Derivation of the Joyce family name:
Joyce may certainly be regarded as a true Irish name, and more particularly a Connacht one. The first Joyce to come to Ireland of whom there is authentic record was Thomas de Jorse or Joyce, stated by MacFirbis to be a Welshman, who in 1283 married the daughter of O'Brien, Prince of Thomond and went with her by sea to Co. Galway; there in Iar Connacht, which runs over the Mayo border, they were at first tributary to the O'Flahertys but they established themselves so firmly and so permanently that the territory they inhabited became known as Joyce's Country. They had a recognized Chief of the Name in the Irish way: the "Composition Book of Connacht" places that chief in the barony of Ross (Co. Galway). Statistics of births, deaths and marriages show that this is still their stronghold: over eighty per cent of the Joyces in Ireland come from Galway or Mayo.
In Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo, the Joyces are sometimes called Shoye which is clearly a phonetic spelling of the form of the name used in the Irish language (Seoighe). A very curious synonym for Joyce, found at Claremorris, is Cunnagher.
Before coming to the matter of distinguished individuals of the name in Irish history the fact that the Joyces have always been noted for their exceptional stature should be mentioned. William Joyes, or Joyce, was Archbishop of Tuam from 1487 to 1501, and two of the name were Archbishops of Armagh from 1307 to 1324. Three Joyces of Galway, two of them priests, were instrumental in establishing the Dominican College at Louvain in 1648 which was soon afterwards incorporated in the University. Several were mayors of Galway City of which the Joyces were one of the "Fourteen Tribes". The most notable of modern times were James Joyce (1882-1941), author of Dubliners, Ulysses etc., and Patrick Weston Joyce (1827-1914), historian and author of Irish Names of Places. His brother Robert Dwyer Joyce (18301883) was well known in the U.S.A. as a physician and poet, while Isaac Wilson descent, made a name in a different field, for he was a Methodist revivalist preacher.
The family name Joyce has both ancient Irish and Norman antecedents. It comes from a Brehon penal name (the Brehon laws were the ancient laws of Ireland, before Christian times). The Brehon name Iodoc is a diminutive of iudh, which means lord. It was adopted by the Normans in the form Josse. The first Norman bearer of the name in Ireland was Thomas de Joise, a Welsh Norman who settled in Connacht on the borders of counties Galway and Mayo toward the end of the 12th century. The name may also have been derived from the Norman personal name Joie, which means joy.
The continuation of the Joyce name in the west of Ireland can be seen to this day in the area of Connemara known as Joyce's Country. Many people with the name still live there, and Renvyle House, now a luxury hotel, was once a Joyce stronghold. The most famous Joyce is, of course, James Joyce, born in Dublin in 1882, who died in Zurich in 1941. He is widely acclaimed as the leading writer in the English language in the 20th century.
The romantic story of the mystical and beautiful Claddagh Ring began way back over 300 years ago in the ancient fishing village of Claddagh just outside the walls of the City of Galway on the west coast of Ireland.
Legend has it that a local man, Richard Joyce, was captured by pirates and sold into slavery, the property of a rich Turkish goldsmith. In time Joyce became a master craftsman himself and, upon earning his freedom, returned to Galway and created the legendary Claddagh Ring. The rings were kept as family heirlooms which were passed lovingly down from mother to daughter on her wedding day.
Joyce Clan Motto: "mors aut honorabilis vita" (Death or life with honour)
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