MacNamara or McNamara (
Irish: ''Mac Con Mara'') is an Irish surname of a family of
County Clare
County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...
in Ireland. According to historian C. Thomas Cairney, the MacNamaras were one of the chiefly families of the
Dal gCais
The Dalcassians ( ) are a Gaels, Gaelic Irish clan, generally accepted by contemporary scholarship as being a branch of the Déisi Muman, that became very powerful in Ireland during the 10th century. Their genealogies claimed descent from Tál ...
or
Dalcassians
The Dalcassians ( ) are a Gaelic Irish clan, generally accepted by contemporary scholarship as being a branch of the Déisi Muman, that became very powerful in Ireland during the 10th century. Their genealogies claimed descent from Tál Cas. ...
who were a tribe of the
Erainn who were the second wave of Celts to settle in
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
between about 500 and 100
BC.
McNamara family
The McNamara family were an
Irish clan
Irish clans are traditional kinship groups sharing a common surname and heritage and existing in a lineage-based society, originating prior to the 17th century. A clan (or in Irish, plural ) included the chief and his patrilineal relatives; howe ...
claiming descent from the
Dál gCais
The Dalcassians ( ) are a Gaels, Gaelic Irish clan, generally accepted by contemporary scholarship as being a branch of the Déisi Muman, that became very powerful in Ireland during the 10th century. Their genealogies claimed descent from Tál ...
and, after the
O'Briens
The O'Brien dynasty (; ; genitive ''Uí Bhriain'' ) was an Irish Clan and nobility, noble house of Munster, founded in the 10th century by Brian Boru of the Dál gCais (Dalcassians). After becoming King of Munster, through conquest he establi ...
, one of the most powerful families in the
Kingdom of Thomond as
Lords of Clancullen (a title later divided into East and West families). They are related to the
O'Gradys, also descended from the Uí Caisin line of the Dál gCais.
The name began with the chieftain Cumara, of Maghadhair in county Clare. Cumara is a contracted form of Conmara – hound of the sea. His son, Domhnall, who died in 1099, adopted the surname Mac Conmara, or son of Cumara, thus becoming the first of his name. The name has survived relatively unmodified as MacConmara in Irish and anglicised as MacNamara/McNamara.
Naming conventions
The name is a contraction of "Mac Cú Na Mara" meaning "Son of the Hound of the Sea".
People with the name
* Sioda Cam MacConmara rebuilt
Quin Abbey where many members of this clan were subsequently laid to rest.
*
Donnchadh Ruadh Mac Conmara (1715–1810) was a
Jacobite poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
.
* Sean Buidhe Mac Conmara (c. 1750 – 1836), more commonly known as John "Fireball" MacNamara, is remembered because of his daring exploits and his flair for the dramatic which has since featured in verse and in story.
[County Clare Public Library Entry on "Fireball"]
John "Fireball" MacNamara (c. 1750-1836)"
''County Clare Public Library'', 28/05/2014
See also
*
Namara
*
Irish clans
Irish clans are traditional kinship groups sharing a common surname and heritage and existing in a lineage-based society, originating prior to the 17th century. A clan (or in Irish, plural ) included the chief and his Patrilineality, patrilineal ...
References
External links
MacNamaraat Library Ireland
McNamara at Araltas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macnamara
Irish families
Irish clans
Surnames of Irish origin
Anglicised Irish-language surnames