Mac Maoláin

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

- Irish

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 ...

Overview

Mac Maoláin was a surname borne by a number of unrelated families in

Gaelic Ireland Gaelic Ireland ( ga, Éire Ghaelach) was the Gaelic political and social order, and associated culture, that existed in Ireland from the late prehistoric era until the early 17th century. It comprised the whole island before Anglo-Normans co ...

, anciently found in Breifne, Mide,

Brega Brega , also known as ''Mersa Brega'' or ''Marsa al-Brega'' ( ar, مرسى البريقة , i.e. "Brega Seaport"), is a complex of several smaller towns, industry installations and education establishments situated in Libya on the Gulf of Sidra, ...

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Delbhn ...

and Ulster. Now

anglicised Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...

MacMullan, MacMullen, MacMoylan, McMullen, McMullan, McMellon, and McMullin, this name finds its origins as the collateral form of the root forenames: Maelan (pronounced Moylan); Maolain (pronounced Mullan) and Meallain (pronounced Mellan). The Irish form Mac (pronounced Mec=son of) Maoláin evolved primarily in the provinces of Connacht, Leinster and also in Ulster, where the influx of Scot Irish McMillan who adopted the Irish form McMullen makes separation of the native Irish difficult.

Mac Maoláin of Maigh Seóla

Maelan mac Cathmogha Maelan mac Cathmogha (died 848) was King of Maigh Seóla. Origins Maelan appears to be one of the earliest recorded kings of the territory of Maigh Seola, later known as Uí Briúin Seóla. Magh Seola was surrounded to the east by the Sogha ...

was king of

Maigh Seóla Maigh Seóla (), also known as Hy Briuin Seola, was the territory that included land along the east shore of Lough Corrib in County Galway, Ireland. It was bounded to the east by the Uí Maine vassal kingdom of Soghain and extended roughly fr ...

(now part of

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 = ...

) at his death in 848, claimed as an ancestor of the southern Ui Briuin family, though historians such as

T. F. O'Rahilly Thomas Francis O'Rahilly ( ga, Tomás Ó Rathile; 11 November 1882 – 16 November 1953)Ó Sé, Diarmuid.O'Rahilly, Thomas Francis (‘T. F.’). ''Dictionary of Irish Biography''. (ed.) James McGuire, James Quinn. Cambridge, United Kingdom: C ...

thought the connection fictitious. The townland of Cluain Mhic Mhaolain (meadow of McMullan) in Roscommon immortalises the presence of a collateral surname family there.

Mac Maoláin of Gaileanga Brega

A sept of the Gailenga of

adopted the surname Mac Maoláin. The

Annals of Ulster The ''Annals of Ulster'' ( ga, Annála Uladh) are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years from 431 AD to 1540 AD. The entries up to 1489 AD were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, ...

''sub anno'' 1018 state "Maolán, mac Eccnígh uí Leochain, tigherna Gaileng & Tuath Luicchne (Luigne) uile, do mharbhadh dona Saithnibh" (''Maolán, son of Eccnígh uí Leochain, king of Gaileng and all Luigne, was killed by the Saithne''). In 1051, ''Laidcenn mac Maolain h-Uí Leocáin'' is listed as ''tigherna Gaileng'' (king of Gaileng), in 1076 the son of Mac Maolain is recorded in the round tower of Kells and in 1144, ''Mac Mic Maoláin, tigherna Gaileang Breagh'' ("the son of Mac Maoláin") was slain. Entries in the Book of Kells page 139 also reference Laidgnean Mac Moelan as laity (alumnus of columcille kells).

Mac Maoláin Uíbh Echach

MacMullan and McMullen families are recorded in the Barony of Uíbh Echach (Clanna-Rory Irish Genealogical Foundation page 16), as Bishops of the Diocese of Connor and Down with the Bishops seat (the seat of MacMullen) identified as the townland of Cabra, parish of Clonduff, ancient territory of Mac Aenghusa (Magennis), Lords of Iveagh.

References

* ''Clans and Families of Ireland and Scotland'', by C. Thomas Cairne

* ''History of Ireland in Maps'

* ''Irish Surname Development'

* ''Territory of the Gaileanga Mor'' Barony of Morgallion#cite note-1 * ''Clan Mac Maoláin Ireland'' http://www.macmaolain.com/ * ''

Lebor Gabála Érenn ''Lebor Gabála Érenn'' (literally "The Book of the Taking of Ireland"), known in English as ''The Book of Invasions'', is a collection of poems and prose narratives in the Irish language intended to be a history of Ireland and the Irish fro ...

'' * ''

Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' ( ga, Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (''Annála na gCeithre Máistrí'') are chronicles of medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Deluge, dated as 2,24 ...

'' * Geoffrey Keating, 1636, ''Foras Feasa ar Eirenn''

External links