General Chat

The Origins of the Mulcahy Family Name:

There are multitude of rich histories underlying the many Irish surnames in use today. The name Mulcahy originally appeared in Gaelic as O Maolchathaigh, which means "a descendant of a devotee of St. Cathach." The surname is not, as is often believed, derived from "Cathach," meaning "warlike."

Pronunciation, rather than spelling, was what guided scribes and church officials in recording names, a practice that often led to the misleading result of one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname Mulcahy are preserved in documents that were examined for evidence of the family's history. The various spellings of Mulcahy included Mulcahey, O'Mulcahey, Mulcahy, O'Mulcahy, Mulcahee, Mulkey, McMulkey and many more.

http://www.familylobby.com/mulcahyfamily/default.asp

Thats them Shims my inlaws came to England as Malcahy have several variations of surname in two generations

Anything for McSHANES

Brill Mel, am pleased :)) xxx

Will look Keith, hang on hun. xxx

Hi Shimms ,
anything for Dower , i did google earlier on ,
but only found about dower houses and such like .
Dower came from Waterford Eire ,
Cutie

McShanes for Keith

Gosh, there is so much

http://www.clanmcshane.org/history.html

Clan McShane (MacSeain, Johnson, McSean, Shane, O'Cheyne, MacEoghan, McOwen)

A traditional Ulster herding/warrior clan descending originally from Niall of the Nine Hostages. Closely linked and blood related to The O'Neills Mor, Clanaboy and the Fews. McShanes hereditary title is that of "a Chief of Moy Ith or Mag Itha", which is a plain going from the eastern Donegal border to southern Derry through Tyrone.

Originally centered in the area to the west of the shore of Lough Neagh, between Dungannon and Maghera (Counties Derry and Tyrone). Large septs range from Strabane, northern Donegal, Down, Antrim, Armagh, Fermanagh, Monaghan, and Cork.

Literary references date from the 13th, 16th, 17th centuries, then a regular history unfolds from the 18th century forward. Today, the family is represented in 8 separate counties. The head of the clan is Major Jameson Riley Johnson, of the Desertmartin McShane line.

Cutie hun,

Found a fab website for Dower, sorry tis a powerpoint, won't let me c/paste. xxx

http://www.houseofnames.com/xq/asp.fc/qx/dower-family-crest.htm

WELL DONE SHIMMS

Thanks Shimms will have a look

My pleasure, I have Irish blood in my veins too, will have to find my link. :)

SHIMMS

NAME OF HALES PLEASE

Shims you are wonderful ~ bout GilMartin?

Hi Dizzi

Found something on Hales, they would appear to come from Co. Mayo,

http://personal.nbnet.nb.ca/halew/Hale.html

I'll keep looking for you, scroll down, tis quite interesting. x

Oh Mel,

Found this ... will keep looking for you too yet this is, well you will enjoy it. :)

http://www.gilmartinusa.net/

Done it, tis a powerpoint, this is it lol!

http://www.houseofnames.com/xq/asp.fc/qx/gilmartin-family-crest.htm

Night ladies, night Keith, have loved this thread today and found it very interesting, you have worked hard Shimms, good night hun.

Barb xxx

nite nite Barb, so pleased you've enjoyed them. xxx

Dizzi, I've done it I think, might be English though by the looks of it. xxx

http://www.houseofnames.com/xq/asp.fc/qx/hales-family-crest.htm

n

mcarthur

Hi Bob

CLAN McARTHUR

Gosh, goes right back to the ancient myth of King Arthur; they also fought beside King Robert the Bruce and through marriage Campbells entered the ancient bloodline.

McArthur is one of the oldest Clans in Scots history with septs (branches) emigrating all over.

I shall put some of this on the Clans from Scotland which is where it also belongs, here is yours, the Irish sept of McArthur follows lower down.

MACARTHUR

Motto..............:Fide et Opera (By fidelity and work)
Badge.............:Fir Club Moss, Wild Thyme, Wild Myrtle
Lands..............:Argyll, Cowal, Skye
Origin of Name.:Son of Arthur
Slogan..............:Eisd! O Eisd! (Listen! O Listen!)

