Domnall Ua Finn (died 1195),

Bishop of Clonfert The Bishop of Clonfert () is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Clonfert in County Galway, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains as a separate title; but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with oth ...

. Ua Finn (later Ó Finn or Finn) derived from the Irish ''fionn'', meaning ''fair'' or ''fair-haired''. From the medieval annals, the surname appears to have arisen independently in at least three distinct areas: in Oriel; in Ui Fiachrach Aidhne in what is now

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

and in

Uí Fiachrach Muaidhe The Uí Fiachrach Muaidhe were a branch of the Uí Fiachrach dynasty of the Connachta in medieval Ireland. They were centred on the Moy River valley of modern-day County Mayo, Ireland. At its largest extent, their territory, Tír Fhíacrach Múai ...

in what is now

County Sligo County Sligo ( , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region and is part of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in ...

. All three families were unrelated. The Galway family were based around Kilcolgan in the south of the county, where they were hereditary abbots of Kilcolgan. The date of Ua Finn's appointment is uncertain; 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 ...

, citing him as ''Coarb of Clonfert-Brendan'', records his death ''sub anno'' 1195.

References

* http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100005C/ * http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm?fuseaction=History&Surname=Finn&UserID= * http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm?fuseaction=Go.&UserID= * ''The Surnames of Ireland'',

Edward MacLysaght Edgeworth Lysaght, later Edward Anthony Edgeworth Lysaght, and from 1920 Edward MacLysaght (; 6 November 1887 – 4 March 1986) was a genealogist of twentieth-century Ireland. His numerous books on Irish surnames built upon the work of Rev. Pat ...

, 1978. Christian clergy from County Galway Medieval Gaels from Ireland 12th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Ireland Bishops of Clonfert 1195 deaths {{Medieval-bishop-stub