mayors of their cities. The O'Neills of Martinique settled in the early 1700s; in the next century, they claimed to be Count of Tyrone and lineally descended from Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone. This claim (which rested on a single-sentence document in their own possession) is currently regarded as unproven. The main stem of this family is now extinct in the male line; collateral descendants may exist. Today Today the ancient O'Neills flourish in Ireland, Europe, and the New World. Clan organizations and meetings are held regularly, and the family organization is recognized by every Irish historical governing body. The O'Neills are represented, and are the current presidents of, the Standing Council of Irish Chiefs and Chieftains. They are members of the Clans of Ireland, and hold status with the Councils of each County in Ulster. And before the Government of Ireland stopped recognizing chiefs, they were one of the original chiefly families recognized in 1945 by the Chief Herald of Ireland. They still maintain good relations with the government in Dublin and have hosted the President of Ireland in Ulster twice. Most recently the parliament in Dublin reversed the legal attainments against O'Neill chiefs dating back to 1569. Three of the ancient O'Neill dynasties or principalities, are still represented by direct descendants of the once independent kings, the O'Neills of Clannaboy, the Fews, and the McShane O'Neills of Tyrone. The chiefships pass under the elective derbfine system of Irish Brehon law, but many incumbents were also granted further titles that are inherited under primogeniture by various Roman Catholic kingdoms in Europe and by the British crown who today possess and use titles in Ireland, Spain, France, Scotland, Portugal, England, Australia, South Africa and the Americas. Further, O'Neills hold five existing House of Lords Peerages in Ulster, Scotland, and England. Overseas branches flourish, such as in South Africa where descendants are referred to as Nels, mainly due to the influence of the Afrikaner people of the country. The family maintains a loose confederation with its sept princes and chiefs centered in Ireland, meeting annually. This chief's group met in 2007 to commemorate and retrace the Flight of the Earls, in 2010 outside Paris to announce a new, global clan organization that has the goal of constructing an O'Neill museum in Ulster as a central repository for all the family artifacts spread across the world. In 2013 they established a historical