Breslin Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Breslin Family History

Breslin Family History

The Breslin ancient family history was found in the irishsurnames.com archives. The Irish name Breslin originated in Counties Donegal, Fermanagh and Sligo in the north-western part of Ireland. The Gaelic form of the name is O'Breaslain which was anglicized as Breslin, Breaslain and Breslane. This sept possessed territory in the district of the barony of Kilmacrenan called Fanad.

A sept or clan is a collective term describing a group of persons whose immediate ancestors bore a common surname and inhabited the same territory. It is also the case that many Irish septs or clans that are related often belong to a larger groups, sometimes called tribes. For example the 'Tribes of Galway' consisted of fourteen distinct families. The 'Tribes of Kilkenny' were ten families, etc.

They were one of the principal Brehon families of Ireland and were powerful Chiefs of Fanad up to the fourteenth century but their mastery was partly broken by the MacSweenys. The sept survived though and is still well represented in Donegal in modern times. In the sixteenth century some of the leading Breslin families migrated to County Fermanagh where they pursued their profession as Brehons under the MacGuires. The other smaller sept of the name were a branch of the Hy Fiachrach whose territory lay in Killanley, County Sligo. The Breslin family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Breslin descendants.