Mulcahy is a surname of

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 ...

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 ...

origin. The anglicized form of "Ó Maolchatha" which in Gaelic means 'a descendant of a devotee of Cathach', a personal name meaning Warlike. The name is thought to originate in County Tipperary, however the earliest mention of the family appears in the

Annals of Inisfallen Annals ( la, annāles, from , "year") are a concise historical record in which events are arranged chronologically, year by year, although the term is also used loosely for any historical record. Scope The nature of the distinction between ann ...

in 1317 AD and subsequent references in and around the Churches of

County Kerry County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...

in the 15th century.

History

The pre-eminent authority on Irish surnames,

Edward MacLysaght Edgeworth Lysaght, later Edward Anthony Edgeworth Lysaght, and from 1920 Edward MacLysaght ( ga, Éamonn Mac Giolla Iasachta; 6 November 1887 – 4 March 1986) was a genealogist of twentieth century Ireland. His numerous books on Irish surnames b ...

wrote of the remarkable lack of medieval reference to the Mulcahy surname in the annalistic records. The only known reference to a member of the sept in any Annalistic record is from the

in 1317 AD A Giolla Moenaig Ó Maolchatha is mentioned as a "''Keeper of the Island''" which could possibly be evidence of the families earlier

erenagh The medieval Irish office of erenagh (Old Irish: ''airchinnech'', Modern Irish: ''airchinneach'', Latin: ''princeps'') was responsible for receiving parish revenue from tithes and rents, building and maintaining church property and overseeing the ...

status within the local area. Furthermore, the Uí Mhaolchatha sept appears to have been active in the 15th century in the churches of Co. Kerry. Benefices were granted by papal decree to a number of the sept, including the Vicarages of Killarney, Ardfert and Aghadoe. There is evidence that these benefices were held within the sept for a number of generations, supporting the notion that the family had developed a political hold on the offices without having even been ordained as priests. The Annalistic record for a Giolla Moenaig Ó Maolchatha in the Annals of Inisfallen in 1317 AD combined with the above-mentioned appointments of the vicarages would support the idea that the Uí Mhaolchatha of Co. Kerry had developed into a modest ecclesiastical dynasty.

Etymology

The surname is of ecclesiastical origin. While it is true that Cathach means Warlike, the inclusion of the prefix Maol refers to a 'devotee' of an individual whose name was Cathach. So the full name of Ó Maolchatha means 'A descendant of a devotee of Cathach' most likely the name of a saint.

O'More theory

There exists a popularly circulated theory regarding the Mulcahy families origins. The theory first proposed by historian

John O'Hart John O'Hart (1824–1902) was an Irish genealogist. He was born in Crossmolina, County Mayo, Ireland. A committed Roman Catholic and Irish nationalist, O'Hart had originally planned to become a priest but instead spent two years as a poli ...

in his highly flawed work, Irish Pedigrees, claims that the Mulcahy family descend from the O'More family of

County Laois County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...

. O'Hart makes mention of a John O'More who he claims was a younger brother of Rory Caech O'More and who adopted the surname Maolcatha. This theory is almost certainly wrong. O'Hart, intentionally or unintentionally had attributed the origins of the Mulcahy family with O'More on the basis of the name which John O'More had adopted. The name John O'More adopted was not ''Maolchatha'' as O'Hart had claimed but actually ''Maolchathail'', and it is from him that the County Laois sept of Ó Maolchathail usually anglicized Mulhall, claim descent. No substantial evidence exists to support the notion that Rory Caech O'More even had a brother named John, making even the claim of the Mulhall family suspect. To this day many commercial heraldic outlets continue to pass the traditional arms of the O'More family of Laois, which are ''"Vert a lion rampant or in chief three mullets of the last"'', off as those of Mulcahy when there is clearly no connection between the two families.

Chieftainship

No reliable source exists which names any Chiefly line for this sept. Therefore, any modern claimants to such a title would be highly questionable. As the family has an ecclesiastical origin, any Chiefly line would most likely be associated with the holding of a particular church title over several generations. Unlike the greater political dynasties whose power came from mainly land and cattle ownership, ecclesiastical lineages relied manly on income from these benefices to grow their influence and standing. An individual had recently come forward claiming Chiefly status by means of ad hoc Derbfine, however in a statement issued on the website of The Clan Mulcahy Association, the individual in question declared that he no longer wishes to claim the position, citing dissatisfaction with the authenticity of the 'ad hoc' system. The Uí Mhaolchatha sept has no reliably recorded Chiefly lineages. However the individual in question does claim descent from the County Kerry branch and ultimately from Giolla Moenaigh Ó Maolchatha, the earliest recorded bearer of the name. POSSIBLE CHIEFLY LINE OF THE UÍ MHAOLCHATHA KERRY BRANCH ... Giolla Moenaig ''Keeper of the Island of Innisfallen'' 1317 AD , , Giolla na Naomh = Niamh Dau. of Y Chwoma (Uí Chiabhaigh) 1401 AD , , Thomas, Vicar of Killarney First record of the Vicarage in the family 1426 AD , , Thady (Tadhg), Vicar of Killarney and Aghadoe, Rector of Kyllmicluym (Drishane parish) 1473 AD , , — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — , , John Thomas John and Thomas (Possibly brothers) both claimed the Vicarage of Killarney in 1480. Thomas was said to have claimed the office without proper cause. John was granted the Vicarage by Papal decree however it seems John would not dare meet with Thomas for fear of violence.Papal Registers of Great Britain and Ireland

Heraldry

It is a common misconception that Coats of Arms were used to identify families. They were in fact personal property of individuals. It is therefore possible for multiple Coats of Arms to exist under the same surname. However, in the case of Mulcahy, no bearer of the surname has ever registered a Coat of Arms with any Irish Heraldic Authority in Medieval times. No Heraldic symbols can be authentically associated with the family. The Mulcahy Association, has adopted the symbol of a Yew Tree as their emblem. The Yew, according to the organisation, is closely associated with early church sites as well as having important meaning for the Gaelic Irish.

