Arms: Argent, on a chevron between three lozenges Sable, a lion passant Or. Crest: Out of a ducal coronet Or, a bull’s head Gules; armed Sable. Supporters: Dexter, a lion; sinister a leopard reguardant; both Proper and collared and chained Or.[1]
Pro Libertate Patriae (For The Liberty Of My Country)
Baron Massy, of Duntryleague in the County of Limerick, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland.[2] It was created on 4 August 1776 for Hugh Massy, who had previously represented County Limerick in the Irish House of Commons. His son, the second Baron, also represented this constituency in the Irish Parliament. His great-grandson, the sixth Baron, sat in the House of Lords as an Irish representative peer from 1876 to 1915. He left such heavy debts that in 1924 the family were evicted from their home.
As of 2014[update] the title is held by the latter's great-great-grandson, the tenth Baron, who succeeded his father in 1995.
The family seat was Killakee House, near Rathfarnham, County Dublin. The house was demolished in 1941, but the Killakee estate, popularly known as Lord Massey's Wood, is now a much valued public amenity. Another seat from the 1790s was Hermitage House in Castleconnell, County Limerick, until it was burnt in June 1920, being demolished in the 1970s.
The heir presumptive is the present holder's brother Hon. John Hugh Somerset Massy (born 1950). His heir apparent is his son Luke John Somerset Massy (born 1984).