. Until PM Mulroney, Canadian institutions and Canadians who wanted a legitimate Coat of Arms had to apply to the Royal Herald at the College of Arms in London England, or Lord Lyon, King of Arms in Scotland, The Ulster King of Arms, the Chief Herald of the Irish Free State or other organization where one could make the case to grant Arms & pay for Patent of Arms to be created.

    Canada has been granting Patents of Arm since the 1980’s through the Canadian Heraldic Authority and as long as you can pay, and can wait for the process, they will provide you with you’re own coat of Arms. So you can get your own coat of arms, & it could be cool, I’m sure they’d allow a base guitar to be illustrated, but there are rules.

    There may be a family named Kinsella who have/had this motif you’ve displayed, as their family’s arms, and you may be the rightful heir. I do suspect your nice looking presentation, may just be that, nice to look at and you will have no more right to these arms than I do to borrow some of the art from your wall.

    As one who’s mostly of Irish decent, I do wish the Irish had the same kind of Clan Structure as the Scotts. Scotland does have a tradition that members of a Clan may wear a badge with the Crest from the Clan Chief’s Coat of Arms. This Crest is usually surrounded by a belt & buckle that often has the Clans Motto; “Touch not the Cat!” for example. (They are Scotts don’f forget.) I do however own a very, very small piece of property in Scotland, so I can legally call myself a Scottish Laird.

    I remain, your obedient servant,

    The Much Honoured,
    James Smith the Elder,
    Laird of Glencoe

  7. Brammer says:

    “…surnames did not exist until…the 1100s…”

    As Johnny Carson used to say, “I did not know that!”

    Thanks for sharing.

  8. Dennis says:

    Admit it – you are over-the-moon because they list you as a musician!!

  9. Marc-Andre Chiasson says:

    Feisty bunch, those Kinsellas. He did a lot for human rights including pursuit of the Malcolm Ross antisemitism case. Big shoes to fill as Senate Speaker. http://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/politics/senate-speaker-drops-neutral-referee-role-in-directly-challenging-tom-mulcair-1.1575098

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