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Forrestal History - Resource Dedicated to the Forstall or Forrestal Lineages of Ireland

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The Forstall or Forrestal Surname in Ireland

Forstall or Forrestal History

The Forrestal Irish Coat of Arms

The history of the Forstall or Forrestal family of Ireland, as far as it can confidently be traced, begins in the 13th century. The spelling of the name in written records up until the mid 18th century was most commonly given as Forstall, but there were of course variations to this.

What can be inferred from the available records shows that the Forstall family has never been numerous, except for in the counties of Kilkenny and Wexford, and by the turn of the 19th century many variations to the spelling of the name were created. This was ultimately due to the use of Irish and English speakers writing the name how it sounded to them without having a previous written reference. The original ‘fforstall,’ ‘Forstall,’ or ‘Forrestal’ spelling was presumably a surname that developed from the English language. The pronunciation thereafter became Gaelicized over centuries of use in Ireland which was in line with the Hibernicization of Norman septs. The surname pronounced as “Fuireastal” or “Furristhawl’ in turn, then became Anglicized by English and Irish record keepers, to arrive at various versions like Forrestel, Furestal, Forrestell, Furrestel, Forristell, Forrestill, etc, so when the surname is pronounced we are revealing the roots of the family’s deep past in a turbulent Ireland, where early Hiberno-Norman surnames became Gaelicized and then Anglicized back again in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. This is why we find so many confusing and differentiating variations of the surname that have taken so many forms through the last few hundred years, which include, and are certainly not limited to: Forstall, Forrestal, Forristal, Forstal, Forestel, Furestal, Furestill, Forrestal, de Forrestal, Forrestall, Forstall, Forestal, Forestall, Ó Fuireastal (Irish), Mac an Choill (In County Mayo), Mac Coillte, etc.

The last 100 years have brought a more standardized use of the name with Forstall, Forrestal and Forristal becoming the most widely known spellings, but all of these variations are referring to the same family.

New Book Available May 2025

The Lion, the Pheon, and the Red-handed Succession of St. Mullins (1511-1852) traces the lineage and legacy of the descendants of Diarmuid Lámhdearg Kavanagh, whose progeny held nearly the entire parish of St. Mullins as their patrimonial inheritance. Spanning from late-medieval Ireland into the mid-19th century, the book explores an intricate web of kinship and influence extending from the southeast of Ireland to France, Spain, and the Holy Roman Empire.

Over 1,700 individuals are mentioned in this scholarly study. Drawing on hundreds of registered deeds, baptismal records, genealogical manuscripts, and other primary sources, the work presents the most thorough and detailed account to date of the progeny of Diarmuid Lámhdearg and their extensive kinship network. Special emphasis is placed on the Forstall family and their collateral connections within the ancestral lineage

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With a richly furnished appendix of interpretive essays, The Lion, the Pheon, and the Red-Handed Succession of St. Mullins offers a profound inquiry into the arc of a Gaelic lineage that spanned from Carlow, Kilkenny, and Wexford to the courts of Europe.

The following families are treated in considerable detail: Kavanagh of St. Mullins, Ballyleigh, Borris, and Carrigduff; Forstall or Forrestal of Ringville, Kilferagh, and New Ross; and Houghton of Ballyanne and New Ross.

Additional mention is given to: Fogarty of Drummin and Ballynabanoge; Butler of the Rower; Kehoe or Mac Eochaidh of Ballyleigh, Marley, and Nash Castle; Jordan of Wexford and Carlow; Lawlor of Knockmore, Mullennagaun, and Mohullen; and Ryan of Curraun.