General Notes

In Irish Bran means impetuous as a mountain torrent; Finn is fair-haired.
Bran was the 42nd Christian King of Leinster, a quo o"Brain, anglicized
O'Byrne, Byrne, Byron, Brain, etc...

Even in the annals of Ireland, it would be hard to find a nobler record than
the O'Byrnes of Wicklow. Through a long line of warriors and chieftains, they
were eminently distinguished for devotion to the sacred cause of Faith and
Country. High-souled in their patriotism, fearless and fierce in the defense
of their Nation's rights, proud of their race, and intensely attached to the
mountain crags and exquisitely picturesque glens of their ancient patrimony,
they, during centuries of wrong, persecution, plunder and perfidity, held
their ground invincibly and fought against their ruthless oppressors with
courage indomitable and fortitude heroic. Their motto "Certavi et vici" was
truly appropriate. The love of freedom "bequeathed from bleeding sire to son..
." burned so fiercely in their hearts, that it can scarcely be considered an
exaggeration to say, they contended for four hundred years unconquered. It
was almost as natural for them to fight as ti was to breathe, and in a sense,
as necessary. Because they were perpetually assailed, and every element of
force and every base subterfuge, that fiendish minds could conceive, were made
available to ruin and annihilate them, by nature dauntless and combative, yet
merciful and humane [and by the treachery of perfidious enemies obliged to be
ever watchful], it may be believed that they almost slept with their
battle-axes grasped, at all times ready to spring at the foe, repel
aggression, aid their kinsmen, and jealously guard their stronghold, wooded
hills and crystal-watered valleys of the beauteous region which they ruled and
loved.
Not only do they figure prominently in the pages of Irish history, but their
deeds and exploits have furnished touching themes for song and story. Threat
and overture, they spurned with equal contempt; and to their eternal honor it
is stated that there was never "a king's or a queen's O'Bryne" and that they
were the very last of the Irish clans to yield to the demonic Saxons. Arms:
GU a chevron between three dexter hands couped at the wrist ar. Crest: A
mermaid with comb and mirror, all ppr. Motto: Certavi et vici.