Feely surname history

Fehilly, along with its variants Fihilly, Feely, O'Fehilly and Field(s), is the anglicisiation of the original Irish O Fithcheallaigh, supposedly derived from fithcheallach, meaning "player of chess".

The family were prominent in the Annals as chiefs of the Corca Laoidhe, based in the area around the modern town of Clonakility in Co. Cork.

Although the family origins are in the south, from the seventeenth century on, the surname became numerous and widespread in Donegal and in Roscommon. Today Feely is most common in the west, while Fehilly and Fields are most numerous in the south.

John Field (1782-1837) was born in Dublin, and achieved fame as a composer and performer in Europe and Russia. His piano pieces and concertos are still part of the repertoire today.