Jump to content

Draft:OComainDraft

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ó Comáin

Ó Comáin in a Gaelic type. The 'Ó prefix' indicates 'descendant of' in Irish orthography.
Language(s)Irish Gaelic
Origin
DerivationKings of Déisi Munster
Kings of Uí Díarmata
Saint Commán of Roscommon
Saint Coman of Kinvara
Meaning"noble"
Region of originConnaught, Munster, Clare

Clan Commane / Ó Comáin (Irish: Clann Uí Chomáin) is an Irish clan descended from the surname Ó Comáin,[1] itself derived from the ancestral name Commán,[2] which appears in Irish annals as early as the 7th century.[3] Of royal origin within the Gaelic nobility of Ireland, the lineage descends from rí kings of Déisi Munster, and is rooted in the legacy of early saints and filí hereditary poets—a privileged noble class ranked just below kings under Brehon law,[4][5] serving as custodians of law, memory, and verse. The name is territorially linked to the Chiefdom of Tulach Commáin ("fort of Commán"), in what is now in County Clare, with its dynastic capital at the ringfort of Cahercommane.[6][7]

In 2025, the clan was formally recognised by Clans of Ireland, the independent national registry of Irish clans, which operates under the patronage of the President of Ireland. This recognition followed authentication of the clan’s antiquity and lineage.[1] In 2013, Clans of Ireland signed a mutual agreement with the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs, recognising each other's authority over clans.[8][9][10]

Etymology and Variants

[edit]

The prefix ''Ó'' or ''Mac'' before the name signifies "descendant". The surname appears in medieval Irish records in various forms such as Comman, Comain, Commáin, and was later phonetically transcribed by English-speaking officials into a wide range of anglicised variants, including:[11]

Comain(e), Coman, Comeens, Comin(s), Commane, Comman(s), Commin(s), Common(s), Commyn, Comyn(e), Cowman(s), Cummane, Cumings, Cummin(s), Cumming(s), Cumyn, Cummyn, Kimmons, MacSkimmins, McCowman

It is sometimes incorrectly mistranslated as Hurley due to the superficial resemblance between the unrelated Gaelic words Comán and Camán, the latter referring to a hurling stick.[12][13]

The various spellings can largely be attributed to the lack of Standard Irish until 1948, and the historical practice of English-speaking officials transcribing Irish names phonetically, often based on how the names were pronounced. In many cases, English officials transcribed names they were already familiar with, for example writing down Comyn or Cummin well-known Scottish surnames of Norman origin, despite having no connection to the Irish name Ó Comáin.

Surname Roots

[edit]

The surname is rooted in both Connacht (sept: Ó Cuimín) and Munster (sept: Ó Comáin) traditions. In Munster, particularly County Clare, it is connected to an early medieval Chiefdom of Tulach Commáin ("fort of Commán"), a túath (territorial unit) with its dynastic capital at Cahercommane.[14]

This site — a large triple-ring stone fort — was used for both residential and ceremonial purposes, including the burial and inauguration of chieftains.[15] According to oral tradition, Tulach Commáin was regarded well into the 19th century as a supernaturally potent site, described by locals as having “more fairies than all the other forts on the hill”.[14]

Irish chiefdoms of old established their claims to rule through territories divided among aristocratic, multi-lineage social units (known as ramages), which were governed by a leading chiefly ramage. Each chiefdom contained a capital site, comprising the chief residence of the chieftain, the church, and a mound which was inauguration site of chieftains.[16]

Historical Chiefdom of Tulach Commáin

[edit]
Cahercommane/Cahercommaun Stone Fort situated within the beautifully rugged landscape of the Burren, excavation in 1934 led by Hugh O’Neill Hencken suggests that it dates back to the early 8-9th century.[17] D. Blair Gibson suggests Cahercommaun was the capital of an early medieval Chiefdom of Tulach Commáin.

