Controversy
On June 20, 1999, The Sunday Times in Dublin published an article questioning both the facts of MacCarthy's particular application of tanistry, and the verity of his descent from former chiefs of the MacCarthy clan. Various public statements on both sides were released over the next few months. MacCarthy's critics alleged that he was an impostor who misused his genealogical skills to fraudulently claim the title, then exploited it for personal financial gain and aggrandisement. His supporters countered that he was an excellent organiser who delivered on every promise made to clan associations. They argued that a culturally inappropriate and impossibly stringent standard was applied to MacCarthy's pedigree. They also claimed that MacCarthy was being singled out because of jealousy of his success, and possibly due to his political and religious views. Investigation of the case was rendered more difficult due to the refusal of the Genealogical Office to release all documents relating to the 1992 courtesy recognition. The Irish Freedom of Information Act of 1997 does not apply retrospectively, but documents relating to the case from April 1998 onwards were released. Sean Murphy, a County Wicklow genealogist, has published online accounts of the MacCarthy Mór case and a full-length book also. It is now clear that Terence MacCarthy's claim to be the MacCarthy Mór was based on fabricated documentation, and rather than being aristocrats of Munster origin, his ancestors were ordinary Belfast working people.
On a practical level, the issue was settled by two events. In August 1999, the Irish Genealogical Office nullified its previous recognition of Terence MacCarthy as the MacCarthy Mór. On October 9, 1999, after losing the support of the Niadh Nask, Terence MacCarthy abdicated the title, which his younger brother, Conor, then claimed. Barry Trant MacCarthy, a resident of England, applied for recognition the title, but the Genealogical Office never made a decision on the matter. In 2003 the government discontinued the practice of granting courtesy recognition to Chiefs of the Name.
Read more about this topic: Terence Francis Mac Carthy
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