The Martyn's of Tullyra — Notable Scions of Galway — When a King was Captured

The Galway Observer, March 15, 1930.

The "Irish Times" the other day in its attractive section under the title of "Quidnunc" speaks very deservedly and properly of a now extinct Co. & City of Galway family although as regards the Tullyra branch, the oldest of the many Martins, there happily remain as representatives Lady Hemphill and her son the Hon. Martin Hemphill, B.L., now the owner of the old home at Tullyra where with his wife and child he spends a good deal of his time. He is now a member of the Irish Bar and if there were, as there should be, a Connaught Bar, would, like so many of his name in the Past, be a member of it. Our contemporary says of the Martins; —

Amongst the notable scions of the Galwegian family of the Martins there is one that stands out in a momentary spotlight of romance with but little beside to know of him. When Richard the First was captured on his way home from the Holy Land, there was one faithful follower who shared his troubles and his castle prisons. Unfortunately, before the mission of the faithful minstrel, Blondel, who attracted him to his goal, could be brought to a satisfactory conclusion, that faithful companion was dead. It became a story, told in Galway, that the name of Coeur de Lion's friend was Sir Oliver Martyn, but in the absence of corroborating evidence, it was given so much credence as such tales usually obtain. Some few years ago, however, a document came to light in one of the monastic castles of Bohemia and therein the name of the King's companion occurs just as the story had it.

We know from our never failing authority on Galway, Hardiman, that Oliver was the first of the name that settled in Ireland, and that the name is derived from Martins, Warlike but we cannot subscribe to that theory of the origin of Martin. O'Brien and Valency derived it from the Belgian Firbolgs or Martini Martinigh, Richard Martin of Dangan or Ballinahinch was descended from the eldest branch of the family and the houses of Curraghmore, Ross, Spiddal and Tullyra were, in Hardiman's days, the chief branches, but the Martins of Ross have gone and the houses of Spiddal and Tullyra are represented in the present family at Tullyra. There was an Act of the 8th Parliament of Queen Anne specially exempting the Martins from confiscation. It recited that Oliver Marin of Tullyra was during the Rebellion a person who behaved himself with great moderation and was remarkably kind to numbers of Protestants in distress, many of whom he supported in his family, and by his charity and goodness saved their lives, and in consequence it enacted that he might enjoy his estates firm and his heirs and settle and dispose of the same to his eldest son and his heirs male. "This solitary instance" says Hardiman, "of legislative justice is particularly conspicuous because it stands alone and surrounded by the most unjust and ferocious enactments that ever disgraced the code of any civilized country." And those broad acres were kept in the Marytn family down to our day and sold by the late Ed. Martyn to occupying tenantry. The old Castle of Dungorey at Kinvara was also alienated but not in his day. He looked upon it with great interest and got it renovated inside and made fit for habitation. It was purchased by Senator Gogarty. Hardiman says that the Martin coat of arms — the splendid armoral ensigns, namely, azure, Calvary Cross on five degrees argent between the sun in splendor on a dexter limb and the moon in crescent, on the sinister or crest, an etoile wavy of six points or motto "Ausilium Meum a Deo" — are stated to have been granted by King Richard the First of England to an ancestor named Oliver Martyn who accompanied that monarch to the holy wars and distinguished himself in Palestine, but on his return was made prisoner in Germany with his master and died in confinement. Such is the story as given in Hardiman's invaluable History.