Earl of Desmond - Desmond Geraldine Arms

Desmond Geraldine Arms

The coat of arms of the Geraldine earls of Desmond, blazoned ermine a saltire gules, with the ermine a mark of cadency relative to the senior Kildare branch of the Geraldines (whose arms are more simply blazoned "argent a saltire gules"), contributed to the design of the arms granted to United States President John Fitzgerald Kennedy by the Chief Herald of Ireland, as President Kennedy is believed to have descended on his mother's side from the Desmond Geraldines. The crest shows a man in armour on horseback, facing to the right.

The motto appearing beneath the Desmond arms was "Shanid Abu," in English "Shanid to victory," a reference to the Desmond stronghold of Shanid Castle.

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