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 8th 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 poets. Ó Comáin is territorially linked to the Chiefdom of Tulach Commáin, in what is now in County Clare, with its dynastic capital at the ringfort of Cahercommane.[4][5]

In 2025, the clan was formally recognised by Clans of Ireland, the independent national registry of Irish clans. 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.[6][7][8]

Etymology and Variants

[edit]

The surname is rooted in both Connacht (sept: Ó Cuimín) and Munster (sept: Ó Comáin) traditions.[2]

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:[9]

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.[10][11]

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.

Historical Chiefdom of Tulach Commáin

[edit]
Cahercommane/Cahercommaun Stone Fort situated in the Burren, excavation in 1934 led by Hugh O’Neill Hencken suggests that it dates back to the early 8-9th century.[12] D. Blair Gibson suggests Cahercommaun was the capital of an early medieval Chiefdom of Tulach Commáin.

Irish chiefdoms of old solidified their rule by dividing territories among aristocratic, multi-generational family groups known as ramages, under the leadership of a primary chiefly ramage. Each chiefdom had a central hub, including the chieftain’s residence, a church, and an inauguration mound for chieftains.[13]

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.[1]

This site was used for both residential and ceremonial purposes, including the burial and inauguration of chieftains in the 8th–9th centuries.[14][15]

According to historian and anthropologist D. Blair Gibson, it coexisted with the larger and more ancient chiefdom of the Corcu Mruad.[16] It likely functioned as either an independent Déisi-linked túath or a short-lived Eóganacht Uí Cormaic chiefdom, positioned near the Corcu Mruad territory.[17] The fort's layout and construction reflect the social and political hierarchies of early medieval Gaelic Ireland.[18] It may have later joined Dál Cais and Thomond confederacies.[19]

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.[20]

In the Gaelic nobility of Ireland, Tulach Commáin likely functioned as an autonomous túath or as part of a larger composite chiefdom. 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.[21][22]

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 Comáin (d. 658) in the succession of kings of Déisi Muman (old Irish for Munster),[23] a vassal-kingdom of the Eóganacht confederation, active in early medieval Ireland, including Clare.[24]

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.

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:[20]

  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.[20] 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.[25]
  2. Célechair mac Commáin is named in several early Irish annals as having died during the battle of Corcu Modruad in the year 705. This conflict formed part of a wider pattern of regional clashes in north Clare during the 8th century. His death is noted in the Annals of Ulster, Annals of Tigernach, and Annals of the Four Masters.[26] A later annalistic entry from 751 mentions the passing of Colmán mac Commáin on the Aran Islands, and although separated by decades, scholars such as Cotter have proposed that the two may have been brothers.[20]

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 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 later immortalised in the naming of the "Rapids of Ferchess".[29][30]

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.[1]

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.[20]

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.[20]

