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The O'Cahan ( Irish: ''Ó Catháin'' 'descendants of Cahan') were a powerful sept of the Northern Uà Néill’s Cenél nEógain in medieval Ireland. The name is presently anglicized as Keane, O'Kane and Kane.
The O'Cahan's originated in Laggan in the east of County Donegal and from there moved eastwards in the twelfth century, ousting the O'Connor from Keenaght in
The O'Cahan sept of Keenaght Glengiven first appear on record in 1138. A thirteenth-century chief of the family was Cumee na Gall O'Cahan. A heavily restored effigy at Dungiven Priory is sometimes associated with Cumee, although it appears to date to the last quarter of the fifteenth century, and seems to be that of a later member of the sept. Dunseverick Castle also formed part of the O'Cahan possessions until their destruction by the English.
The clan suffered a blow during the battle of Drumderg, where fifteen O'Cahan chieftains were slain in battle against the Normans and their gaelic allies.
Rory Dall O'Cahan, an Irish harpist of the 17th century most famous as the composer of Give Me Your Hand, may have penned the popular Irish tune the " Londonderry Air", in order to lament the destruction of O'Cahan power. Consequently, it may have been originally called " O'Cahan's Lament". The music is best known as the tune of the song "Explore Limavady
/ref> By the late 16th-century, "O'Cahan's Country" became the county of Coleraine. The majority of Ó Catháin chiefs fled Ulster in the Flight of the Earls in 1607, and under the terms of Surrender and regrant they forfeited their lands to the English crown. During the subsequent
Ó Catháin in Ireland
The O'Cahan ( Irish: ''Ó Catháin'' 'descendants of Cahan') were a powerful sept of the Northern Uà Néill’s Cenél nEógain in medieval Ireland. The name is presently anglicized as Keane, O'Kane and Kane.
The O'Cahan's originated in Laggan in the east of County Donegal and from there moved eastwards in the twelfth century, ousting the O'Connor from Keenaght in County Londonderry
County Londonderry ( Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry ( ga, Contae Dhoire), is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty two counties of Ireland and one of the nine counties of Ulster. B ...
. They held the lordship of Keenaght and Coleraine until the seventeenth century, to which it was commonly referred to as "O'Cahan's country". Under the sub-ordination of their kin, the O'Neill
The O'Neill dynasty (Irish: ''Ó Néill'') are a lineage of Irish Gaelic origin, that held prominent positions and titles in Ireland and elsewhere. As kings of Cenél nEógain, they were historically the most prominent family of the Northern ...
s, they held the privilege of inaugurating the chief of the O'Neill by tossing a shoe over the new chief's head in acceptance of his rule.
There is also an unrelated sept of O'Cahan in the province of Connacht, the O'Cahan Ui Fiachra (''Ó Catháin Uà Fiachrach''). At first O'Cahan held the title chief of Cenel Ianna. After expelling O'Drennan (''Ó Draighneán''), chief of Cenel Sedna, O'Cahan was henceforth known as chief of Cenel Sedna. Eoghan O'Cahan (''Eogháin Ua Catháin''), abbot of Clonfert (''Cluan-fearta-Brennainn''), County Galway
"Righteousness and Justice"
, anthem = ()
, image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg
, map_caption = Location in Ireland
, area_footnotes =
, area_total_km2 = ...
, Republic of Ireland, died 980 A.D. He was the earliest recorded O'Cahan and most likely belonged to the O'Cahan's of Galway.
Name
The surname has been anglicised O'Cahan, Cahan, McCaughan, O'Kane, Kane, O'Keane, Keane, O'Kean, O'Keene, Keen, Keene, Kain, O'Kaine, Kathan, and similar variations thereof.History
The O'Cahan sept of Keenaght Glengiven first appear on record in 1138. A thirteenth-century chief of the family was Cumee na Gall O'Cahan. A heavily restored effigy at Dungiven Priory is sometimes associated with Cumee, although it appears to date to the last quarter of the fifteenth century, and seems to be that of a later member of the sept. Dunseverick Castle also formed part of the O'Cahan possessions until their destruction by the English.
The clan suffered a blow during the battle of Drumderg, where fifteen O'Cahan chieftains were slain in battle against the Normans and their gaelic allies.
Rory Dall O'Cahan, an Irish harpist of the 17th century most famous as the composer of Give Me Your Hand, may have penned the popular Irish tune the " Londonderry Air", in order to lament the destruction of O'Cahan power. Consequently, it may have been originally called " O'Cahan's Lament". The music is best known as the tune of the song "Danny Boy
"Danny Boy" is a ballad, written by English songwriter Frederic Weatherly in 1913, and set to the traditional Irish melody of "Londonderry Air".
History
In 1910, in Bath, Somerset, the English lawyer and lyricist Frederic Weatherly initial ...
"./ref> By the late 16th-century, "O'Cahan's Country" became the county of Coleraine. The majority of Ó Catháin chiefs fled Ulster in the Flight of the Earls in 1607, and under the terms of Surrender and regrant they forfeited their lands to the English crown. During the subsequent
Plantation of Ulster
The Plantation of Ulster ( gle, Plandáil Uladh; Ulster-Scots: ''Plantin o Ulstèr'') was the organised colonisation (''plantation'') of Ulstera province of Irelandby people from Great Britain during the reign of King James I. Most of the sett ...
, County Coleraine along with parts of counties Antrim, Donegal, and Tyrone, were merged to form County Londonderry. After the Flight of the Earls in 1607, Donnell Ballagh O'Cahan, Chief of the Ó Catháin (and at one time knighted by the English Crown), was captured and sent to the Tower of London, where he died in 1626. There has been no Chief since.
See also
*Manus O'Cahan's Regiment
Manus O'Cahan's Regiment of Foot was an Irish regiment which served during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms in the mid-1640s.
History
Manus O'Cahan's Regiment of Foot was a body of soldiers, many of whom fought in Europe in the early years of t ...
* Clan Buchanan
* Clan Munro
External links
Ó Catháin in Ireland
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ocahan History of Northern Ireland Irish families Surnames of Irish origin O Cathain