Breathnach Family Crest framed artprint

Celebrate your family heritage with a gift to to cherish – the Breathnach family crest, framed and printed on museum-quality matte paper. This surname is special to us because it ultimately led to the ambitious project of creating this website (see 'about the artist' below). So please spread the word with family and friends. Free shipping with this product.

Breathnach name and family crest 

The Breathnach family crest features a swan (a symbol of everlasting love – swans mate for life) with an arrow piercing its breast. In heraldry this signifies pierced or transfixed by a great love (or loss of love) as well as resilliance in the face of hardship and adversity. The white background of the shield symbolises peace and sincerity. The arrow heads denote a readiness for battle while the red chevron (meaning ‘rafter’ in french) signify safety and protection. The Walsh family motto is ‘Transfixus sed non mortuus’ – ‘Pierced but not dead’.

The surname Breathnach is of Irish origin – meaning ‘Briton’ or ‘Welshman’ in Gaelic – a translation from the Anglo-Norman name 'Walensis'. This name has a rich history in Ireland. The earliest recorded reference to the name dates back to 1171, when Haylen Branach, son of Phillip the Welshman, accompanied Strongbow’s invasion of Ireland. 

It appears in early Anglo-Norman records as Walensis, Waleys, le Waleys, then in the Irish form as Brenagh, Bretnagh, Breathnach (find in search) and by the 1500’s was commonly anglicized as Walsh, Walshe, Welch, Branagh, Brannagh, amongst other variants.

By the 1300’s variants of this name were firmly established in various strongholds in the south-east of Ireland, especially around Kilkenny, Laois, and Waterford. Notable examples include the ‘Walshs of the Mountains’ from Castle Howel in Kilkenny, Walshs of Carrickmines in Dublin, Walshs of Ballykileavan in Laois and of Ballyrichmore in Waterford.

About the artist

Each and every crest on this site is a reproduction of an original artwork by heraldic artist Éamonn Breathnach. For obvious reasons this particular family crest is one of his most elaborate works – it led to this entire mammoth project! Éamonn’s designs are methodically researched and based on the earliest available records from a variety of heraldic archives. Acclaimed for their elegance and attention to detail these artworks are especially perfect as gifts for any occasion with family and friends.

Product specifications

• Printed with water-based inks.
• Ayous wood .75″ (1.9 cm) thick frame from renewable forests
• Paper thickness: 10.3 mil (0.26 mm)
• Paper weight: 189 g/m²
• Lightweight
• Acrylite front protector
• Hanging hardware included

This product is made especially for you as soon as you place an order, which is why it takes us a bit longer to deliver it to you. Making products on demand instead of in bulk helps reduce overproduction, so thank you for making thoughtful purchasing decisions!

Family Crests Store ensures that all consumer products offered are safe and meet EU and USA standards.

For any product inquiries please email eamonn@walshdesign.co.nz