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O'Neill - meaning 'champion' Variants: Nihill, Neilson, Nelson Motto - The red hand of Ireland. O'Neill is one of the 12 most numerous family names in Ireland and one of the few spelt the same in Irish as it is in English. Septs of the O'Neill Clan are founds today near Bunratty, County Clare, part of the Barony of Thomond, in County Waterford and in the South of County Tipperary. However, the most famous of the O'Neills dwelt in the Province of Ulster and indeed so strong was that sept that the Province has adopted the red hand emblem from the O'Neill coat of arms into its own arms. The legend surrounding this emblem is that two chieftains were racing in boats towards the short to claim the Land of Ulster, having agreed that whoever touched the land first would claim ownership. On seeing that he was about to be beaten, cut off his right hand and flung it ashore. He therefore claimed that he was the first to touch the land, his claim was upheld and he was made Prince of Ulster. The red hand also appears on the arms of other Septs and Clans who owe allegiance to the powerful O'Neills. Donell (Domhnall) O'Neill, born around 943 AD, was the grandson of King Niall of Ireland and was he first to bear O'Neill as a surname. The Northern O'Neills were the chief family of the Cinel Eoghan and their Territory was called Tir Eoghan. In modern times this has been Anglicised into Tyrone. The modern County Tyrone does not cover all the former Territory of the O'Neills, since this contained most of County Derry and even extended into County Donegal. The Southern O'Neills were established in County Meath (Leinster Province) and bordering counties of Ulster Province. The O'Neills were High Kings of Ireland until the time of Biran Boru, who began his reign in 1002. One branch of the family migrated from Tyrone to County Antrim in the 14th Century, where they came to be known as Clann Aodha Bhuides, after Hugh Boy (Aodh Buidhe) O'Neill who was killed in 1283. Hugh means 'fair haired' in Irish and he was the 27th in descent from Niall of Nine Hostages. From this name comes the present territorial name Clannaboy or Clandeboy. The English Lord, Lord Essex, tried very vigorously to exterminate these O'Neills in Easter Ulster, but was unsuccessful in wiping them out. Hugh Boy regained large areas of seized property for his Clan in Eastern Ulster and, despite the persecutions, the name O'Neill still occurs there, as it does also in Western Ulster.