Topics
	Introduction
	Cullinan and Cullinane Coat of Arms
	Coat of Arms of Sir Frederick Fitzjames Cullinan (1845-1913)
	Coat of Arms of Sir Thomas Major Cullinan (1862-1936)

Introduction
The Art of Heraldry is only one of the many ways in which families in Ireland can be identified. Heraldry is a centuries-old tradition, one which is not reserved for nobility or peers of a realm. It is instead an artistic incorporation of forms--from animals and humans to mythological figures, musical instruments and religious icons.

The Coat of Arms for many Irish families (or family groups, called 'septs') have numerous common themes. For example, Dr. Edward MacLysaght (1887-1986), in his illustration of Irish blazons in Irish Families: Their Names, Arms and Origins (4^th Edition, Irish Academic Press: Dublin, 1991) presented the arms of several hundred families. Each sept has a unique illustration and a myriad of heraldic symbols:

• Stags (MacCarthy, O'Connor, O'Cullinan, O'Doherty, O'Hennessy, O'Kinneally)
• Lions (O'Brennan, O'Brien, MacCartan, O'Carroll)
• Red Hand of Ulster (O'Cullen, O'Cullinan, O'Daly, O'Donnelly, Fox, MacGenis)
• Dragons (MacCabe, MacGillycuddy, MacQuillan, O'Griffy, O'Hanraghty)
• Wild Boar (MacCann, MacDonogh, Fitzgibbon, O'Hanlon, O'Hanly, Keating).

Each of these heraldic symbols are significant--not only to the specific family--but to the clans of Ireland as well. Often, when looking at the various forms, one has to ask what a particular symbol might signify. For example, the O'Lonergan Coat of Arms is comprised of several arrows, one of which is tipped in blood: this would suggest that the sept were archers or hunters. Religion is of course an element which is expressed in the Coats of Arms--from crucifixes to gold rings, fish and birds as well as druid icons such as the sun. Fearsome creatures such as minotaurs, snakes, sea monsters are also used.