Milo de Cogan

• Son of John de Cogan and Gwladys FitzGerald
• Milo de Cogan (died circa 1183) was Strongbow's right-hand man in the Cambro-Norman invasion. He was granted a huge area in Co. Cork by Henry II and the great territorial family was thus founded. Though reinforced by grants to Richard de Cogan in 1207 and still of sufficient importance to be listed among the chief gentry of the barony of Kinelea in 1591, as a family of power it was practically extinct as such by the end of the seventeenth century. Minor branches of it, however, survive up to the present day, usually under the name of Goggin and sometimes Gogan. The original form of the name, de Cogan, derives from Cogan, a parish in Cardiff.
• Milo DeCogan had a son named Richard whose only daughter married Milo de Courcy.

Old Head Castle

Old Head Castle, sometimes also known as De Courcy Castle or Downmacpatrick/Dunmacpatrick Castle, lies south of the town of Kinsale, in County Cork in Ireland.

Old Head Castle is said to have been built by Cearmna, an Irish chieftain, in about the 3rd century, and was then known as Dún Cearmna (Cearmna's fort). The territory was a portion of the lands granted to Milo de Cogan by Henry II. It was inherited by his son Richard, whose only daughter married Milo de Courcy. Her dowry consisted of Old Head Castle, along with Ringrone Castle. Milo de Courcy built new castles at both locations in about 1223. Milo was the grandson of the famous Norman knight Sir John de Courcy.

In 1261 Milo de Courcy defeated and killed Fineen MacCarthy Mór at his Ringrone Castle. A feud between the two families followed, lasting for over 240 years. Through the intervention of the English court, the MacCarthys gained control of Old Head Castle in the late 16th century. Owen MacCarthy took up residence in the castle, while the De Courcys made futile attempts to regain it. Owen handed it over to his nephew Florence, whom the English considered one of the most dangerous men in Munster, and they were forced to act. The English gained control in 1600, just before the Spanish force landed in Kinsale.

Old Head Castle is essentially a long wall with several towers, closing off the peninsula of the Old Head of Kinsale. The peninsula was already used as a promontory fort in pre-Christian times. In front of the wall, a ditch was dug. The strong tower next to the gate would have been the keep of the castle.

At present access to the Old Head of Kinsale peninsula is prohibited as it is the site of an expensive golf course. So the castle can only be viewed from its landward side. It is still an impressive site. Nearby is also a Napoleonic era signal tower: Old Head Signal Tower. The last picture was taken from atop that tower during a more recent visit.

Ringrone Castle

Ringrone Castle lies in a field on a hill, overlooking the river Bandon, south of the town of Kinsale, in County Cork in Ireland.

The territory was a portion of the lands granted to Milo de Cogan by Henry II. It was inherited by his son Richard, whose only daughter married Milo de Courcy. Her dowry consisted of Ringrone Castle, along with Old Head Castle. Milo de Courcy built new castles at both locations in about 1223. Milo was the grandson of the famous Norman knight Sir John de Courcy. Old Head Castle was their baronial residence and Ringrone was occupied by a formidable garrison for the protection of the port of Kinsale and the ferry leading to it.

In the autumn of 1600, Ringrone Castle was held by Spanish forces. The castle was taken by the English during the Battle of Kinsale, after a severe attack with the use of cannons.

At present all that remains of Ringrone Castle is a single wall fragment of a tower, four storeys high, with evidence of vaults over the first and third levels and a doorway at the end of the north wall. A nice ruin but not very spectacular. It is freely accessible. James Fort is nearby.

Goggin Origin

The Goggin name is Celtic in origin and goes back to the parish of Cogan which is in the diocese of Llandaff, in Glamorganshire, Wales.[1] Goggin Surname History and Origin The earliest reference is to Emma de Cogan (possibly mother of Milo, Richard and Geoffrey), c.1138.

The first of the family to arrive in Ireland was the famous Milo de Cogan who came to Ireland as Strongbow's right-hand man in the Anglo-Norman Invasion of 1169. The first arms for de Cogan were "Gules, 3 lozenges, argent" and their geometric design and colours indicate close relationships with the FitzGeralds and de Barrys. Near to Cogan village the de Sumeris (from Sommery near Dieppe) held land. Their proximity to the Norman court at Rouen and the de Cogans being part of the household of the Earl of Gloucester may hint to the same genesis. The Goggin coat of arms derives from that of Milo de Cogan. Goggin is a polygenetic name (more than one origin). Whilst about 50% are lineal descendants of the Norman de Cogans of Glamorganshire the rest would be of another haplotype at least one family are M222 (N.West Irish modal). Recent studies of the families reputed to descend from the Three Colls show that a family of Goggins were possibly MacCalkins who had their name changed owing to poor translations from the Irish language. A result from a DNA study shows that one Goggin family has a 12/12 match with "Norman" or de Cogan DNA.

Links

• https://northoltgrange.wordpress.com/2016/09/04/ringrone-castle/
• https://www.castles.nl/old-head-castle
• https://www.castles.nl/ringrone-castle
• https://deremilitari.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/obrien1.pdf

Sources

• The Ancient and Present State of the County and City of Cork, Volume 1, By Charles Smith - https://books.google.com/books?id=RmANAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA477&lpg=PA477&d...