Charles De Gaulle - President of France

In 1837 two visitors from Lille in France arrived at Dublin Castle to certify their Irish ancestry. They were father and son, Andronicus and Felix McCartan. Andronicus was the grandson of Anthony McCartan who at age sixteen fled from Ballydromerode (Drumaroad), County Down, with many others after the Treaty of Limerick. Young Anthony had a distinguished career as a captain in the French army.

His descendants played a prominent role in public life throughout Flanders. The visitors to Dublin Castle were both medical doctors in Lille.

Dublin Archive

In the Office at Arms in Dublin Castle, Andronicus and Felix McCartan were shown Vol. XV11, page 357. This reference revealed a comprehensive account of the Mc Cartan pedigree from the Kings of Emhain Macha down to the last chieftain of Kinelarty John McCartan who had fled with his son Anthony to France. Delighted with his findings, Andronicus sought permission from the Chief Herald to continue the line. The pedigree was continued to include his father's his own, and his son's name.

A certified copy signed by Sir. William Betham (Ulster King at Arms) was presented to them. The original altered document is now in the manuscripts department in the National Library, Kildare Street, Dublin.

Objections

In the years from 1879 to 1895 Rev. James O'Laverty compiled a detailed history of the Diocese of Down & Connor. Rev. James O'Laverty's mother was a Mc Cartan; this is most probably the reason for the many references to the Mc Cartan clan in his volumes. While doing his research, Rev. James O'Laverty also examined the McCartan pedigree in the Dublin archive.

He became aware of the additions made over forty years earlier by the visitors from France. Rev. O'Laverty greatly resented the inclusion of the French line; i.e. the inclusion of Anthony II, Andronicus, and Felix to the pedigree. He outlined his reasons in his volumes thus: -

Enquiries of this nature may have an interest for English heralds but they are comparatively uninteresting from an Irish Celt point of view, according to which ever McCartan was equally noble, and from the name an individual was elected to be chief for life, but at his death his children had no more privileges than any other by his name. The lineal representative, therefore, of the last chief - he who betrayed the trust reposed in him by the clan, when he accepted from the Crown in perpetuity as landlord what the clan had conferred on him for life only as chief-has, in an Irish point of view, no reason to boast of the honour of his ancestor".

Seventy-four years after the publication of Father James O'Laverty's history, a distinguished visitor arrived in Ireland from France in 1969. The visitor was General Charles De Gaulle, long time President of France. General Charles De Gaulle fulfilled a lifetime ambition to visit Ireland. He was fully aware of his Irish ancestry and had a keen interest in Irish history. 527

His Grandmother on the De Gaulle side had been similarly inclined, having written a biography of Daniel O'Connell. De Gaulle invited many McCartans from County Down to a reception in Aras Un Uachtarain on Thursday 19th June 1969.

Family Link to Drumaroad

De Gaulle's great-grandmother was Marie Angelique McCartan. She was the daughter of Andronicus and a sister of Felix, who visited the Genealogical Office in 1837.

When the History of the Diocese of Down & Connor was published in 1898 Charles De Gaulle was just eight years old. Rev. James O'Laverty was not to know that the family he criticised produced France's most important statesman of the twentieth century. 528

The following is an extract from the diary kept by Admiral Francois Flohic, of the visit of Charles De Gaulle to Ireland from 10th May to 19th June 1969, which details Charles De Gaulle encounter with the McCartan Clan.

The 19th June will remain in my mind as the day of the encounter between De Gaulle and the McCartan clan. On the 13th May, only three days after we got to Sneem, Mr. James O'Reilly, member of parliament for the constituency of Mourne in County Down, Northern Ireland, wrote to tell me that 'in a very special way, the people of County Down feel that His Excellency is one of their own and we constantly recall with pride his kinship with the great County Down family of McCartan.' He concluded with the hope that the General might be able to make a brief visit to County Down.

I answered this letter following the General's instructions. Given the continued British domination of Northern Ireland, there was no question of his being able to go there.

