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Honours and Appointments
Honours of the Chiefly House
The Royal Companionate of Carbery
The Royal Companionate of Carbery is a private dynastic honour inspired by the ancient Gaelic institution of the lucht tíghe, or “household of the chief,” the select body of trusted retainers who served as a chief’s personal household and formed the professional nucleus of the larger clan. Unlike the general rising-out, which summoned the wider clan to military service, the lucht tíghe comprised men personally chosen for their loyalty, ability, and devotion to their chief. The selection and maintenance of such a household retinue was an established chiefly prerogative by at least the eleventh century, and its members were frequently rewarded for their service with grants of land, residences, and other privileges.
As an expression of the lucht tíghe, the Royal Companionate is founded upon a prerogative inherent in the hereditary chiefship itself. This prerogative is understood to endure independently of its exercise: when the chiefship falls dormant, the authority to maintain or constitute the chiefly household likewise remains dormant, but is not extinguished. Upon the restoration of the chiefship, the prerogative is revived with it, including the authority to reconstitute the lucht tíghe, notwithstanding any intervening period of vacancy, dormancy, or interregnum. The Royal Companionate thus represents the modern expression of an ancient chiefly prerogative, restored to active exercise alongside the Chiefship of MacCarthy Reagh.
In keeping with this tradition of personal loyalty and distinguished service, the Royal Companionate is today conferred by The MacCarthy Reagh to individuals whose exceptional contributions advance the heritage, dignity, and enduring legacy of the historic Principality of Carbery. It recognises distinguished service in cultural preservation, scholarship, philanthropy, and other endeavours benefiting Carbery, its people, and the wider diaspora. Its motto, Deum timete: regem honorificate — “Fear God; honour the king” (1 Peter 2:17) — reflects the Companionate’s founding ideals of faith, fidelity, and honourable service. Admission is granted solely as a personal honour at the discretion of the Chief and is neither purchased nor obtained through payment of fees.
The Order of Saint Fachtna
The Order of Saint Fachtna is a modern private dynastic and clan order of merit of the House of MacCarthy Reagh. It is not a revival or continuation of a medieval Gaelic order and makes no claim to state recognition or historical continuity with an established order of chivalry. Medieval Gaelic honour was expressed through other institutions - office, fosterage, hospitality, poetic praise, military loyalty, noble status, and honour price - and the Order instead provides a modern means of recognizing exceptional service.
Dedicated to Saint Fachtna of Rosscarbery, the Order connects its purpose with learning, holiness, pastoral care, mercy, and the Christian identity of Carbery. Its aim is to acknowledge those whose work materially advances the restoration, preservation, and cultural patrimony of Carbery and the Chiefly House.
Grades
Cross of Saint Fachtna (CStF)
for meritorious service to the House, Clan, Carbery, Irish heritage, Catholic or charitable work, genealogy, heraldry, cultural preservation, or the purposes of the Order.
Grand Cordon of Saint Fachtna (GCStF)
for distinguished and consequential service of notable importance to the Chiefly House, restoration of the chiefship, preservation of Carbery, or the Order's charitable, cultural, religious, or diplomatic purposes.
Collar of Saint Fachtna (ColStF)
the highest grade, reserved for members of noble, royal, or chiefly families who have rendered exceptional and eminent service.
Heraldry, Symbols, and Identity
The Clan's heraldry and ceremonial symbols express the identity of the Chiefly House and the wider community. The arms of the Chiefly House are not a generic surname logo: as with heraldry generally, an individual coat of arms belongs to the armiger and those entitled to inherit or use it according to the relevant heraldic tradition. Clan members may instead use approved badges, tartan, or other communal symbols designated by the Chiefly House for broader use.
The House uses the motto Fortis, Ferox et Celer - "Strong, Fierce and Swift" - and the traditional war cry Lámh Láidir Abú. The Róisín Dubh, the black rose, also appears in modern insignia. The honorary tartan adopted in 2025 combines green, red, blue, white, black, and gold and is intended as a modern unifying emblem for the global diaspora rather than a claim of historic Irish tartan usage.