Muldoon () is an Irish family name. It is represented throughout the world where descendants of emigrants of people bearing that name have settled; e.g. U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and other countries. ''Muldoon'' is an anglicisation of the Irish surname ''Ó Maoldúin'', meaning "descendant of Maoldúin". The personal name Maolduin is composed of the elements "maol," meaning "chieftain," and "dún," meaning "fortress," or "chief of the fortress." Máel Dúin was one of the Kings from Mag Rath in ''

Dál Riata Dál Riata or Dál Riada (also Dalriada) () was a Gaels, Gaelic Monarchy, kingdom that encompassed the Inner Hebrides, western seaboard of Scotland and north-eastern Ireland, on each side of the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North ...

'', 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 ...

'kingdom' that covered parts of north-eastern

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

and south-western

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

(see List of the kings of Dál Riata),

Máel Dúin mac Conaill Máel Dúin mac Conaill (died 688) was a king in Dál Riata (modern western Scotland). He was the son of Conall Crandomna. His death is reported by the Annals of Ulster, but without mention of a title. He is among the kings named by the Duan Alban ...

(died c. 689). According to ''The Surnames of Ireland'' by

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 ...

, there are three distinct septs of Muldoon: Galway (around ''Uí Maine''), Clare (whose names were generally Anglicised to Malone), and in Co. Fermanagh where the name is most common. The family motto is , Latin for "For Faith and Country".

Notable Muldoons

* Bristow Muldoon, Scottish politician *

Enda Muldoon Enda Muldoon (born 11 September 1977) is a former Gaelic footballer who played for the Derry county team and has won an Ulster Senior Football Championship and two National League titles with the county, as well as Ulster Minor, Ulster Under ...

, Gaelic footballer * John Muldoon, Connacht Rugby Pro 12 winning captain *

Patrick Muldoon Patrick Muldoon (born September 27, 1968) is an American actor, film producer, and musician. Early life and education Muldoon was born in San Pedro, California, the son of Deanna, a homemaker, and William Patrick Muldoon II, a personal injury ...

, American actor *

Paul Muldoon Paul Muldoon is an Irish poet. He has published more than thirty collections and won a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and the T. S. Eliot Prize. At Princeton University he has been both the Howard G. B. Clark '21 University Professor in the Humani ...

, Northern Ireland poet *

Pete Muldoon Linton Muldoon Treacy (June 4, 1887 – March 13, 1929), better known as Pete Muldoon, was a Canadian ice hockey coach. He was the coach of the Seattle Metropolitans from 1915 to 1924 and led the team to a Stanley Cup championship in 1917. M ...

, American ice hockey coach *

Rhys Muldoon Rhys Muldoon (born 17 October 1965) is an Australian actor, writer and director who has worked extensively in film, television, music, theatre and radio. He has had leading and recurring roles in series such as '' Chances'', ''The Genie from Do ...

, Australian actor * Sir Robert Muldoon, Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1975 to 1984 *

Royston Maldoom Royston Maldoom, (born 1943) is a British choreographer whose works, including ''Adagietto'' and ''Ursprung'', have been performed for various dance companies, such as The Jefferson Dancers and Dance Theatre of Harlem. Dance, choreography and ...

, choreographer *

Sylvan Muldoon Sylvan Muldoon (February 18, 1903October 15, 1969) was an American esotericist who promoted the concept of astral projection. According to Muldoon, astral projection is an out-of-body experience (OBE) that assumes the existence of an astral body ...

, American writer *

William Muldoon William Muldoon (May 25, 1852 – June 3, 1933) was an American Greco-Roman Wrestling champion, a physical culturist, and the first chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission. He once wrestled a match that lasted over seven hours. Nick ...

, professional wrestler

Fictional characters

* The Muldoon Family, fictional characters at the centre of Netflix's ''The Sinner'', Season 4 (2022) * Officer Francis Muldoon, a fictional character in the television show ''

Car 54, Where Are You? ''Car 54, Where Are You?'' is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 1961 to April 1963. Filmed in black and white, the series starred Joe E. Ross as Gunther Toody and Fred Gwynne as Francis Muldoon, two mismatched New York City Po ...

'' and the movie of the same name * Seamus Muldoon, fictional character in ''Survival of the Dead'' * Robert Muldoon, a fictional character in the ''

Jurassic Park ''Jurassic Park'', later referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton, centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of De-extinction#Cloning, cloned dinosaurs. It bega ...

'' series of novels and films * Spotty Muldoon, a fictional character created by

Peter Cook Peter Edward Cook (17 November 1937 – 9 January 1995) was an English comedian, actor, satirist, playwright and screenwriter. He was the leading figure of the British satire boom of the 1960s, and he was associated with the anti-establishmen ...

, and featured in his 1965 song ''The Ballad of Spotty Muldoon'' * Stoat Muldoon, a fictional character in the animated series '' Butt-Ugly Martians'' * Roberta Muldoon, a fictional character played by

John Lithgow John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. He studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his John Lithgow filmography, diverse work on stage and screen. He has rece ...

in ''

The World According to Garp ''The World According to Garp'' is John Irving's fourth novel, about a man who is born out of wedlock to a feminist leader, then grows up to be a writer. Published in 1978, the book was a bestseller for several years. It was a finalist for the N ...

'' * Skip Muldoon, a fictional character in the video game '' Hitman: Blood Money'' * Jo Muldoon, a fictional character in the

Lady Gregory Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory (; 15 March 1852 – 22 May 1932) was an Anglo-Irish dramatist, folklorist and theatre manager. With William Butler Yeats and Edward Martyn, she co-founded the Irish Literary Theatre and the Abbey Theatre, and wrot ...

play, ''

Spreading the News ''Spreading the News'' is a short one-act comic play by Lady Gregory, which she wrote for the opening night of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, 27 Dec. 1904. It was performed as part of a triple bill alongside William Butler Yeats's ''On Baile's Strand ...

'' *

Detective Muldoon A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads the ...

, a fictional character in the 2020 film ''The Grudge'' * Shane Muldoon, a fictional character in the TV series ''Longmire'' season five and six

Others

* Solid Muldoon, a supposedly preserved prehistoric body, actually a hoax * Sgt. Muldoon (pro-wrestler) ring name of John Callahan

Notable Muldoons

Fictional characters

Others

See also