Other branches of the clan: Rooke, Ruarke, Ruorke, Roark, Roarke, Ruirc, Roorke, Rork, Rorke, O'Rorke.

O'Rouke is the eighty-fifth most common name in Ireland. O'Rourke derives from the Irish "O'Ruairc" meaning "son of Ruarc". The name Ruarc is derived from the Norse "Hrothekr" meaning famous king. The O'Rourkes, in common with a number of other families trace their ancestry back to Brian, King of Connaught in the 4th century and are descended from the Ui Briuin Breifne as are the O'Reillys. The Ruarc, from whom the surname comes was a ninth century King of Breifne. The territory of Breifne (meaning "hilly country")is the Iron Mountains in the present County Leitrim. His name was first used as a hereditary surname by his grandson Sean Fearghal O'Ruairc, who died in 964. In the 10th and 11th centuries members of the O'Rourke family were Kings of Connaught. The long struggle for supremacy in Connaught between the O'Connors and the O'Rourkes ended in the 12th century with victory by the O'Connors.

The O'Rourke territories in Breifne expanded and contracted due to the constant rivalry with the O'Reillys. At one time it extended from Kells in Co. Meath to Sligo. One O'Rourke chieftain, Tiernan became famous in Irish history because of the events that followed the carrying off of his wife Dervorgilla, by Dermot MacMurrough Kavanagh, King of Leinster. O'Rourke allied with O'Connor, King of Connaught, who was also fighting off attacks on his territory by MacMurrough. They deposed MacMurrough who then went to Henry II, King of England and France, for assistance. Henry II sent the Normans to Ireland in 1169. Dermot MacMurrough died soon afterwards and in 1172 Tiernan O'Rourke was killed in a parley by the Norman, Hugh de Lacy.

The O'Rourke territory was known as Breffni O'Rourke or West Breffni. Their stronghold was at Dromahair (the Ridge of the Two Air Demons) in present County Leitrim. In 1565 Breffny O'Rourke was re-named County Leitrim by the British Lord Deputy. As with many Irish families the Norman invasion was followed by centuries of subjugation and resurgence.

After 1649 Cromwell confiscated much of their lands and many of the O'Rourkes fled to the continent. Several of them became important as churchmen, statesmen and in particular military leaders in European countries. Their descendants were among the important families in Russia and Poland. Joseph O'Rourke, a prince in the Russian aristocracy was General in Chief of the Russian Empire in 1700.
John O'Rourke, Prince of Breifne was born in 1735 in Leitrim. He went to Paris and was given a commission by Louis XV. He transferred to Russia where he was a major in the Czar's regiment of Body Guards and fought against Prussia. He returned to France and served with the cavalry and received the title "Count". His brother, Cornelius O'Rourke settled in Russia and was father of General Count Iosif Kornillievich O'Rourke (1772 - 1849) one of the Russian generals who defeated Napoleon. The Russian army lists of the Czarist times record many O'Rourkes.

Two O'Rourkes were Counts in the service of Queen Marie Therese of Austria between 1750 and 1780.

Bishop Count Edward O'Rourke, born in Poland in 1876 was apostolic administrator of Danzig before the second world war and was known as the Irish Bishop of Danzig. In the 1920s he researched his family roots at Dromahair in County Leitrim. From his home in Danzig he published "Documents and Materials for the History of the O'Rourke Family".

Edmund O'Rourke (1814 - 1879) under the pseudonym of Edmund Falconer was a successful dramatist and actor-manager.

Margaret Gaffney (1813 - 1882) daughter of William and Mary (nee O'Rourke) Gaffney emigrated to Baltimore with her parents in 1818. Her family died of yellow fever four years later. At the age of 22 she married and moved to New Orleans where her husband and little son died a year later. She then dedicated her life to helping relieve human suffering. Her marble statue stands in Margaret Square, New Orleans and a "Margaret" club still exists in that city to help orphans.

Patrick O'Rourke (1837 - 1863) emigrated from County Cavan to New York when he was only one year old. He graduated from West Point Military Academy, was a colonel of the 104th New York Volunteers and was killed at Gettysburg.

Constance Rourke (1885 - 1941), a writer of histories and biographies was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Her works include - Trumpets of Jubilee (1927), Troupers of the Gold Coast (1928), American Humour (1931), Davy Crockett (1934), Audubon (1936), Charles Sheeler (1938) and The Roots of American Culture (1942).
Garland Roark, born in Groesbeck, Texas in 1904 is the author of adventure stories including - Wake of the Red Witch (1946), Fair Wind to Java (1948), both later made into films. Other books include - Rainbow in the Royals (1950), Star in the Rigging (1954), Outlawed Banner (1956), The Lady and the Deep Blue Sea (1958), Should the Wind Be Fair (1960).

John F. O'Rourke took a major part in the planning and construction of New York's subway system.

Breifne - Ancient Territory

The territory of the Breifne division of lands which existed from Neolithic pre-Celtic times up until the break-up of the old Irish Gaelic order by the English from the Sixteenth Century onwards. It was divided into Breifne O'Reilly in the East, and Breifne O'Rourke in the West, since the rival warrior Clans of O'Reilly and O'Rourke dwelt there. Both Clans used the inhospitable redoubts of their mountain strongholds as bases from which to harass the English invaders by guerrilla raids upon the latter's' administrative district around Dublin.

Breifne was the name of the ancient territory which covered the counties of Cavan, Leitrim, part of Meath and part of Sligo. In the tenth century Breifne was divided into Breifne O'Rourke or West Breifne and Breifne O'Reilly or East Breifne.

In 1565 during the Reign of Elizabeth I, Breifne O'Rourke became the County of Leitrim, more or less. Twenty years later Breifne O'Reilly evolved into the present day County of Cavan.

Leitrim Village, Knockvicar, Keadue and Ballinafad are part of the ancestral home of the Rourke and O'Roukes and form a stage of the Beara-Breifne Greenway which is based on the historic march of O'Sullivan Beara in 1603.