The name Ó Comáin is territorially linked to the Chiefdom of Tulach Commáin, a small irish chiefdom in part of what is now County Clare. Its dynastic capital was Cahercommane, also known as Cahercommaun, a triple-walled ringfort overlooking the Burren.[6]

According to historian and anthropologist D. Blair Gibson, it coexisted with the larger and more ancient chiefdom of the Corcu Mruad. It likely functioned as either an independent Déisi-linked túath or a short-lived Eóganacht Uí Cormaic chiefdom, positioned near the Corcu Mruad territory. The fort's layout and construction reflect the social and political hierarchies of early medieval Gaelic Ireland. It may have later joined Dál Cais and Thomond confederacies.[18]

Archaeologist Claire Cotter, through her work with the Discovery Programme’s Western Stone Forts Project, suggests that the area was potentially named after an Uí Fidgenti sub-king named Commán; she notes annalistic evidence, such as the Annals of Ulster recording the 744 AD destruction of Corcu Mruad by the Déisi and aligns with Gibson, supporting their hypothesis of a short-lived Eóganacht chiefdom tied to the historical chief-king named Commán.[19]

Archaeological excavations led by Hugh O’Neill Hencken in 1934, and further analysis by Cotter and Gibson, suggest it was both a residence and ceremonial centre in the 8th–9th centuries.[17]

Gibson, in his thesis Tulach Commain: A View of an Irish Chiefdom, identifies the site as a high-status settlement, comparable to royal inauguration mounds elsewhere in Ireland.

In the Gaelic nobility of Ireland, Tulach Commáin likely functioned as an autonomous túath or as part of a larger composite chiefdom.[17] It served as a hub of political, social, and religious activity, with its elaborate structures and associated monastic sites indicating its importance as a regional power.[18] It is likely that in the 8th - 9th century Irish composite chiefdoms were more loosely organised than in later medieval periods, so that túatha within composite chiefdoms could have been largely autonomous.[20]

Royal Genealogy and Historical Mentions

[edit]

The Dessi Genealogies, edited by Séamus Pender from manuscripts such as the Book of Lecan, Rawlinson B 502, and the Book of Leinster, record Suibne mac Commáin (d. 658) in the succession of kings of Déisi Muman (old Irish for Munster), a vassal-kingdom of the Eóganacht confederation, active in early medieval Ireland, including Clare.[21]

His son, Congal mac Suibne (d. 701), is mentioned in the Annals of Ulster (AU 682.1) as rí na nDéisi — king of the Déisi — slain by the Connachta, confirming the family's high rank and political authority in the 7th century.

The Déisi Munster were a Gaelic people who rose to prominence in early medieval Munster, settling in what is now County Waterford, Tipperary and Clare, often serving as vassals or allies to the Eóganacht kings during the 5th to 8th centuries.

The relationship between Déisi Munster and the Eóganacht dynasty is a subject of scholarly debate. Some scholars suggest that these two groups were closely intertwined, and perhaps inseparable, with overlapping identities and political affiliations.[19][22]

Cotter and Gibson cite two individuals in the annals, both suggesting they’re brothers, whose names and associations reinforce the historical depth of the lineage:[23]

  1. Colmán mac Comáin, who died in 751 A.D. on one of the Aran Islands (Annals of Inisfallen), is identified by Gibson as a likely son or descendant of the chief of Tulach Commáin and by Cotter as one of the four sages of Ireland.[19] In his PhD thesis (Tulach Commain: A View of an Irish Chiefdom) and his book (From Chiefdom to State in Early Ireland), Gibson raises the possibility that the Aran Islands may have been part of this chiefdom’s territory at certain points in its early history, suggesting a wider sphere of influence than previously assumed.[3]
  2. Célechair mac Commáin, who died in the Battle of Corcu Mruad in 704/705 A.D., is recorded in both the Annals of Inisfallen and Annals of Ulster. Gibson suggests these two are brothers with the same Commán father chief-king and identify him as a member of the Eóganacht Uí Cormaic, a branch of the Eóganacht dynasty tied to Clare. Gibson's work draws on references such as O'Brien's Corpus Genealogiarum Hiberniae and Byrne's Irish Kings and High-Kings, which outline the genealogical framework of the Eóganacht. According to Frost, the Uí Cormaic settled in what is now the Islands Barony, possibly on the territory of the Corcu Baiscinn, located directly east of Tulach Commáin.[20]

Célechair mac Commáin, being of the Eóganacht Uí Cormaic, would directly link him by genealogy to the Eóganacht dynasty, which dominated Munster's rulership in early medieval Ireland. The Eóganacht trace their origins to Éogan Mór, a King of Munster and the progenitor of the dynasty, through notable figures such as Conall Corc, founder of the Eóganacht Chaisil. This connection would place Célechair mac Commáin's lineage within the Eóganacht royal framework, with ancestors likely holding the title of Rí (king) at various levels of the Eóganacht hierarchy.[18]

The surname Ó Comáin is attested in Dubhaltach Mac Fhirbhisigh's 17th-century genealogical compilation, Leabhar Mór na nGenealach (The Great Book of Irish Genealogies), a key source for tracing Irish lineages.

