Boland Ó Beolláin
The Bolands get their name from a Norwegian who came to Ireland very long ago. In Irish it is Ó Beolláin, while in English it used to be O Bolan. One branch of the family which claims descent from Mahon, one of King Brian Boru's brothers, went to Clare where they lived around Lough Derg. Ballybolan (the town of the Bolans) perpetuates their name. The other family settled in Sligo with their headquarters at Doonalton. Little is recorded of the Bolands until the 20th century when they took part in the struggle for independence. A mission to America to collect funds and promote the Irish Republic inter- nationally did very well. A Bolshevik party from Russia, who were doing far from well, asked for a loan of $20,000, offering what they said were some of the crown jewels as security .Harry Boland, who was with the delegation, gave the jewels to his mother for safe keeping. Harry was killed during the civil war. When Earnon de Valera came to power the Boland family gave him the jewels. It was not until 1948 that they were finally ransomed in London by the Russian Embassy there. Frederick Boland was Irish Ambassador in London in the 1950s and also President of the United Nations. EavanBoland, hisdaughter, is one Of Ireland's leading poets. One of the oldest bakeries in Dublin, Boland's Mills, was the focus of much action during the Rising of 1916.