Mael Sechlainn Mac Carmaic, Irish musician, died 1330. Mael Sechlainn is called a ''brughaidh'' in the Irish language originals of several contemporary annals, which has been variously translated as ''general entertainer'' or ''rich and prosperous yeoman'' in English language editions. The word brughaidh itself occurs in later medieval texts, but it is used more clearly to define a rank in society than a responsibility for public hospitality. Passages in the

Book of Fenagh The ''Book of Fenagh'' ( ga, Leabar Fidhnacha) is a manuscript of prose and poetry written in Classical Irish by Muirgheas mac Pháidín Ó Maolconaire in the monastery at Fenagh, West Breifne (modern-day County Leitrim). It was commissioned ...

name the brughaidh as next in rank to the

taoiseach The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legislature) and the offi ...

. Thus his exact profession is uncertain, but he is notable as one of the very few professional people who were thought worthy enough to be mentioned in the extant

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

annals 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 ...

. There was a branch of the

O'Donnell dynasty The O'Donnell dynasty ( ga, Ó Dónaill or ''Ó Domhnaill,'' ''Ó Doṁnaill'' ''or Ua Domaill;'' meaning "descendant of Dónal") were the dominant Irish clan of the kingdom of Tyrconnell, Ulster, in medieval Ireland. Naming conventions ...

named Mac Carmaic, apparently pre-dating the reign of

Donnell Óg O'Donnell Donnell Óg O'Donnell ( Irish: ''Domhnall Óg Ó Domhnaill''; c. 1242-1281), was a medieval Irish king of Tyrconnell and member of the O'Donnell dynasty. He was a leading figure in the resistance to Anglo-Norman rule in the north west and closely ...

(d. 1281), several of whom became

Bishop of Raphoe The Bishop of Raphoe ( ) is an episcopal title which takes its name after the town of Raphoe in County Donegal, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with another bish ...

. Their earliest known ancestor was known only by the title "Fear léinn", variously translated as ''scholar'' or ''lector'' Descendants of this branch may have survived at least into the mid-17th century in the parishes of Clonleigh and Donaghmore, County Donegal.'1665 Hearth Money Roll for the Barony of Raphoe, Co Donegal'; published by the Donegal Genealogy Resources Website, accessed 5 January 20222

Citations

External links

* http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm?fuseaction=Go.&UserID= * http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100005D/index.html * http://donegalgenealogy.com/hmrraphoe.htm * http://jstor.org

Bibliography

* ''Music and musicians in medieval Irish society'',

Ann Buckley Ann Buckley is an Irish musicologist, born in Dublin. Buckley studied at University College Cork (B.Mus., 1971; M.A. 1972), Doctoraal (University of Amsterdam, 1976) and a Ph.D. (University of Cambridge, 1991). She has held academic positions ...

, pp. 165–190, Early Music xxviii, no.2, May 2000 * ''Music in Prehistoric and Medieval Ireland'',

, pp. 744–813, in ''A New History of Ireland'', volume one, Oxford, 2005. Medieval Gaels from Ireland 14th-century Irish musicians 1330 deaths Year of birth unknown O'Donnell dynasty {{Ireland-musician-stub