M'Clure — Irish Personal Names. 313 



Macllwame, Macllwrath, Mac Clean (for Mac Gil-Ean), &c. Ceile, a 

 servant, is used in a similar way to Giolla, as in Ceile Petair, the 

 vassal of Peter. So also it would appear is Cu sometimes, as in Cu 

 Ceartaeh, Ceartach being- an earlv saint. 



We may add to these the designations formed from the names of 

 ecclesiastical offices; such as Mac Giolla Easpuig (now Gillespie , "the 

 son of the bishop's servant ") ; and all those names — current chiefly in 

 the Highlands of Scotland — which preserve the names of other offices 

 in the Church, e.g„ MacNab, son of the abbot; Mae-Tap gart, son of 

 the priest (S^j^pc, a priest}, Mac Chlerich,* the son of the clericus ; 

 Mac Pherson, the son of the parson ; Mac Vicar, the son of the vicar. 

 Some of these may 1 ave bad originally Giolia prefixed, as the name 

 Mac Ilpherson is known. 



This exhausts the sevenfold division which I have adopted as em- 

 bracing almost all the sources of personal names. There aie, however, 

 other names which could not well be made to fall into any of these 

 categories. Thus we have the name Maolcluiche (now Mulelohy, 

 and sometimes Anglicised into " Stone"), which 0' Donovan translates 

 "youth of the sport," from ctuiee, a battle or game; but I should 

 prefer, if it will admit of it, making it the " servant of the bell" {i.e. 

 111 ^olcbing), on the analogy of Giolia Easpuig, and Giollapherson, pre- 

 suming that these names indicated that some person was especially ap- 

 pointed to attend on these dignities, and also on the church bell. 



As falling outside the above classes, I may further note such names 

 as MacSgiathghil (now Scahill), meaning "bright shield, S^i^u = a 

 shield ; and Perach (now Parry , which is glossed in one place as 

 "armed with a dart." It is right to add that there is another gloss 

 which explains it differently. Mac Cochlainn, from Cochlan, a diminu- 

 tive of coc.nI, a cowl, is another. Aedh, now Anglicised as Hugh, 

 and entering into other names such as Aedhan, Mac Aedh {i.e. McKee, 

 M'Gee, or Mackay), O'h-Aedha (O'Hea), &e., is also abnormal, if the 

 gloss which makes it "fire" inform us correctly. 



In making an analysis of Irish personal names, one must be on one's 

 guard against the supposition that every name beginning with Mac or 

 is of Celtic origin. Thus the the Anglo-Xorman families who came 

 into the country in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, who soon 

 became Hibernis ipsis hilemiores, have left us a host of representatives 

 bearing seemingly Irish names — such as Mac William, McQuillan, 

 Mac David, MacPhilbin, MacShoneen, Mac Gibbon, Mae Gribbin, 

 Mac Walter, Mac Paymond, Mac Eeoris, Mac Aveely, Mac AVattin, 

 Mac Robert, Mac Thomas, &c. Put these are only seemingly Celtic 

 — they yield on analysis well-known Anglo-ISorruan designations. 

 The same may be said of those names which were previously intro- 

 duced into Ireland by the Xorsemen, and which became permanent 

 appellations among the Celto- Scandinavian families — such as Mac 

 Sorlcy(t.0. the son of Somerled); MacManus {i.e. Magnusen; shortened 

 into Manson in Scotland); MacPannal (from Ragnvald), now also 



* Cf. M'Cleir, MCleary, O'Cleirigh (now O'Clery), O'Clerchin (now Clerkan). 



