FLANNERY CLAN

FLANNERY CLAN - Frequently Asked Questions:

What is a Clan?

At a very basic level a Clan is a group of people who share either common ancestry or a common surname. Traditionally, there are two types of Clan. One type is a group of people with the same surname, but who are not necessarily related to each other. The other type is a group of people who are related to each other, but do not necessarily share the same surname.

Historically, the Clan system was popular amongst the Gaelic-speaking tribes (Irish, Scottish, Welsh and Breton ) and has survived with varying degrees of success to this day. There has been a popular resurgence of Irish interest in the Clans in recent years, to the extent that a government office (the Clans of Ireland Office, or CIO) was established to promote and facilitate Clan formation on a joint heritage / tourism standpoint.

What is the Flannery Clan ?

The Flannery Clan ( Clann Fhlannabhra in Irish) is a collection of people who can claim descent from a Flannery . We are presently in the process of formally registering the Flannery Clan with CIO, and expect to be “official” around Christmas 1998. Current provisional membership is about one hundred souls.

Who Can Join?

Membership is open to everyone of Flannery ancestry; and includes partners, spouses and children. It is firmly understood that there are many spelling variations of the name (especially in the U.S.A. ) and all phonetically similar variations are deemed valid. It does not matter how far back the ancestry occurred, nor does it matter if the name is not your current surname (i.e. maiden names, etc.). It is quite acceptable for people to be members of more than one Clan.

What does the Flannery Clan actually do?

The Flannery Clan organizes cultural activities and events. These may be broadly divided into RESEARCH and RECREATION.

Recreation: The Clan will organize Clan Rallies at frequencies and venues to suit the members. These gatherings will be social outings where people can eat, drink and make merry. They will be the ideal excuse to travel to interesting places and enjoy the company of interesting people. A number of cultural activities will be organized at these gatherings to suit member’s expressed preferences.

Research: The Clan offers assistance to anyone interested in tracing their ancestors by coordinating the efforts of family historians. There are numerous websites detailing genealogical sources – the Clan tells you where to find them. A lot of research has already been done – the Clan helps you avoid re-inventing the wheel by putting you in touch with established trailblazers. Archive records are spread out all over the world – the Clan will give you the benefit of all centralized records, and will put you in touch with members in your areas of interest.

Do I have to pay for membership?

Yes, but just a token. The Flannery Clan is officially registering with the Clans of Ireland Office (CIO) in Dublin . The CIO charges an annual registration fee of £15 ($25) per Clan. This covers a certain amount of publicity and marketing. The CIO recommends that each Clan charges its members an annual subscription of £5 ($8) per adult. This is intended to defray the cost of the CIO fee, membership drives, mailshots, newsletters, newspaper notices, stationery consumable, etc. Whilst we would be very reluctant to decline an application from a prospective member who could not afford the subscription, we will endeavor to follow the advice of CIO and seek £5 ($8) per adult – or £10 ($16) per family – and will gratefully accept any available corporate donations.

What do I get for my money?

Short-term: In tandem with developing an informative website, the Clan will send each member an introductory newsletter and a membership certificate. The newsletter will provide full details of current activities, future aspirations, plans for the inaugural Clan Rally (Dublin 2000) and a list of relevant websites. It will also include extracts from the forthcoming booklet detailing the history of the Flannerys , inviting contributions and debate.

Medium-term: Members will be invited to attend the inaugural Clan Rally (Dublin 2000) at which the Flannery booklet will be launched at cost to members. Subsequent gatherings will be organized for members at various local venues around the world. The website and regular newsletters will keep members up to date on family history research. The Clan will computerize a comprehensive genealogical database to which everyone is welcome to both contribute and consult. The individual family trees shall be correlated.

Long-term: Members will individually make a significant contribution to, and ultimately derive benefit from, the collective fund of family history, which will be available for future generations. In the process, members will be afforded numerous opportunities to attend convivial social gatherings at home and abroad

Where do I go from here?

If you are interested, contact the Flannery Clan Society by phone, fax, email, or post, and ask to join. It’s that simple. Annual subscriptions may be paid by cash, cheque or standing order – made out to The Flannery Clan Society, Account No. 24006050, Allied Irish Bank Limited (sort code 93-10-12), 1 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2, Ireland. We look forward to hearing from you.

Contact           : Lorcán J. O’Flannery
Phone              : +353 1 6763666 (business) or +353 1 4592451 (home) or +353 1 6760310 (fax)
Email               : lmp@iol.ie (business) or l_o_flannery@hotmail.com (home)
Address           : Flannery Clan Society, 81 Woodford Drive , Clondalkin, Dublin 22, Ireland .