Ó Maoilriain (anglicised as Ryan or Mulryan) is an

Irish Gaelic Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was the ...

clan based in what is today

County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after th ...

and

County Limerick "Remember Limerick" , image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Limerick.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Munster , subdivision ...

. The clan claims descent from

Cathair Mór Cathair Mór ("the great"), son of Feidhlimidh Fiorurghlas, a descendant of Conchobar Abradruad, was, according to Lebor Gabála Érenn, a High King of Ireland.Foras Feasa ar Éirinn, Section 40, page 259, http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100054/t ...

of the

Laighin The Laigin, modern spelling Laighin (), were a Gaelic population group of early Ireland. They gave their name to the Kingdom of Leinster, which in the medieval era was known in Irish as ''Cóiced Laigen'', meaning "Fifth/province of the Leinsterm ...

, but they first appear in the historical record in the 15th century in the kingdom of

Thomond Thomond (Classical Irish: ; Modern Irish: ), also known as the kingdom of Limerick, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Clare and County Limerick, as well as parts of County Tipperary around Nenag ...

. John O'Donovan claims they are distinct from the Ryan clan which ruled Uí Dróna in what is today

County Carlow County Carlow ( ; ga, Contae Cheatharlach) is a county located in the South-East Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Carlow is the second smallest and the third least populous of Ireland's 32 traditional counties. Carlow Cou ...

Naming conventions

Overview

This family claim descent from one Maoil Riagháin, who was named in honour of a Saint Riagháin. It is first documented as a

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

in the 15th century in east

/north Ormond, where the Ó Maoilriains attacked and displaced the Ó hIfearnáin family. The territory they conquered became known as barony of

Owney and Arra Owney and Arra (Irish: ''Uaithne agus Ara'') is a barony in County Tipperary, Ireland. This geographical unit of land is one of 12 baronies in County Tipperary. Its chief town is Newport. The barony lies between Ormond Lower to the north (whose ...

. Owney derived its name from one Uaithne Ó Maoilriain.

References

Bibliography

* ''The family of O'Mulryan in Spain'', W.D. O'Ryan, '' The Irish Genealogist, 1961. * ''Records of Four Tipperary Septs: the O'Kennedys, O'Dwyers, O'Mulryans, and O'Meaghers'', M. Callaghan, JAG Publishing, Galway, 1972. * ''Ryan:O´ Maolilriain'',

Dáithí Ó hÓgáin Dáithí Ó hÓgáin (13 June 1949 – 11 December 2011), Irish folklorist, was professor of Irish folklore at University College Dublin. Born in Co. Limerick, he was a writer well-versed both in English and Irish, as well as being an academic. ...

, Gill & Macmillan, Dublin, 2003. *

Naming conventions

Overview

See also

References

Bibliography

External links