A large retinue of attendants accompanied St Patrick in his travels around Ireland, but we cannot recall if that included a dressmaker. St Columbcille did have a dressmaker and embroidress, named Ercnat, a virginal saint of the north. Ercnat is a diminutive of Erc (Erc plus nat), meaning either speckled, dark-red or salmon. This was both a masculine and a feminine name - St Erc was Bishop of Slane, Co Meath, and Erc was one of the ladies of the fian in the Fianna tales.
From Erc derived the surname O- hEirc, anglicised Erck(e), a Co Tyrone name. There is now not a single entry of the name in the current telephone directories of Ireland, North or South. Woulfe's Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall (1923) says that it is also a Co Tipperary surname, and The Irish Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns (15211603), in a 1601 pardon, lists Morreghy O Herrig and John O Herrige of Caher, and William Herrig of Garnavilla in the Co Tipperary parish of Caher.
In Ireland, Erck(e) has been equated with the English Herrick. Four of the nine Herrick entries in telephone directories south of the Border are in the Cork 02 area: there are but two in the Phone Book north of the Border.
Herrick was among the names of the adventures for land and Beecher's settlers who came to the Bandon area at the end of the 16th century, and A Census of Ireland 1659 locates John Herrick at Lissheda, in the Co Cork parish of Leighmoney.
Taylor & Skinners 1778 Maps of the Roads of Ireland shows Herrick Esq, at Shippool, also in the parish of Leighmoney. The five listed Herricks in the 1814 Directory are all in Co Cork: at Crookstown Castle, Macroom; at Farnalough, Bandon; at Goldenbush, Innishannon, and at Shippool.
In 1876 Col Herrick, Bellmount, Cork, had 703 acres in Co Tipperary and Capt Edward Herrick, also at Bellmount, had 677 in Co Cork, according to Owners of Land of One Acre and Upwards. The other six listed Herrick holdings were also in Co Cork. Topping them was the 3,389 acres of Thomas B. at Shippool.
P.W. Joyce's Irish Names of Places says that Cloonerk derived from (Cluain Eirc, Erc's meadow), a townland name in the Co Roscommon parish of Kilbride. This is Clonyragh (Clon-yragh), in a fiant of 1593, wherein are listed pardoned persons in Cos Roscommon, Galway and Clare.
Clonyragh was the address of Margaret ny Gillegooly, while another bearer of this surname was William Curragh M'Gillegowly of neighbouring Clonfinlough. Current telephone directories south of the Border list Gilhooly 41 times, Gillooly 21, Gilhooley 19, and Gillooley six times.
Sean de Bhulbh's Sloinnte na hEireann/ Irish Surnames locates this surname in Leitrim-Roscommon, giving Mac Giolla Ghuala (guala, a glutton) as its original Irish.
He adds that Mac Giolla Shuiligh found in the Annals of Loch Ce was considered a corruption by Woulfe. Mac Lysaght in his The Surnames of Ireland gives the more commonly understood shoulder as the meaning of guala, adding that the bearers of this name were an offshoot of O Mulvey.
Annala Connacht/The Annals of Connacht notes the slaying of Muirchertach Mac Giollashuiligh at Cill tSesin in 1243. Among the transplanters from other counties to the Co Roscommon barony of Athlone, listed in The Transplantation to Connacht 1654-'48, was Teig McGillegoole, originally from Granard, Co Longford. Margaret Gilgully, nee O Hanly, and her son, Hugh, were transplanted from the parish of Cloonfinlough to Lackan in the barony of Roscommon. There were but two of the name in Owners of Land of One Acre and Upwards (1876) - John Gillooly, Collooney, with 44 Co Sligo acres, and Right Rev Dr Gillooly with three acres at Quay Street, Sligo.
Flann O Riain