Coat of Arms
by Anthony Okieffe
The O'Keeffe Coat of Arms design was found in Burke's General Armory, one of the greatest collections of Coat of Arms for the families of England, Scotland and Ireland. The book was written by British officer of arms and genealogist Sir John Bernard Burke (5 January 1814 – 12 December 1892). Heraldic artists who created these Coats of Arms for various families across the three countries developed their own language to describe each Coat of Arms. The Arms (or shield) s described by the Heraldic people as follows: “Vert. A lion ramp. Or, in chief two dexter hands couped at the wrist erect and apaumee of the last.”
Above the shield and helmet is the Crest which is described as: “A Griffin pass. or, holding in the dexter claw a sword ppr.”
In normal language, the Coat of Arms depicts a gold lion rampant on a green shield with two gold dexter arms erect. The colours of green and gold have been the original O'keefe Coat of Arms and Crest colours for centuries and they haven't been changed since then.
References:
Burke, John Bernard. Burke's General Armory of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. London, England: Harrison & Sons Co. Ltd., 1848.
