church. Political acumen, however, was not their strong suit. The Geoghegan leaders, along with many more native landholders were mostly headed for exile and Connaught (where some of them reverted to their patronymic surname of O'Neill). The Geoghegan family had led a group of local Gaelic chieftains in a notable and powerful long term alliance. The 'Irish of Meath' included the O'Melaghlin (McLaughlin), O'Maolmhuidhe (Molloy), Kearney, Fox, Dalton and Brennan families. These native septs all suffered heavy property confiscation after the Confederate / Commonwealth Wars. They are prominent in the Annals of Clonmacnoise, a notable collection of historical records. Many families received offers of Surrender and Regrant deals after the Restoration, but some families rejected the terms. Recalcitrants were reluctant to adhere to the terms of oaths of fealty required. The Annals collection was translated from the original Irish into Elizabethan English by Conall Geoghegan, a 16th-century Franciscan friar. The Abbé James Mac Geoghegan, born in nearby Uisneach, wrote his celebrated Mac Geoghegan's History of Ireland at Chartres in France in the 18th century. This history became Eamon De Valera's desk companion for his political life. The surrounding territories were held by the Tyrrells of Fartullagh, the Dillon's of Drumrany (which lay to the west between Moate and Athlone). The Nugents of Delvin, later Lords Delvin and Marquess of Westmeath and the Tuites of Sonagh were to the east. Sport Hurling is one of the most popular sports locally. Castletown Geoghegan GAA club, the local Gaelic Athletic Association club, plays at Páirc Mhic Eochagain (MacGeoghean Park). Hurling was introduced to the village by a Kilkenny railway employee, with the club adopting a black and amber striped kit. The club has won 14 Westmeath Senior Hurling Championship titles. The club's crest depicts the ruins of a castle on the shores of Lough Ennel with a rising sun in the background. The 1946 Epsom Derby winner, Airborne was bred near the village in 1943. See also List of towns and villages in Ireland Dermot Farrell George Boyd-Rochfort, VC, is buried in Castletown Old Churchyard Alan Mangan, Gaelic footballer, is from Castletown Geoghegan References External links Geoghegan Clan Niall of the Nine Hostages Towns and villages in County Westmeath