Goligher

This is a variant anglicized spelling of the ancient O'Gallehobhair, now normally found as Gallagher, the clan being descended from the King of Ireland 642 - 654 A.D.. It is a claim of the Clan that they are the most senior and loyal of the Clans of Donegal, their territories once including the Baronies of Raphoe and Tirhugh, and their chiefs being the hereditary Marshalls of the O' Donnell armies from the 14th Century to the 16th Centuries. The variant Goligher or Golligher seems to have developed at the time of the Great Famine (1845 - 1847)., Anne Golligher being baptised at Annacotty, Limerick on June 30th 1868. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Goligher. which was dated 1863, Married Mary Weir in Londonderry, on December 8th. during the reign of Queen Victoria, "the Great White Queen", 1837 - 1901. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.