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 c d "Clans of Ireland – Register of Clans 2025 – Commane / Ó Comáin". Retrieved 7 May 2025. Location of Historical Clan Territories: County Clare, Tulach Commáin / Tullycommon, Cahercommane and the early medieval kingdom of Déisi Munster.
  2. ^ a b 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. ^ Annals of Ulster (Mac Airt and Mac Niocaill 1983, 1(62), the Annals of Tigernach (Stokes 1896, 149) and the Annals of the Four Masters (O’Donovan 1848–51, vol. 1, 306) for the year 705 recording bellum Curc-Modruadh ‘the battle of Corcu Modruad’. The annals record the death of one Célechair mac Commain in that battle. Annals of Inisfallen in 751 (Mac Airt 1951, 110) notes the death in Aran of Colmán mac Commain.
  4. ^ Arnold, Bettina; Gibson, D. Blair (1995). Celtic Chiefdom, Celtic State. Cambridge University Press. pp. 117–118. ISBN 978-0-521-58579-8.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ "Clan Walker - About Us". clanwalker.org. 13 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  7. ^ "The OSullivan Clan of Munster". osullivanclan.com. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  8. ^ Trinity College Dublin: https://www.tcd.ie/history/assets/pdf/Chiefs_Clans.pdf
  9. ^ 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
  10. ^ 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
  11. ^ 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
  12. ^ Hencken, Hugh O'Neill (1938). Cahercommaun: A Stone Fort in County Clare. Royal society of antiquaries of Ireland.
  13. ^ Page 22 (xvii) of Tulach Commáin: A View of an Irish chiefdom - Gibson, David Blair, Ph.D 1990
  14. ^ Arnold, Bettina; Gibson, D. Blair (1995). Celtic Chiefdom, Celtic State: The Evolution of Complex Social Systems in Prehistoric Europe. Cambridge University Press. p. 121. ISBN 978-0-521-58579-8.
  15. ^ Arnold, Bettina; Gibson, D. Blair (1995). Celtic Chiefdom, Celtic State: The Evolution of Complex Social Systems in Prehistoric Europe. Cambridge University Press. pp. 117–118. ISBN 978-0-521-58579-8.
  16. ^ Tulach Commáin: A View of an Irish chiefdom - Gibson, David Blair, Ph.D 1990 Page 11 notes: "The Corcu Mruad, a people of the northwest of County Clare, were a chiefdom of some antiquity," Page 152 notes: Corcabhaiscinn and Corcomruad were political units within the Thomond confederacy during the 10th century.
  17. ^ Page 87. 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). ISBN 978-1-905569-69-4.
  18. ^ Tulach Commáin: A View of an Irish chiefdom - Gibson, David Blair, Ph.D 1990 Page 24, it notes: "On the basis of the large size of the site relative to other similar caisel type homesteads in the area, Hencken determined that Cahercommaun was the center of a chieftain of northern Clare. Page 22 discusses the typical layout of a chiefdom capital: "The chiefdom capital consisted of the chief residence of the chieftain, the church patronised by the chiefly ramage, and a mound which was the inauguration site of chieftains.
  19. ^ Tulach Commáin: A View of an Irish chiefdom - Gibson, David Blair, Ph.D 1990 Page 11 notes: "The Dál Cais, originally the Déisi Tuisceart, annexed Clare to Munster, renaming it Thomond," and by the 10th century, they were crowning kings like Cennétig mac Lorcáin (died 951). Given Cahercommaun’s prominence in the 9th century (Page 24), it’s plausible that by the 10th century, it became part of the Dál Cais-led Thomond confederacy.
  20. ^ a b c d e f 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.
  21. ^ Frost, James (1893). The History and Topography of the County of Clare: From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the 18th Century. author.
  22. ^ Page 11-12 (xvii-xviiII) of Tulach Commáin: A View of an Irish chiefdom - Gibson, David Blair, Ph.D 1990 "More complex chiefdoms were shown to have had a composite structure, being composed of a cluster of simple chiefdoms. Polities of the largest scale were confederacies of chiefdoms."
  23. ^ Page 3 http://www.vikingage.mic.ul.ie/pdfs/lecture_brian-boru_and-the-rise-to-provincial-kingship.pdf
  24. ^ 1. Séamus Pender, Déssi Genealogies. Available online: PDF of the book. 2. Kings of the Déisi
  25. ^ Gibson - Tulach Commáin: A View of an Irish Chiefdom - page 370 "One is tempted by several disparate facts to entertain the hypothesis that there might have been some short-lived Eóganacht chiefdom centered at Cahercommaun"
  26. ^ (Cotter, 87; Mac Airt and Mac Niocaill 1983; Stokes 1896; O’Donovan 1848–51)
  27. ^ "Commán macua Theimhne - Temenrige". CELT - Corpus of Electronic Texts. University College Cork. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  28. ^ 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".
  29. ^ 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.
  30. ^ "The Death of Mac Con - Translation [text]". www.ucd.ie. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Draft:OComainDraft&oldid=1292416117"