At the same time, the General received numerous letters from the McCartans, all recalling their family ties with him. He therefore had to meet them, and I arranged this with Emmanuel d'Harcourt, who organised the protocol with the Irish Presidency.

On 6th June I wrote to invite all the McCartans who had written. They were not all able to come on 19th June, but there were a good thirty of them there to meet their illustrious relative, whose lineal descent they had taken great pains to establish accurately.

Despite the despoliations they have suffered throughout their history, the Irish have kept precise records of their family lineage, probably in the forlorn hope of recovering their lost properties one day. The McCartans were no exception. For one instance, one McCartan, a schoolmaster I believe, came up to the General, genealogical book in hand; he professed to be a direct descendent of the chief of the clan who had been killed at the Battle of the Boyne, together with his eldest son. A second son had taken refuge in the mountains to resist the Williamiate forces. The youngest of the sons had emigrated to France; it is from him that the General is descended.

Notwithstanding the emotion and interest of the encounter, which plunged us deep into the moving and turbulent history of Ireland and the McCartan clan, we were sorry to have to bring it to an end, because of the lunch offered by the Taoiseach at Dublin Castle."

On the morning of the 19th June 1969, at 11.00 a.m., 14 relatives were received by General De Gaulle in the Drawing Room, at the Áras an Uachtaráin. The following is a list of the persons who attended that special meeting.

Miss. Meave McCartan, Mr. & Mrs. A. Forde, Rev. Fr. Denis McCartan, Miss. Eleanor F. Small, Mr. & Mrs. John J. Smyth, Miss. Annie McCartan, Miss A. M. O'Hare, Mr. & Mrs. E. A. Roche, Mr. & Mrs. D. Flynn, and Miss O'Hare's sister (nun) 530

First Generation
Charles De Gaulle. Born 22nd November 1890, in Lille. Died 9th November 1970, in Paris.

Second Generation
Henri Charles De Gaulle. Born 22nd November 1848, in Paris. Died 4th May 1932, in St Andresse.
Jeanne Marie Maillot. Born 28th April 1860, in Lille. Died 16th July 1940, in Paimpont.

Third Generation
Es Emile Maillot. Born 8th February 1819, in Lille. Died 25th April 1891, in Lille.
Julia Marie Delannoy. Born 25th February 1835, In Lille. Died 18th June 1912 in Lille.

Forth Generation
Henri Louis Delannoy. Born 16th June 1886, in Lille. Died 31st May 1870, in Lille.
Marie Angelique McCartan. Born 7th May 1798, in Londres. Died 28th February 1852, in Lille.

Fifth Generation
Andronicus Xavier McCartan. Born 21st September 1764, in Valenciennes. Died 18th January 1842, in Lille.
Francois Anne Fleming. Born 8th August 1773, in Londres. Died 21st February 1848, in Lille.

Sixth Generation
Antoine McCartan. Born 23rd March 1716, in Valenciennes. Died 6th September 1787, in Valenciennes.
Anne Felicite Piette. Born 3rd July 1732, in Valenciennes. Died 10th March 1812, in Valenciennes.

Seventh Generation
Anthony McCartan. Born in County Down, around 1680. Died in France 1753.
Mary Catherine Hayez

Eight Generation
John McCartan. Born in Ballydromerode (Drumaroad).
Bridget Forde. Born in Coolgreeney, Co. Wexford.

Ninth Generation
Patrick McCartan. Born Circa 1591, lived in Ballykine. Died before 1641.
It does not appear when he died but it was before 1641, as his son, Patrick Junior took an active part in the civil wars of that period.
Cecilia O'Berne.

Tenth Generation
Phelim McCartan. Died 10th June 1631.

References:

O'Laverty, Rev. James, Diocese of Down & Connor Ancient $amp; Modern, Vol 1, p87, London 1878
McCartan, Sean, The McCartans of Kinelarty, Co. Down, p92, Belfast 2002
Áras and Uachtaráin Presidential Archives, 19 June 1969