Preserving genealogical information is a tradition that can be traced as far back as the very beginnings of mankind.  The Bible very carefully lists the lineages of Abraham, Noah and various other early Patriachs.  Jesus himself has His family pedigree recorded in both Matthew and Luke's Gospels, every forefather from Adam through the likes of Isaac, Judah and David, concluding in His earthly parents, Mary and Joseph.

        Initially the responsibility for passing on these family descents from generation to generation fell on selected "bards" who would learn them by heart and keep them alive orally, only a few prominent genealogies, like the earlier quoted examples, being committed to primitive written records.   Until relatively recently, a similar system was employed with regard to British, including Irish, family history.  No coincidence, as will be seen later.

        John O'Hart, whose own family were descended from the Princes of Tara, was a Fellow of the Royal Historical and Archaelogical Association of Ireland towards the end of the 1800's.  In 1878 he produced a widely acclaimed work entitled "Irish Pedigrees or the Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation" drawing on previously available, reputable sources such as "The Tribes and Customs of the District of Hy-Maine" by the Irish Archaelogical Society, or "The Book of Rights" by the Celtic Society. 

        O'Hart's greatest dependancy, however, was on the "Annals of the Four Masters", particularly the portion that is commonly known as "O'Clery's Irish Genealogies", so called because of the O'Clery family who converted the oral records to written chronicles.  As it happened, this had been just in time to preserve the previous word of mouth method which in Ireland was in its last throws due to the widespread Plantation and subsequent upheaval of the country.

        In O'Hart's publication, copies are fairly rare but still available, the author describes how in the Fourth Century brothers of royal Hermonian descent known as the Three Collas, invaded Ulster with the encouragement and support of the then King of Ireland, Muredach Tireach.  One of the brothers, Colla Uais, had himself briefly reigned over Ireland before being deposed by this Muredach Tireach.

        Assisted by legions of the Firvolgian, or Firbolg tribes of Connaught, they succeeded in conquering the area, at the cost of the life of the youngest, Colla Meann, slain during one of the "Seven Battles of the Three Collas."  They thereby annexed to their territories, a considerable portion of Ulster, prior to Niall of the Nine Hostages installing his Hy-Niall sept.   They were also "credited" with the burning to the ground of the Palace of Emania, or Navan Fort outside Armagh, shortly after their success.

        The Annals state that many noble families in Ulster, Connaught, Meath and Scotland were descended from the Colla Clan.  Colla da Chrioch, the third brother, became the founder of the Kingdom of Orgaill, or Ulster, where the family remained kings until the Twelfth century. 

        It is further noted that the Cassidy family, who along with the Agnews, Alexanders and Boylans were to serve as chiefs of Coole during the ensuing period, stemmed from this Colla da Chrioch, either through one of his three sons, Bochadh, Imchadh or Fiachra, or one of his several daughters.  Clogher, once a great seat of Druidism and, previous to Patrick's founding of Armagh the "Ecclesiastical Metropolis" of Ireland, was designated as the principal residence and headquarters of the Collas and their associated families.

        The simple Culdee system of worship, from which the later Presbyterian church evolved, was the prevalent one at that time and remained so for some considerable number of years, a period during which many worldwide missionary journeys eminated from the shores of Ireland, the "Saints and Scholars" era.  It was not until the year 1172, shortly after our own renowned family member Giolla Mochuda Mor Ó Caisidi compiled his Gaelic poetry, and a full five centuries later than a similar amalgamation in England, that Irish and Roman churches aligned themselves together when the combined influence of Henry II and the then current Pope procurred a Council of Irish clergy to be held at Cashel, which prevailed in favour of Rome.

        After this pivotal year of 1172, in line with the general trend throughout the country, the majority of the Cassidy Clan accepted the mantle of Roman Catholicism and it was during the period from then until the Penal Laws that many individual family members flourished within its ranks, as is well documented.  The minority that rejected Rome largely fell into the obscurity that the Culdee Church itself was to experience.

        Interesting as it is to rewind Cassidy family history to these Collas, it is also possible however, to step back much further in time through these three brothers, albeit on a less specific basis.  O'Hart, from the Annals, confirms Queen Victoria's one hundred and thirty six generation lineal descent through Kings of England to James 1, of Scotland to Fergus Mor Mac Earca the founder of the Monarcy there, of Ireland and rulers like Conn of the One Hundred Battles, indeed far beyond these "locals" to include forefathers who led their peoples in long tribal migration to these islands from their Middle East origins.

        An origin and migratory path, the latter at differing intervals, that is shown to have been shared collectively between the "diverse" British inhabitants - Anglo-Saxons, Celts, Danes and so on - as opposed to the notion that all came from completely different roots and cultures.   Along this pedigree to Queen Victoria and consequently to the present Royal family, sits Heremon from whom the Collas and therefore the Cassidy Clan were descended.  He was a son of Milesius, who arrived in our shores from Spain to become second Monarch of Ireland lending his name to that tribe of early settlers, the Milesians.

        Milesius in turn could himself claim an illustrious ancestory including, amongst many other notables, Heber Scott the man many historians consider to have been the leader whom the Hibernians or Scots or both were named after, and Gaodhal (or Gathelus) who originated the Clan-na-Gael.  The great antiquity of the Gaelic language, now widely thought by many experts to have been man's primeval one from which all others have evolved or are based on, is attested to with the listing, two generations prior to Gaodhal, of Fenius Farsa the "Inventor of Letters."

        The line progresses to take in a who's who of Biblical characters - Noah, Methuselah, Enoch, Seth, to name but a few - before culminating with Adam himself, the ultimate family tree.