Places

*Ballyogaha (Baile Uí gCathaigh), in

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...

, which may or may not have had some connection with the family *Mulcahy Middle School, a middle school in the

San Joaquin Valley The San Joaquin Valley ( ; es, Valle de San Joaquín) is the area of the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California that lies south of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and is drained by the San Joaquin River. It comprises seven c ...

in California *

Mulcahy Stadium Mulcahy Stadium is a 3,500-capacity baseball park in Anchorage, Alaska. Built in 1964, it is home to two teams of the Alaska Baseball League: the Anchorage Glacier Pilots and Anchorage Bucs. In addition to the Glacier Pilots and Bucs, high school an ...

, a baseball stadium in Anchorage, Alaska

Persons

Anne M. Mulcahy Anne M. Mulcahy (born October 21, 1952) is the former chairperson and CEO of Xerox Corporation. She was named CEO of Xerox on August 1, 2001, and chairwoman on January 1, 2002. In addition to serving on the Xerox board, she has been a member of t ...

(born 1952), American businesswoman, chairman and CEO of Xerox *

Dan Mulcahy Daniel Mulcahy (7 January 1882 – 13 July 1953) was an Australian politician. Born in Milltown, Ireland, he was educated at Irish Catholic schools and migrated to Australia as a youth. He became a publican in Sydney and served on both Waterlo ...

(1882-1953), Australian politician * Denis Mulcahy (born 1956), Irish hurling player *

Francis P. Mulcahy Francis Patrick Mulcahy CBE (March 9, 1894 – December 11, 1973) was a general and commander in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. Mulcahy commanded the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, the Cactus Air Force, and the Tactical Air For ...

(1894-1973),

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

general and commander during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. * Geoffrey Mulcahy (born 1942), British businessman with Kingfisher plc *

Hugh Mulcahy Hugh Noyes Mulcahy (September 9, 1913 – October 19, 2001) was an Americans, American professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies (1935–40 and 1945–46) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1947 ...

(1913–2001), American professional baseball player * John Mulcahy (1876–1942), American Olympic double scull rower in the 1904 Olympics *

John Joseph Mulcahy John Joseph Mulcahy (June 26, 1922 – April 29, 1994) was a Roman Catholic bishop. Born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, Mulcahy was ordained to the priesthood on May 1, 1947, for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. On December 28, 1974, M ...

, American Roman Catholic bishop * Kevin V. Mulcahy (born 1945), American professor and culture scholar *

Mark Mulcahy Mark Mulcahy is an American musician and front-man for the New Haven, Connecticut-based band Miracle Legion. The band earned modest renown, especially in their native New England region, but disbanded after a sad turn of events with their recor ...

(contemporary), American jangle-pop musician in the 1980–90s * Michael Mulcahy (born 1952), Irish expressionist painter * Michael Mulcahy (born 1960), Irish Fianna Fáil party politician; TD for Dublin South-Central *

Pat Mulcahy Pat Mulcahy (born 25 August 1975) is an Irish hurler who played as a Full back for the Cork senior team. Mulcahy made his first appearance for the team during the 1997 championship and was a regular member of the starting fifteen until his r ...

(born 1975), Irish hurling player * Rosemarie Mulcahy (1942–2012), Irish academic and author *

Richard Mulcahy Richard James Mulcahy (10 May 1886 – 16 December 1971) was an Irish Fine Gael politician and army general who served as Minister for Education from 1948 to 1951 and 1954 to 1957, Minister for the Gaeltacht from June 1956 to October 1956, L ...

(1886–1971), Irish politician, leader of Fine Gael and Cabinet Minister; Chief of Staff of the IRA *

Russell Mulcahy Russell Mulcahy ( ; born 23 June 1953) is an Australian film director. Mulcahy's work is recognisable by the use of fast cuts, tracking shots and use of glowing lights, neo-noir lighting, windblown drapery, and fans. He directed music videos i ...

(born 1953), Australian film director *

Tomás Mulcahy Tomás Mulcahy (born 26 June 1963) is an Irish former hurler and Gaelic footballer who played as a right corner-forward at senior level for the Cork county team. Born in Blackpool, Cork, Mulcahy first played competitive Gaelic games during hi ...

(born 1963), Irish hurling player ;Fictional person: *

Father Mulcahy This is a list of characters from the ''M*A*S*H'' franchise, covering the various fictional characters appearing in the novel '' MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors'' and its sequels, the 1970 film adaptation of the novel, and the televis ...

, American character in the U.S. film and television show ''M*A*S*H''

References

{{surname Irish families Surnames of Irish origin