Houses of Taaffe

Profile manager: Leigh Taffe [send private message]

Nicholas Taaffe, by deed dated at Clontarf, A.D. 1284, gave in pure alms to God, the Blessed Mary, and the Knights Templars in Ireland, his lands of Killergy in Ireland, and died 30th October 1288.

He left two sons, John Taaffe, Archbishop of Armagh, and Richard FitzNicholas Taaffe, the High Sheriff of Dublin 1295 and Sheriff of Louth in 1315, afterwards a member of Parliament for Kilkenny.

From Richard have descended diverging Taaffe lines. He was the founder of the Taaffe family of Ballybraggan, Athclare, Ballyneglough, the Viscount Taaffes, the Taaffes of Smarmore, and other branches with the house of Ballybragan being acknowledged as the elder line.