Ó Cianáin was the name of a
Gaelic
Gaelic (pronounced for Irish Gaelic and for Scots Gaelic) is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". It may refer to:
Languages
* Gaelic languages or Goidelic languages, a linguistic group that is one of the two branches of the Insul ...
-
Irish Brehon
Brehon (, ) is a term for a historical arbitration, mediative, and judicial role in Gaelic culture. Brehons were part of the system of Early Irish law, which was also simply called " Brehon law". Brehons were judges, close in importance to the ...
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
. They were originally
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 t ...
s of the parish of Cleenish,
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 E ...
, but who had served for several centuries as historians to
Mag Uidir of
Fear Manach (2007, p. 437).
The
Annals of Ulster
The ''Annals of Ulster'' () are annals of History of Ireland, 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 Ruaidhrà Ó Luinà ...
record the death of
Giolla na Naomh Ó Cianáin, abbot of Lis Gabhail (Lisgoole), on 12 August 1345 (actually 1348).
One of the family's most noted productions was
Leabhar Adhamh Ó Cianáin
''Leabhar Adhamh Ó Cianáin'' or ''The Book of Adhamh Ó Cianáin'', now G 2-3 NLI (National Library of Ireland), is a book written in or about the 1340s by Adhamh Ó Cianáin by and for himself, and out of the book of his teacher, Seán Mór Ó D ...
, written in or about the 1340s by
Adhamh Ó Cianáin (died 1373) by and for himself, and out of the book of his teacher,
Seán Mór Ó Dubhagáin
Seán Mór Ó Dubhagáin (died 1372) was an Irish Gaelic poet.
Background
Ó Dubhagáinn was among the first notable members of the bardic family Baile Uà Dhubhagáin (Ballyduggan), near Loughrea, County Galway. He was accorded the rank o ...
(died 1372).
The
Annals of the Four Masters
The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' () or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' () are chronicles of Middle Ages, medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Genesis flood narrative, Deluge, dated as 2,242 Anno Mundi, years after crea ...
cite the deaths of members of the family under the years 1348, 1373, 1387, 1400, 1405, 1459, 1569, 1483.
The
surname
In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...
is anglicised as
Keenan.
See also
*
Adhamh Ó Cianáin, died 1373
*
Eoghain Ó Cianáin (fl. 1540)
harp
The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or ...
er and servant of
Gerald FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Kildare
Gerard FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Kildare (1487 – 12 December 1534; Irish: ''Gearóid Óg Mac Gearailt'', meaning "Young Gerald FitzGerald"), was a leading figure in 16th-century Irish history. In 1513 he inherited the title of Earl of Kildar ...
*
Tadhg Ó Cianáin/
Tadhg Óg Ó Cianáin, writer, died
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
, November/December 1614.
*
Cú Chonnacht Ó Cianáin, d. 1615, was a rymer or chronicler to Rory Maguire.
*
Thady Ó Cianáin, composer, fl. 17th century
*
Owen Keenan, harper, born 1725
*
John Keenan (Medal of Honor)
John Keenan (1840s–March 18, 1906) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in the Indian Wars of the western United States involving "bravery in sc ...
, 1840s-1906
*
Brian Keenan (Irish republican),
IRA, 1942–2008
*
Brian Keenan (musician), 1943–85
*
Paddy Keenan
Paddy Keenan (born 30 January 1950) is an Irish player of the uilleann pipes who first gained fame as a founding member of The Bothy Band. Since that group's dissolution in the late 1970s, Keenan has released a number of solo and collaborati ...
, born 1950),
uilleann piper
*
Brian Keenan (writer)
Brian Keenan (born 28 September 1950) is an Irish writer whose work includes the book ''An Evil Cradling'', an account of the four and a half years he spent as a hostage in Beirut, Lebanon from 11 April 1986 to 24 August 1990.
Life
Keenan wa ...
, born 1951,
kidnap
Kidnapping or abduction is the unlawful abduction and confinement of a person against their will, and is a crime in many jurisdictions. Kidnapping may be accomplished by use of force or fear, or a victim may be enticed into confinement by frau ...
victim
*
Brigid Keenan
Brigid Ann Keenan (born 1939) is an author and journalist.
She was born in Ambala, India, where her father was an officer in the British Indian Army during the British Raj, Raj. Her family repatriated to the United Kingdom after Indian Independe ...
,
author
In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...
and
journalist
A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism.
Roles
Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...
Sources
* ''The Learned Family of Ó Cianáin/Keenan'', by
Nollaig Ó MuraÃle
Nollaig Ó MuraÃle is an Irish scholar. He published an edition of Dubhaltach Mac Fhirbhisigh's ''Leabhar na nGenealach'' in 2004. He was admitted to the Royal Irish Academy in 2009.
Life and career
A native of Knock, County Mayo, Ó MuraÃle ...
, in
Clogher
Clogher (; , ) is a village and civil parish in the border area of south County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Blackwater, 5.8 miles from the border crossing to County Monaghan. It stands on the townlands of Clogher Demesne ...
Record, pp. 396–402, 2005.
* http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm?fuseaction=Go.&UserID=
{{DEFAULTSORT:O Cianain
Irish families
Irish Brehon families
Surnames of Irish origin
Irish-language surnames
Families of Irish ancestry
Roman Catholic families