Taaffe was originally a Welsh name signifying David (cf. the modern pet name Taffy). In Irish it is rendered That, pronounced Taa and, according to O'Donovan, often so spelt. Settling in Co. Lough soon after the Angol-Norman invasion, the Taaffes rapidly attained a position of considerable importance in the country and, though they never became numerous like so many of the Norman immigrants, they continued to be one of the most influential families in Ireland. The ancestor of most of the Taaffe lines was Sir Nicholas Taaffe whose grandson, Richard Taaffe, was Sheriff of Dublin in 1295, and in 1315 Sheriff of Co. Louth. His son, John Taffe - a Franciscan - was Archbishop of Armagh. Several other descendants of Sir Nicholas were Sheriffs of Louth in the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Their principal property at Ballybragan was forfeited in the confiscations which followed 1641: before that time a branch of the family had migrated to Co. Sligo where their descendants are still living. The Taaffes were consistent supporters of the Stuart cause and the head of the Sligo branch was ennobled as Viscount Taaffe and later Earl of Carlingford. Nine of the name were in the army of James II in 1690, two of them being killed; one at the siege of Derry, the other at the battle of the Boyne. The third Earl of Carlingford and fourth Viscount, Francis Taffe (1639-1704), was the celebrated Count Taffe of the Austrian Empire in which service he became a field-marshal and received many honours. His nephew Nicholas Count Taffe (1677-1769), also an Austrian field-marshal, was even more famous as a military commander. This illustrious branch of the family remained in Austria. The tenth Viscount was Chamberlain to the Empire and in 1860 established before the British House of Lords his right to the Irish title. His brother Edward (1833-1912), the eleventh Viscount was Imperial Prime Minister and one of the very few persons of Irish name to be a Knight of the Golden Fleece (the most exclusive order in Christendom). The name of his son Heinrich was removed from the roll of Viscounts on account of his having fought against Britain in the first World War. His only son and heir uses his Imperial title of Count only. Two Co. Louth Taaffes are notable in the literary field. Rev. Denis Taaffe (1753-1813), as well as being a prolific writer, was a co-founder of the Gaelic Society; he was excommunicated in 1790, became a Protestant clergyman, fought on the side of the United Irishmen and was wounded in 1798, and finally returned to the Catholic Church. John Taaffe (1787-1862), poet and commentator of Dante, was of the circle of Byron and Shelly.