Donnellan is an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

surname and refers to the clan name Ó Domhnalláin or O'Donnellan. At least two unrelated families of the name existed in Gaelic Ireland. One in south-east

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

, another in south-east Connacht in the kingdom of Ui Maine. More recently, a number of Donnellans had their name changed from Donnelly in the 19th century, located largely in the

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on ...

Mayo Mayo often refers to: * Mayonnaise, often shortened to "mayo" * Mayo Clinic, a medical center in Rochester, Minnesota, United States Mayo may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Mayo Peak, Marie Byrd Land Australia * Division of Mayo, an Aust ...

region. As such, their descendancy can be traced to the

Uí Néill The Uí Néill (Irish pronunciation: ; meaning "descendants of Niall") are Irish dynasties who claim descent from Niall Noígíallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages), a historical King of Tara who died c. 405. They are generally divided into t ...

, including the High King Niall of the Nine Hostages. The

patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

of the Donnellan's of Ui Maine is Saint Grellan. The family derive their name from Domnallan mac Maelbrigdi. First found in Galway, the family has held a seat from ancient times, dating back from at least the 1300s. One of the twelve ancient seats of Connacht, they resided over large areas of Galway, Roscommon and eventually West Meath. Ballydonnellan Castle was the seat of the Donnellans of Ui Maine. The heads of this family were the chiefs of Clann Bhreasail, the district lying between Loughrea and Ballinasloe. The original castle is said to have been erected as early as 936 but this, more likely than not, was probably a ring fort. Another castle built on the same site was destroyed by fire some time before 1412 when it was rebuilt by the Donnellans. During the 17th century the family added a long two-storey house to the side of the castle. During the following century the castle was renovated and extended to form an end pavillon wing, and a matching wing was added to the other end of the seventeenth-century structure. The wings were redesigned after 1787 when the façade of the central range was altered with a four-bay pedimented breakfront. One of the wings was destroyed by fire before 1913 but the entire house was in ruin by 1978. This is located about two miles north of Kilreekill.

Notable Donnellans

* Domnallan mac Maelbrigdi of Ui Maine, ancestor of the Donnellans of Galway, fl. c. 9th/10th century * Ainglioch Ó Dónalláin, poet, fl. mid-14th or mid-15th century * Flann Óge Ó Domhnalláin, Chief Poet of Connacht, died 1342 * Mael Sechlainn Ó Domhnalláin, Irish poet, died 1375 * Flann Óc mac Séoan Ó Domhnalláin, Ollamh Síol Muireadaigh, 1404 * Nehemiah Donnellan,

Archbishop of Tuam The Archbishop of Tuam ( ; ga, Ard-Easpag Thuama) is an archbishop which takes its name after the town of Tuam in County Galway, Ireland. The title was used by the Church of Ireland until 1839, and is still in use by the Catholic Church. Histor ...

, fl. c. 1560–1609 *

James Donnellan Sir James Donnellan (c. 1588 – 1665) was an Irish lawyer and politician, who became Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas in 1660. He was unusual among the Irish judges of the time in being of Gaelic descent; and more remarkable in that hi ...

, lawyer and politician, c. 1588 – 1665. * Pádhraic Ó Domhnalláin, Irish duelist, fl. 1830. * Padraig Ó Domhnallain, short-story writer, born 1884. * Martin Donnellan, recipient of the Scott Medal, born 1948. *

Declan Donnellan Declan Michael Martin Donnellan (born 4 August 1953) is an English film/stage director and author. He co-founded the Cheek by Jowl theatre company with Nick Ormerod in 1981. In addition to his Cheek by Jowl productions, Donnellan has made theat ...

, theater director *

John Donnellan John F. Donnellan (born 27 March 1937) is an Irish former politician and sportsman. He served as a Fine Gael Teachta Dála (TD) for twenty-five years and as a Minister of State from 1982 to 1987. He played Gaelic football for his local club Dun ...

, Irish politician *

Keith Donnellan Keith Sedgwick Donnellan (; June 25, 1931 – February 20, 2015) was an American philosopher and Professor of Philosophy (later Professor Emeritus) at the University of California, Los Angeles. Donnellan contributed to the philosophy of language ...

, philosopher * Michael Donnellan, various including ** Michael Donnellan, Irish Clann na Talmhan politician ** Michael Donnellan, GAA footballer *

Nanci Donnellan ''The Fabulous Sports Babe'' was a semi-fictional character who hosted various American sports radio broadcasts. The program, hosted by Tampa Bay area resident Nanci Donnellan, was syndicated across the United States on both ESPN Radio and ESPN2, ...

, sports radio broadcaster * Pat Donnellan, GAA footballer * Philip Donnellan, English documentary film-maker * Steve Donnellan, Australian evolutionary biologist * Thomas Donnellan, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Atlanta, 1968–1987

References

{{surname Surnames of Irish origin Anglicised Irish-language surnames