If you’re a Shane, you may be wondering why a family organization is necessary. The first thing to realize is that after the Battle of Kinsale in 1601, England conquered and nearly eradicated much of the Gaelic culture of Ireland. Prior to that, Irish society was based around the extended kinship group commonly called the “clan,” or in smaller families, the “sept.” Each clan had a chief that was elected from a particular lineage of cousins, sons, brothers, uncles, and fathers, a system called tanistry. This system combined the advantages of both aristocracy and republicanism because it allowed the best man to be selected for rule while preserving an upright bloodline and the attendant sense of responsibility to both past and future generations. It is therefore especially suited to the American cultural context.
The English Crown’s cultural genocide against Gaelic Ireland ignored both the eternal value of Celtic practices and institutions and the English people’s own considerable Celtic ancestry and heritage (which has been uncovered through genetic testing). The people of the British Isles, and by extension their progeny in the New World, have therefore an inalienable right to recover the native practices that were nearly erased during the past four hundred years. Whatever Anglosphere country you reside in, you have a deep Celtic heritage that has shaped you and your nation in more ways than we’ll probably ever know. It behooves us, then, to uncover and resurrect these practices in the present day, not to become something exotic or new, but to become more truly what we always were.
The True Kin
To reinvigorate the family, the first task was to assemble something called an “ad hoc derbhfine.” Derbhfine (pronounced DURR-win-uh) is an Irish word meaning “true kin” and refers to a group of males related on the father’s side (so sharing a surname) that all have the same great-grandfather. An Irish clan would typically hold a vote among these men wherein any one of their number could be elected the “chief,” or ri (pronounced ree and being the Irish word for king), of the clan. A successor, called a “tanist,” would also be chosen who automatically became chief upon the death, deposition, or resignation of the current chief. This arrangement allowed the future chief to be elected while the current chief was alive and well and thus prevented bloody succession battles (or at least, that was what it was supposed to do).
We assembled an “ad hoc” derbhfine in the Shane family because there is no reigning chief currently, a sad state that most Celtic family groups find themselves in today. This derbhfine was clan-wide, meaning any male of age bearing the Shane or Sheehan surname (with proven descent from our family, as there are many Sheehans and Shanes that are unrelated to us) was eligible to sit on it.
There are three main subdivisions of the Shane family, stemming from the fact that William Sheehan had three sons who settled the North American continent. John Shane, the Firstborn; Samuel Shane, the Trader; and Andrew William Shane, the Pious. Each line was represented in the derbhfine, with 12 men voting.
I am pleased to announce that Jonathen Daniel Shane, of Chapmansboro, Tennessee, was chosen as the chieftain-elect (also known now as the war chief, or ceann cath, until his inauguration) of the Shane family. This will require him to preside at all functions of the larger clan and arbitrate if any dispute arises between cousins or over matters impinging on the honor of the Shane name.
The inauguration will take place on Shane Day in 2028 at Gainesboro, Virginia, historic seat of the Shanes. Shane Day is October 14th of every year. It’s the day that William Sheehan, the father of all Shanes, died nine days after returning from the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812. The inauguration will take place chiefly at his grave in Gainesboro. The inauguration is scheduled for approximately five years after the election began to give any challengers time to assemble a more impressive collection of “true kin” votes. All three major divisons or lines of the Shane family (1. John Shane, 2. Samuel Shane, and 3. Andrew William Shane) must be represented in the votes for any candidate for chieftain. Jonathen’s vote total is eleven true male cousins (voters must be eligible for chieftainship themselves), with these totals by branch:
Total votes: 11 in favor, 1 against.
In favor:
1. Line of John Shane (2 votes total)
-Tillers of Putnam branch: 1 vote
-Lane and Valley branch: 1 vote
2. Line of Samuel Shane (1 vote total)
-Ohio Valley Traders branch: 1 vote
3. Line of Andrew William Shane (8 votes total)
-Tennessee Hills branch: 6 votes
-Interior Plains branch: 2 votes
Against:
1. Line of John Shane (1 vote total)
-Lane and Valley branch: 1 vote’
At the same time that a chief-elect is selected, a tanist should also be elected from the same group. This one will succeed him upon his incapacitation, resignation, or death (as chieftainship is usually for life). Jonathen’s tanist is currently a toddler, so that relationship will have to develop in the coming years.
Other hereditary offices can be selected later, which I will outline at a future date (these are things like clan loremaster/historian, clan musician, clan brehon or judge, etc.). Once the tanist assumes chieftainship, all future chiefs will be selected from his genuine derbhfine, which would be all those Shane males descended from his great-grandfather. This sets the chiefly line (in this case, the descendants of John Burton Shane of Nashville, Tennessee). At any point if the line becomes exhausted, i.e., dies out (very possible in this age of falling birthrates), another family-wide ad hoc derbhfine must be convened to select a new chiefly line.
The Inauguration
Jonathen will be inaugurated as chieftain after a period of five years has elapsed. During this time, challenges to the legitimacy of the election are welcome (news of the election and reconstitution of the clan will be made public, and friendly relations will be established with all allied clans, including the McCarthy Mor, our liege lord. The chief-elect is to be addressed in formal language as the Ceann Cath (pronounced Kenn Kah), or warchief (or simply as chieftain-elect), during this period of waiting and will exercise a provisional leadership.
During the five years preparations will be made for the great inauguration, which will take place at a site sacred for the family (as stated, the burial ground of William Sheehan of Tralee, in Gainesboro, Virginia). The ceremony will be elaborate and will culminate in the investing of Jonathen with the torc as well as many other symbolic gestures. Thereafter it will be announced far and wide that a new chieftain has been proclaimed. Various responsibilities will be incumbent upon the office, and members of the clan will have various duties toward the chieftain’s person. These remain to be specifically drawn up, but all such constitutions will be featured on this site when they are finished.
More information can be found about Gaelic clan workings, the ad hoc derbhfine, Irish chieftains, and many other such questions at the website of the Clan Doyle: http://www.doyle.com.au/index.htm.