The Genealogy of the Darcies of Clonuane, in the county Clare, and Kiltolla, in the county Galway descend from the ancient and honourable family of the Darcies of Platten, in the county Meath, near river Boyne, which descended from Sir John Darcy, who after being twice Lord Justice, and General Governor of Ireland, was third time constituted for life, in the year 1334.

He descended from Sir Richard Darcy, who accompanied King William the Conqueror from Normandy into England in the year 1066.

He descended from David, who was the first surnamed D’Arcy, or Darcy.

And descended from Charlemaigne, or Charles the Great, King of France, and Emperor of the Romans.

Just 50 pages long, a good deal of the narrative describes the Norman origins and the English branch of the family - with a side trip to the Maid of Orleans - Joanna D'Arcy whom we know as Joan of Arc - make of that what you will.

Eventually on page 19 we get to 'The Darcies of Ireland descending from Sir John Darcy and his second wife' Joanna de Burgo of Maynooth, countess dowager of Kildare who married in 1329. Here the author takes another side trip, or 'digression' as he calls it, into the extraordinary de Burgo ancestry with sections 'How the kings of England and Prussia descend from William de Burgo, earl of Ulster, and lord of Connaught', 'How the Emperor of the Romans descends from William de Burgo...' and 'How the kings of France, Spain, and Sardinia, descend from William de Burgo...'.

Finally, on page 26 we get to the descent from Sir John Darcy and Joanna de Burgo, their son being William Darcy, born Maynooth, Co. Kildare, 1330 who married Catherine Fitzgerald, daugther of Sir Robert Fitzgerald of Allen, Co. Kildare. Thus begins the history of the Darcy families in Ireland down to 1752 by which time many of the family members were marrying into merchant or professional families as well as landed gentry.