Readers have asked about the origin of the names Jordan, Rice and Power, only the last of which is in any way common. However, some explanation is provided below. The name Jordan is common in England but few Irish Jordans are derived from the English source. The Irish Jordans are derived from a Norman family which settled in Connaught in the 12th century. The name is derived from the descendants of Jordan d’Exeter, one of the early Norman leaders. The family became totally hibernicized and the name took on the Gaelic form of McSiurtain. The Barony of Gallen in Mayo was known as McSiurtain’s country. The name is also found in Clare where the forms McShurdane and McShurtan are found in the records. It is nowadays commonly anglicized as Jordan. Among prominent current members of the family are Neil Jordan, the Dublin-born author and director of such films as Mona Lisa and The Crying Game, and the current mayor of San Francisco, Frank Jordan who traces his ancestors to Mayo. In the American Revolutionary Army, the officers included Capt. John Jordan of the Penna Artillery Artificers, and Lieut William Jordan of the Georgia Continental Brigade.
The name Rice in Ireland is of two origins. In Munster it is usually derived from the Welsh name Rhys, whereas in the North of Ireland it is derived from the Gaelic name O’Mulcreevy. The reason for the anglicization of this name as Rice is not clear, since the name does not translate as this. The Gaelic name is O’Maolcraoibhe. The root Craoibhe could be translated as “branch” or “bough,” but not in any obvious way as Rice. Nevertheless, the change from Mulcreevy to Rice is well documented. The Norman Rice family were known in Ireland as early as 1294 when John Rice was Lord Treasurer of Ireland. In 1520 Walter Rice was mayor of Limerick and other members of the family were prominent as officials of other Munster towns.
Sir Stephen Rice supported James II’s cause and suffered by confiscation of most of his estates. Many other members of the Rice family also supported King James II’s cause and lost their lands as a result. A total of 20 Rices lost their lands in Cromwellian forfeitures. Some exiled Rices settled in France and became successful bankers. Perhaps the most prominent of the Rice family was Edmund Ignatius Rice (1762-1844) who was born in Kilkenny and joined his uncle’s exporting business. He was a significant philanthropist and spent much of his personal fortune on the sick and the poor. His particular concern was lack of educational facilities for the poor, and he founded a series of schools in different Munster towns.
To run these schools, he founded the Religious Brothers of Christians Schools in Ireland and became their superior in 1822. The Christian Brothers continue to educate Irish children to the present day. They were traditionally infamous for their zealous use of the “strap” as a form of corporal punishment. This fact has ensured that this Rice will remain in the memory of generations of Irish school-boys. Another Rice was supposed to have been associated with Columbus. The pilot traditionally believed to have traveled with Columbus was Ride de Galway, alias Penrise. And in America every baseball fan knows Grantland Rice’s famous poem “Casey’s Revenge.”
The Power family are also of Norman origin, the name being originally le Poer, meaning poor. They were prominent among the early Norman settlers and had large estates in Wicklow and Waterford. The family is among the top 50 most common names in Ireland and is very much associated with Waterford county.
The family obtained the title Marquess of Waterford from the English court and their family seat, Curraghmore House, is still maintained. One of the Waterford family was William Grattan Tyrone Power, who was a leading actor on the English stage. His grandson, Tyrone Power, continued the tradition in the American film industry. Another of William’s grandson’s was Tyrone Guthrie who was a famous London theater and television producer and director of Sadler’s Wells and the Old Vic theaters. Tyrone Guthrie’s house was donated to the state and is now a center at which artists can stay while working on creative projects. It is jointly funded by the Arts Councils of Northern and Southern Ireland.
Perhaps the Power with the widest household recognition was James Power who founded Power’s Distillery in Dublin in 1791. The firm is now part of Irish Distillers but Power’s whiskey is still marketed as a separate brand. One of the famous innovations of the firm was the “Baby Power,” a miniature bottle of whiskey which is still sold.
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in the May/June 1994 issue of Irish America. ♦
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