Mac Craith (Meic Craith, plural form) is an Irish surname, one branch of which is rendered

McGrath McGrath or MacGrath derives from the Irish surname Mac Craith and is occasionally noted with a space: e.g. Izzy Mc Grath. In Ireland, it is pronounced "Ma Grah". In Australia and New Zealand it is pronounced ''MuhGrah''. Notable people with the su ...

Alternate forms

Among many alternate forms are McCragh, Crah, Crow and Crowe. Some of the forms may link the Mac Craith name to the ancestral name MacConcrada.

Historical mentions

At least two distinct families named Mac Craith lived in medieval Ireland. The Meic Craith 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 ...

were a learned family with close ties to

Clare Abbey Clare Abbey, also known as Clareabbey, is a ruined Augustinian monastery located near the Town of Ennis, along the banks of the Fergus River, and about a mile north of Clarecastle in County Clare, Ireland. The Abbey, founded in 1189, was the la ...

, an

Augustinian Augustinian may refer to: *Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine *Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs *Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo * Canons Regular of Sain ...

foundation. They were historians and poets of the Uí Bhriain kings and earls of Thomond. Another family of the name, not known to be related, were natives of Termon McGrath,

Lough Erne Lough Erne ( , ) is the name of two connected lakes in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is the second-biggest lake system in Northern Ireland and Ulster, and the fourth biggest in Ireland. The lakes are widened sections of the River Erne, ...

Notables

Members of the Thomond family recorded in the

Irish annals A number of Irish annals, of which the earliest was the Chronicle of Ireland, were compiled up to and shortly after the end of the 17th century. Annals were originally a means by which monks determined the yearly chronology of feast days. Over t ...

included: * Mac Raith, son of Cú Dub, eminent chief of Clann Scandláin of Dál Cais, the best "ex-layman" since Nár, son of Guaire, for piety and bestowing of food to poor people, rested in Christ in Mungarit in 1067. * The son of Mac Raith, the poet, rested in Christ in 1097 * Eoghan mac Donagh Mhaoil Mac Craith, died 1240 * MacCraith a Tarthoir (the Protector), died 1395 * Aedh Mac Craith, Junior, whose lands were despoiled by Lord Furnival in 1415 * Owen MacCraith, died 1450 * Sean mac Ruaidhri MacCraith, died 1580 Other notable members of the family include: *

Seán mac Ruaidhrí Mac Craith Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as ''Shaun/ Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; anglici ...

( fl. 14th-century), author of

Caithréim Thoirdhealbhaigh ''Cathreim Thoirdhealbhaigh'', or ''Triumphs of Torlough'' in English, is a historical account written in the 14th century in Irish by Seán mac Ruaidhrí Mac Craith, the chief historian to the Uí Bhriain dynasty.Moore, Norman. It depicts the w ...

* Mathghamhain Mág Raith,

Bishop of Killaloe The Bishop of Killaloe ( ) is an episcopal title which takes its name after the town of Killaloe in County Clare, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bish ...

, Bishop of Killaloe, 1389–1400 * Donatus Mág Raith, O.S.A., Bishop of Killaloe, 1400–1421 * Thaddaeus Mág Raith I, Bishop of Killaloe, 1423–1433 * Thaddaeus Mág Raith II, Bishop of Killaloe, 1460–1463 *

Miler Magrath , appointed = 3 February 1571 , term_end = 14 November 1622 , predecessor = James MacCawell , successor = Malcolm Hamilton , other_post = , ordination = , ordinated_by = , consecration = 4 November 1565 , consecrated_by = Francesco ...

(1523? – 1622),

Archbishop of Cashel The Archbishop of Cashel ( ga, Ard-Easpag Chaiseal Mumhan) was an archiepiscopal title which took its name after the town of Cashel, County Tipperary in Ireland. Following the Reformation, there had been parallel apostolic successions to the title ...

* Aindreas MacCraith (1723–1790) known as An Mangaire Sugach (The Jolly Merchant), buried in Kilmallock * John Magrath, soldier in the

Irish Rebellion of 1798 The Irish Rebellion of 1798 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1798; Ulster-Scots: ''The Hurries'') was a major uprising against British rule in Ireland. The main organising force was the Society of United Irishmen, a republican revolutionary group influence ...

Andrew Gordon Magrath Andrew Gordon Magrath (February 8, 1813 – April 9, 1893) was the last Governor of South Carolina under the Confederate States of America, a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina and a ...

(1813–1893), Governor of Carolina, his son

References

External links

* http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/genealogy/mcgrath_family.htm * http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm?fuseaction=History&Surname=mcgrath&UserID= Surnames Irish families Surnames of Irish origin Irish Brehon families Anglicised Irish-language surnames Roman Catholic families Septs of the Dál gCais {{surname-stub

Alternate forms

Historical mentions

Notables

See also

References

External links