The legends of King Arthur are well known and historically contradictory. From the Welsh-speaking areas of Strathclyde (in which Glasgow now lies), Rheged and Gododdin (in which Edinburgh now lies), the earliest surviving Scottish poem tells of the resistance leader Arthur fighting against the English of Northumbria when they defeated Gododdin. When Scotland’s Welsh-speaking Kingdoms were wiped out the language returned to Wales and Cornwall.

Arthurian legend was taken with it to be transplanted and developed all over these areas. Arthur’s Seat, however, remains solidly beside Edinburgh. An ancient Celtic couplet ran, ‘the hills and streams and MacAlpine but whence came forth MacArthur?’ so old is the name.

The MacArthurs fought beside Robert the Bruce for Scotland’s independence and gained mid-Argyll lands from the King’s opposers as a reward. From here the MacArthurs prospered and spread, growing into two successful houses - the MacArthurs of Loch Awe and the MacArthur Campbells of Strachur.

In the thirteenth century a MacArthur married the heiress of Duncan mac Duibhne.

Later the Clanh Ua Duihne carried the nickname Cam beul. So through the MacArthurs came the Campbells.

When James I returned from his English imprisonment his wrath fell upon the MacArthurs among others. Through a wave of executions and estate seizures the MacArthurs were stunted and the Campbells became the predominant race north of Glasgow.

In 1567 Duncan MacArthur and his son, of the Loch Awe family, became the victims of their own success when jealousy drove neighbours to drown them in the loch.

A great number of MacArthurs emigrated from Scotland in the years following disastrous Culloden in 1746, choosing to restart in America, Canada, Australia and the West Indies.

IRISH CONNECTIONS

Clann Artair is the Gaelic spelling of Clan Arthur and the original form of the ancient family name - Meaning simply "The Children of Arthur". Mhic is the Gaelic for "son of" and Nhic is the Gaelic for "daughter of". It is from these ancient words that the modern "Mac" or "Mc" have been derived. The original spelling of MacArthur was Mhic Artair, meaning "Son of Arthur", hence the name Arthurson. Nhic has passed out of current usage, but was still prevalent amongst my female ancestors as "Nc" and "Nik" until a few centuries ago. The corruption of the ancient Gaelic language by the modern English tongue, coupled with historic bad spelling, indecipherable writing and regional accents, has given rise to a host of Spelling Variations of the Clan name ranging from Artair to Cartter and MacArta to Makkerthrye.

MacCarthy derives from the Irish Mac Carthaigh and is the most common "Mac" name on The Emerald Isle, prominent in the South. Kings of the ancient Irish Kingdom of Munster (now known as County Cork) the MacCarthys had their main residence at Blarney Castle. Apart from the ancestral relationship between MacArthur and MacCarthy through the High Kings of Ireland, the Munster Coat of arms also displays a shield bearing three gold crowns on an azure background similar to Clan Arthur's.

MacArtain, MacArtan, MacCartan and MacCarton are names common in Northern Ireland around County Down and County Armagh. The name originates from Art or Artan in the diminutive. The oldest form of the name is MacAirt from Cormac MacAirt, a third century Dalriadic "king" of Ireland who has strong associations with Argyll - The homeland of Clan Arthur.

MacCartney and MacArtney translate as "Son of Artaine" and share the same root as MacArthur. The names were common in Galloway and Ayrshire from whence it spread to the Northern Irish counties of Antrim, Down and Armagh. Glen Artney and Strath Gartney are to be found in Central Scotland.

CONCLUSION

The early name forms of Art, Artan, Artur and Artair from which the modern Anglified Arthur is derived, all originate anciently from Argyll, Ayrshire, Galloway and Northern Ireland - Areas all linked culturally by the Northern Irish Sea. The British name Arthur originates from the ancient peoples in the West of Scotland. The Legends of the sixth century "King Arthur" must surely originate from the life of the sixth century "Prince" Artur MacAeden, in the West of Scotland.

Bob, have pmd you in case you don't see this. xxx