John O'Hart
John O'Hart (1824–1902) was an Irish genealogist. He was born in Crossmolina, Co. Mayo, Ireland. Originally he planned to join the Catholic Church but instead spent 2 years as a police officer. He was an Associate in Arts at the Queen's University of Belfast. He worked at the Commissioners of National Education during the years of the Irish Potato Famine. He worked as a genealogist and took an interest in Irish history. He was an Irish nationalist. He died in 1902 in Clontarf near Dublin, at the age of 78.
O'Hart's 800-page The Irish and Anglo-Irish landed gentry (Dublin 1884) was reprinted in 1969, with an introduction by Edward MacLysaght, the first Chief Herald of Ireland. Another work, Irish pedigrees; or, The origin and stem of the Irish nation, first published in 1876, has come out in several subsequent editions.
To complete his genealogies he used the writings of O'Clery, MacFirbis and O'Farrell, along with the Annals of the Four Masters. He used the works of Burke, Collins, Harris, Lodge and Ware to extend his genealogies to the 17th century.
Stem of the Irish Nation
In his Irish Pedigrees, O'Hart presents the legendary origins of the Irish people, from the Biblical Adam and Eve through the kings of ancient Ireland. Irish tradition holds that every Irish person is descended from the king Milesius who migrated from Spain in 500 BC, so O'Hart started each of his genealogies with Adam recording Milesius as his 36th descendant.
From (1) Adam, his son (2) Seth, his son (3) Enos, his son (4) Cainan, his son (5) Mahalaleel, his son (6) Jared, his son (7) Enoch, his son (8) Methuselah, his son (9) Lamech, his son (10) Noah, his son (11) Japhet, his son (12) Magog, his son (13) Baoth "to whom Scythia came has his lot," his son (14) Phoeniusa Farsaidh (Fenius Farsa) King of Scythia, his son (15) Niul (who was a governor in Egypt), his son (16) Gaodhal (Gathelus), his son (17) Asruth, his son (18) Sruth (who fled Egypt to Creta), his son (19) Heber Scut (returned to Scythia), his son (20) Beouman, King of Scythia, his son (21) Ogaman King of Scythia, his son (22) Tait King of Scythia, his son (23) Agnon (who fled Scythia by sea with the majority of his people), his son (24) Lamhfionn (who led his people to Gothia or Getulia, where Carthage was afterwards built), his son (25) Heber Glunfionn King of Gothia, his son (26) Agnan Fionn King of Gothia, his son (27) Febric Glas King of Gothia, his son (28) Nenuall King of Gothia, his son (29) Nuadhad King of Gothia, his son (30) Alladh King of Gothia, his son (31) Arcadh King of Gothia, his son (32) Deag King of Gothia, his son (33) Brath King of Gothia (who left Gothia with a large band of his people and settled in Galicia, Spain), his son (34) Breoghan King of Galicia, Andalusia, Murcia, Castile, and Portugal, his son (35) Bile King of Galicia, Andalusia, Murcia, Castile, and Portugal, and his son (36) Galamh (also known as Milesius of Spain) King of Galicia, Andalusia, Murcia, Castile, and Portugal.
According to O'Hart's account, Milesius had four sons, Heber, Ir, Heremon, and Amergin, who were involved, along with their uncle Ithe, in the invasion of ancient Ireland; Milesius, himself, had died during the planning. Because Amergin died during the invasion, he died without issue. It is from the four other invaders--Heber, Ir, Heremon, and Ithe--that the Irish are alleged to descend. These. according to O'Hart, are the four lines from which all true Irish descend.