Peter Foley

The surname of FOLEY was derived from the gaelic O'FOGLADHA - meaning plunderer. The surname Foley derives from O Foghladha, the name of a sept which originated in County Waterford. Foley now ranks among the hundred commonest surnames in Ireland but its distributions is very noticeably heaviest in Munster. Ireland was one of the earliest countries to evolve a system of hereditary surnames: they came into being fairly generally in the 11th Century, and indeed a few were formed before the year 1000. When the sparse Irish population began to increase it became necessary to broaden the base of personal identification by moving from single names to a more definite nomenclature. The prefix MAC was given to the father's christian name, or O to that of a grandfather or even earlier ancestor. At first the coat of arms was a practical matter which served a function on the battlefield and in tournaments. With his helmet covering his face and armour encasing the knight from head to foot, the only