The Clan/Sept History

The name MacGarry has changed considerably in the time that has passed since its
genesis. It originally appeared in Gaelic as Mag Fhearadhaigh, derived from the
word "fearadhach," possibly meaning "manly."

The illiterate population found in Ireland during the Middle Ages could only
define their names orally. The archives that survive today demonstrate the
difficulty experienced by the scribes of this period in their attempts to record
these names in writing. Spelling variations of the name MacGarry dating from
that time include Garry, Garrihy, Hare, O'Hare, O'Heihir, MacGarry and others.
First found in county Connacht, where they held a family seat from ancient
times.
A massive wave of Irish immigrants hit North America during the 19th century.
Although many early Irish immigrants made a carefully planned decision to leave
left Ireland for the promise of free land, by the 1840s immigrants were fleeing
a famine stricken land in desperation. The condition of Ireland during the Great
Potato Famine of the late 1840s can be attributed to a rapidly expanding
population and English imperial policies. Those Irish Families that arrived in
North America were essential to its rapid social, industial, and economic
development. Passenger and immigration lists have revealed a number of early
Irish immigrants bearing the name MacGarry: Henry Garry who settled in Virginia
in 1635; Claud Garry, who settled with his wife in Virginia in 1714; Barbason
O'Hare, who arrived in Boston in 1770.

Motto Translated: Here is a good rough man.