The McGillycuddy of the Reeks is the hereditary Chief of the Name of McGillycuddy, a family originating around MacGillycuddy's Reeks, a range of mountains (reeks) in County Kerry in Ireland.

Origins of the title

The Annals of the Four Masters records in AD 234 the death of Prince Oilill Olum, King of Munster, the 43rd direct descendant of Milidh, or Milesius, who died in 1284 BC. Thus in legend and in history, the line of the most distinguished families of Munster traces back over 3,300 years. The McGillycuddys were a cadet sept of the O'Sullivans who about 1600 adopted the surname Mac Giolla Chuda, in recognition of their devotion to St Mochua. A seventh-century O'Sullivan Mór sent his trusted son, Mac Giolla, to be educated under the tutelage of Saint Mochuda at Lismore. He hence became known as O'Sullivan Mac Giolla Mochuda. The name was anglicised into McGillycuddy. During the 19th century the McGillycuddy estate consisted of about 15,000 acres in Co. Kerry. The estate would eventually be handed over to its tenants after the passing of the 1923 land act.

Recent chiefs