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This final notice of the convocation of the Ad Hoc Derbhfine for the election on 13 August 2025 for the next Chief of the Name MacCarthy Reagh, and final notice for Chiefly candidates to submit their intent.

 

Whereas...

1. ... the Derbhfine of a clan is identified as the group of descendants of the chief's great-grandfather,

2. ... the Derbhfine of a deceased Chief endures until such time as his Derbhfine elects his Tanist or new Chief (which was typically within the lifetime of the previous Chief so succession was immediate),

3. ... only members of the clan's Derbhfine could elect the new chief or a tanist, 

4. ... the Derbhfine of the last Chief of the Name MacCarthy Reagh (Finghin of Banduff) was never dissolved and never identified a Tanist to succeed him,

 

Therefore, in strict accordance with the Brehon Laws...

 ... the Derbhfine of Finghin of Banduff, which comprises the proven descendants of Donal na Pipi, is the presently constituted MacCarthy Reagh Derbhfine; from whom a succeeding Chief may be chosen, and by whom the Chief may be elected.​

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Participating Families.

These below-mentioned families, being the extant derbhfine, are now, and have been, invited to participate in the election for the Chief of the Name. Each family has been contacted and solicited for candidates to be put forward for election, with the following responses:

  • McCarthy of Toronto – consent and support for the election of a chief has been given, with no candidate put forward,

  • McCarthy of Oak Bluffs – consent and support for the election of a chief has been given, with Sir Evan McCarthy put forward as a candidate,

  • McCarthy of Washington – no response; consent implied de non apparentibus et non existentibus,

  • MacCarthy of Vancouver – consent and support for the election of a chief has been given, with no candidate put forward,

  • MacCarthy of Springhouse – proven agnatic lines are extinct. Springhouse sept remains dormant, with no candidate put forward by the only presumed agnatically descended family.

 

In witness whereof, I, as Chief of The MacAodhagain of Tethbae, Hereditary Brehon of The MacCarthy Clan of Munster, have hereunto set my hand on this the 14th day of June in the year of Our Lord 2025.​​​

We Have Begun Our Ad Hoc Dearbhfhine!
Either complete the form below to submit a nomination, or send applications (a CV and pedigree) to the Organizing Committee at info@maccarthyreagh.org ​

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The Chiefship of the MacCarthy Reagh clan fell into abeyance in 1754 and so the Organizing Committee of the MacCarthy Reagh Clan, together with The O’Sullivan Mór (who has always conferred or withheld the Rod of Kingship as steward of legitimate Chiefship over the Clan MacCarthy) and The MacAodhagain (who’s family served as hereditary Brehon to the Clan MacCarthy), endorses, supports and desires an Ad Hoc Derbhfine for the election of a new Chief of the Name MacCarthy Reagh in order to secure the heritage and future of the MacCarthy Reagh clan.

 

A determination by the most thorough efforts possible has established that the bloodlines descending from the last Chief of the Name, Finghin of Benduff, and Cormac, by his wife Lady Eleanor MacCarthy of Muskerry, are both extinct in the male-line. The next senior lineages then stem from Cormac’s younger brother, Finghin MacCarthy Reagh. The descendants of that said Finghin are found today in the pedigrees published in John O’Hart’s Irish Pedigrees, recorded by the Ulster King of Arms in Genealogical Office Ms. 111f, fol. 125, and folio 21/2023 of the Chronicler of Arms of Castile and Leon.

 

All descendants of the MacCarthy Reagh clan are now formally invited to participate in this historic event — the election of the first Chief in three centuries!   Kinsmen are encouraged to nominate chiefly candidates who are at least 18 years of age, bearing the McCarthy surname, descended in the male-line from The MacCarthy Reagh with proven and certified pedigrees. Nominations will be accepted through 13 July 2025.

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The Kingdom of Desmond Association has published guidance about organizing an Ad Hoc Dearbhfhine (pronounced der-i-fin-uh, [dʲaɾˠəˈvʲɪnʲə]), and as it is the guidance endorsed by The MacCarthy Mór, it is what we have adopted. 

 

1) Identification of Nominees and Participants

In accordance with the Brehon laws and the published guidance of the Kingdom of Desmond Association, all nominees for the Chiefship must:

  • have a claim predicated on agnatic descent (i.e. descent from father to son) from a previous Chief,

  • be a male 18 years of age or older bearing the surname McCarthy (or a variant spelling),

  • be armigerous, or otherwise have a right to Armorial Bearings with a petition for Grant, Matriculation, Confirmation, or Certification of Arms already submitted to their respective Heraldic Authority,

  • be well versed in traditional Gaelic practices and have an understanding of the Gaelic order prior to the end of 17th century,

  • be willing and able assume responsibility for the clan/family,

  • willing and able to undertake projects which support the Clan.

 

Nominees must submit their certified pedigree, a short biography, CV, and Armorial Bearings to the secretary at info@maccarthyreagh.org. These materials will be published on the Clan website to allow participants the opportunity to review each candidate’s qualifications. 

 

Even if not qualified as a nominee, kinsmen are invited as participants in the Ad Hoc Dearbhfhine, but will be required to contact the Organizing Committee at info@maccarthyreagh.org and submit a valid email for each voting member, which will be used for further coordination (namely, for a Zoom invitation and to cast a vote in the election). ​

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2) Election

Due to the vast geographic dispersion of clan members, the election will be held via the secure online election platform, ElectionRunner.com, 13 August 2025, at 12:00am IST and will run through 13 August 2025 at 11:59pm IST. Voting participants will receive an email as soon as the election window opens and will have 24 hours to submit their vote. Each member will have a unique ID which will limit one vote per person and provide anonymity of the voter. 

 

3) Certification

After the election window closes, the votes will be counted by the Secretary and a notice will be made with the results. There will then be a 42 day provisionary period (in accordance with the standard practice of Lord Lyon’s Ad Hoc Dearbhfhines for Scottish clans), during which time challenges to the election can be lodged. After this 42 day period, the elected candidate will assume the role of hereditary Chief of the Name MacCarthy Reagh. 

 

4) The Future

The new chiefly family will be required to select a successor from within the new Dearbhfhine kin group. 

What is an
Ad Hoc Derbhfine?

A Derbhfine (also spelled Derbhfhine) was a kin group in ancient Ireland composed of male relatives who shared a common great-grandfather, and it was from this group that a successor to the Chieftain would have been chosen. As time went on and an increasingly large amount of history and genealogical data was lost, clans also lost sight of who their chiefly family was. Today, where a clan has lost their Chief, they may have recourse to an Ad Hoc Derbhfine, under some conditions, to assemble the whole clan and elect a new family from who the subsequent hereditary chieftains will stem in accordance with the succession laws of tanistry. 

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For more resources, The Ó Catháin wrote a wonderful article about Irish succession and the modern Ad Hoc Derbhfine, now available on the Kingdom of Desmond Website here: Irish Chiefly Succession

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Additionally, the formal guidance from the Court of Lord Lyon about an Ad Hoc Derbhfine can be found on their website under their "Documents" tab.

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