The historical account claims that the O'Gairbhith branch of the Garveys in County Armagh were associated with the O'Hanlon clan. The O'Hanlons had their territory in the eastern and northern portions of Armagh. The largest portion of the Garveys in the Griffith Index are clearly at the other end of the county. Perhaps when the MacCanns "displaced" the O'Hanlons and O'Garveys it was to southern Armagh that they moved. This is borne out by the distribution of Hanlons seen in Armagh.
The largest group of Garveys in County Armagh was found in the southern half of Newtownhamilton Civil Parish, in the area between the town of Cullyhanna and the town of Newtownhamilton. This area included the townlands of Tullyvallen (Tipping) East, Tullyvallen (Tipping) West, Tullyvallen (Hamilton) East, and Tullyvallen (Hamilton) West.
A map of the distribution of Garveys in County Armagh in the Tithe Applotment Books can be seen by clicking here. The Tithe Applotment survey of County Armagh (1827-34) was done about 35 years before the Griffith Valuation. The Tithe Applotment shows the same large group of Garveys in southern Newtownhamilton Civil Parish seen in Griffiths. In addition it shows an equally large group of Garveys within 2-3 miles west and northwest of the town of Forkhill.
The Armagh Garveys may be the desecendants of Gairbhith, son of Maeilbrighde, who was lord of a kingdom called Conaille-Muirtheimne in the last half of the 800's. The kingdom of Conaille-Muirtheimne existed in the northern part of County Louth and may have extended as far up into southern Co Armagh as the area in which the Garveys are found. Gairbhith was beheaded in 874 A.D. by the Ui Eathach (the kingdom of Ulster or Ulaid which existed to the north). Conaille-Muirtheimne was then ruled mostly by descendants of Gairbhith until 919 A.D. One of the more notable events in that dynastic reign was in 908 A.D. when Conghalach, Gairbhith's son, burned both his nephew and the Abbot of Dromiskin, (Muireadhach, son of Cormac), in the church's refectory in what may have been an intra-dynastic feud.
David Thornton has published an article giving a detailed history of this kingdom: "Early Medieval Louth: The Kingdom of Conaille Muirtheimne" , Co. Louth Archaeological and Historical Journal, 24/1 (1997; publ. 1999), 139-50.
There seemed to have been several other rulers named "Gairbhith" who lived in this general area in the time period 850 - 1000 AD. Below is a list of references to Gairbhiths found in the The Annals of the Four Masters. Any one of these could also be the Gairbhith from whom the O'Gairbhith took their name - though the Gairbhith of the kingdom of Conaille-Muirtheimne may have left the largest mark on the history of the area.
In 887 AD Maelmordha, son of Gairbhith, lord of Conaille Muirtheimhne, was beheaded by Ceallach, son of Flannagan.
In 893 AD Maelagrai, son of Gairbhith, lord of the Airthir, was slain. The kingdom of Airthir had its territory in the eastern side of Co Armagh and was long ruled by the O'Hanlons. Celecen, son of Gairbhith, lord of Airthir, died in 931 A.D.
In 910 AD Erudan, son of Gairbhith, was killed. He was a chief of the Ui Brasil - which was a kingdom in the northern part of Co Armagh. Ui Brasil includes the southern shore of Lough Neagh which some historical accounts claim was a former territory of the O'Garveys. It lies in the Barony of Oneilland East - which may have been a possession of the O'Hanlons at this time. The O'Garveys and O'Hanlons seem to have been driven out of this area by the McCanns sometime in the first half of the 1100's. In 952 AD Conn, son of Erudan, son of Gairbhith, lord of Magh-dumha, was slain at Moydow.
In 931 A.D. Maelgarbh, son of Gairbhith, lord of Dearlas died in battle. In 934 A.D. Bec, son of Gairbhith, lord of Dearlas, died. I have no information about the kingdom of Dearlas.
In 935 A.D. Gairbhith, son of Maeleitigh, lord of Feara-Rois, was slain. The kingdom of Feara-Rois may have been located just south of Conaille-Muirtheimne.
In 954 A.D. Gairbhith, son of Muireadhach, Tanist (heir) of Ui-Creamhthain died in battle. Ui-Creamhthain was located in northwestern Co Meath and southern Co Louth.
In 1027 AD, Culocha O'Gairbhith, lord of the Ui-Meith, died in battle with Cathalan-Ua-Crichain - lord of Fearnmhagh, and "of the Airghialla in general". The kingdom of Ui-Meith seems to have occupied about the same territory as the old kingdom of Connaille Muirtheimne (northern Co Louth, southern Co Armagh, and into Co Monaghan).