Mythological and Literary Tradition

[edit]

Ferchess mac Commán appears in early Irish sagas as a fían warrior, seer, and poet, an ancient member of the household of King Ailill who ruled southern Ireland. In a 9th-century narrative about the 3rd-century, Ailill commands Ferchess to avenge the death of his son, Éogan, by slaying Lugaid Mac Con, the High King of Ireland and Ailill’s stepson — an act of ritual vengeance later immortalised in the naming of the "Rapids of Ferchess".[26][27]

As a filí (hereditary poet), Ferchess would have held noble status second only to the king, in accordance with Brehon law,[4][5] and was entitled to wear robes marked by multiple colours — a visual symbol of his rank within early Gaelic society.[28][29]

Toponymic and Archaeological Continuity

[edit]

Place-names such as modern-day Tullycommon (Tulach Commáin) and Cahercommane preserved the clan name in territorial form, providing rare onomastic evidence of ancestral territorial authority and dynastic settlement.[6]

Original Naming of archaeological site Cahercommane: Thomas Johnson Westropp, in his early 20th-century surveys, documented the site as both Cahircommane and Cahercommaun, noting a 1585 deed from Elizabeth I that refers to the townland name Tullycommon as Tullagh Coman, suggesting the personal name Commán as its root.[19]

Hugh O’Neill Hencken in his 1938 excavation report, retained Cahercommaun despite noting its appearance as Cahircommane on the 6-inch Ordnance Survey map, highlighting possible linguistic variations, with both scholars agreeing the name likely reflects a historical figure named Commán tied to the chiefdom in Clare.[19]

Further reading

[edit]
  • "Annals of Innisfallen." CELT Project. University College Cork.
  • "Annals of Ulster." CELT Project. University College Cork.
  • "The History and Topography of the County of Clare." Frost, James. Internet Archive.
  • "Corpus Genealogiarum Hiberniae." O'Brien, M. A. Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.
  • "Irish Kings and High-Kings." Byrne, F. J. Four Courts Press.
  • "Irish Pedigrees: Or, The Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation." O'Hart, John. M.H. Gill & Son.
  • "Leabhar Mór na nGenealach." Mac Fhirbhisigh, Dubhaltach. Edited by Nollaig Ó Muraíle. De Búrca Rare Books.
  • "CELT: The Corpus of Electronic Texts." CELT Project. University College Cork.
  • Gibson, D. Blair. From Chiefdom to State in Early Ireland. Cambridge University Press, 2012.Cambridge University Press
  • Gibson, D. Blair. Tulach Commain: A view of an Irish chiefdom.
  • "Cahercommaun Triple Ring Fort." Academia.edu. Academia.edu

