Rallying to celebrate Co Longford's Farrell Clan

This year, the Farrell Clan celebrates the Silver Jubilee of the first clan reunion in 1993 and it promises to be the biggest and best clan Rally to date.

Already the rally has received bookings from Argentina, Mexico, Malta, USA, Canada and Great Britain.

On launch night, Cathaoirleach of Longford Municipal District, Cllr Mae Sexton carried out the official duties and she alluded to the strong, and indeed, very historical connections the Farrell Clan holds across the globe.

She also raised a smile when she spoke about the Clan’s famous son, actor Will Ferrell who wore the Longford jersey with pride when he made a guest appearance on RTE’s the Late, Late Show last year.

“This is a wonderful occasion,” added Cllr Sexton, before pointing to the huge contribution the Farrell Clan has made across the world.

“And we also welcome the Farrells from our neighbouring counties of Leitrim, Roscommon, Westmeath and Cavan.”

Meanwhile, the Farrell Clan’s history goes back to the ancient Farrell territory of Annaly that covered part of all the above counties.

To this day many Farrells still reside in these areas and their historic presence is much talked about.

It is also interesting to note that the inaugural Farrell Clan Rally was held in 1993 at the instigation of two Roscommon based women, Mary Kelly (Killashee) and Margaret Dockery (Carlow).

Subsequent rallies were held in 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 and in 2013 as part of The Gathering celebrations.

The Clan also participated in the Battle of Clontarf Millennium in 2014.
Farrell Rallies have also taken place in Canada and Mexico and in 1995 a delegation from Longford, led by Chieftain Conal, travelled to Mexico city where Conal laid the foundation stone for a Farrell Castle.

“Over the past 25 years more than 1,000 Farrell visitors have come to Longford making a significant contribution to the local economy,” said Robert Farrell.

“Social media, and the recent interest in, and advances in DNA testing, have generated a greater interest in the overseas diaspora.”
“We would love to see more people becoming involved with The Farrell Clan.”

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Launch of 8th International Farrell Clan Rally in Longford Arms Hotel

Synonymous with the Farrell Clan, the late Jimmy Farrell introduced much of Longford to phone network