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Register of Clans 2025 – Clans of Ireland". Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  2. ^ MacLysaght, Edward (1972). Irish families; their names, arms, and origins. New York, Crown Publishers. is a Gaelic Irish surname... the number of variants in English is considerable... In one form or another the name appears in the roll of distinguished Irishmen from a very early date. In the sixth century, long before the introduction of surnames... St. Common founded Rosscomon
  3. ^ a b Gibson - Tulach Commáin: A View of an Irish Chiefdom - page 355
  4. ^ a b The Book of Glendalough Rawlinson MS B 502 Oxford, Bodleian Library c. AD 1130
  5. ^ a b Keating, G. The History of Ireland. Section 10.
  6. ^ a b c Arnold, Bettina; Gibson, D. Blair (1995). Celtic Chiefdom, Celtic State. Cambridge University Press. p. 144. ISBN 978-0-521-58579-8.
  7. ^ Cotter, Claire (2012). The Western Stone Forts Project : excavations at Dún Aonghasa and Dún Eoghanachta/. [A Discovery Programme monograph]. Wordwell Ltd (for the Discovery Programme),. pp. 83-87-90. ISBN 978-1-905569-69-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  8. ^ "Clan Walker - About Us". clanwalker.org. 13 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  9. ^ "The OSullivan Clan of Munster". osullivanclan.com. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  10. ^ Trinity College Dublin: https://www.tcd.ie/history/assets/pdf/Chiefs_Clans.pdf
  11. ^ MacLysaght, Edward (1972). Irish families; their names, arms, and origins. New York, Crown Publishers. is a Gaelic Irish surname... the number of variants in English is considerable... In one form or another the name appears in the roll of distinguished Irishmen from a very early date. In the sixth century, long before the introduction of surnames... St. Common founded Rosscomon
  12. ^ MacLysaght, Edward (1985). The Surnames of Ireland. Irish Academic Press. pp. 52-53. ISBN 0716523663. (O) Commane, Commons 'Ó Comáin' (in Munster) and 'Ó Cuimín' (in Connacht). Usually called Commons in Co. Wexford and Cummins in Co. Cork. 'Ó Comáin' has become Hurley in some parts of Cos. Clare and Cork, due to the mistaken belief that it describes from 'camán', a hurley. Woulfe says it is from 'cam', crooked, which is equally unacceptable [..] Comyn The name of a Norman-Irish family which is also used in Co. Clare as the anglicized form of Ó Cuimín, see previous entry
  13. ^ MacLysaght, Edward (1 December 1988). The Surnames of Ireland: 6th Edition. Irish Academic Press. ISBN 978-1-911024-64-4. mistaken belief that comán derives from camán a hurley
  14. ^ a b Gibson, David Blair (1990). Tulach Commain: A view of an Irish chiefdom (PhD Dissertation). University of California. p. 392. Célechair mac Commáin was of the Eóganacht Uí Cormaic.
  15. ^ Doctoral thesis studying the Chiefdom of Tulach Commain and the archaeological remains in the area of Cahercommaund. Page 7https://caherconnell.com/Caherconnell_Archaeology_Dig_Report_2015.pdf
  16. ^ Doctoral thesis studying the Chiefdom of Tulach Commain and the archaeological remains in the area of Cahercommaund. Page 7https://caherconnell.com/Caherconnell_Archaeology_Dig_Report_2015.pdf
  17. ^ a b c Hencken, Hugh O'Neill (1938). Cahercommaun: A Stone Fort in County Clare. Royal society of antiquaries of Ireland.
  18. ^ a b c Gibson, David Blair (1990). Tulach Commain: A view of an Irish chiefdom (PhD Dissertation). University of California. p. 392. Célechair mac Commáin was of the Eóganacht Uí Cormaic.
  19. ^ a b c d e Cotter, Claire (2012). The Western Stone Forts Project : excavations at Dún Aonghasa and Dún Eoghanachta/. [A Discovery Programme monograph]. Wordwell Ltd (for the Discovery Programme). pp. 83–87–90. ISBN 978-1-905569-69-4.
  20. ^ a b Frost, James (1893). The History and Topography of the County of Clare: From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the 18th Century. author.
  21. ^ 1. Séamus Pender, Déssi Genealogies. Available online: PDF of the book. 2. Kings of the Déisi
  22. ^ MacNeill 1911, p. 73
  23. ^ Gibson, David Blair (1990). Tulach Commain: A view of an Irish chiefdom (PhD Dissertation). University of California. p. 392. Célechair mac Commáin was of the Eóganacht Uí Cormaic.
  24. ^ "Commán macua Theimhne - Temenrige". CELT - Corpus of Electronic Texts. University College Cork. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  25. ^ Part 15 of the Annals of the Four Masters: "1052 AD, Echthighern Ua hEaghráin, successor of Ciaran of Cluain-mic-Nois and of Comman, died on his pilgrimage at Cluain-Iraird".
  26. ^ O'Daly. "Leadership and Virtue: The Fían as a Model of Elite Conduct in Early Medieval Ireland" (PDF). Queen's University Belfast. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  27. ^ "The Death of Mac Con - Translation [text]". www.ucd.ie. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  28. ^ Fergus Kelly, A Guide to Early Irish Law, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1988, pp. 45–47, 133–136.
  29. ^ Eleanor Knott, Bardic Poems of Tadhg Dall Ó hUiginn (1922), I, xx–xxii:
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Draft:OComainDraft&oldid=1292193403"