McAnally

McAnally
Mac Conallaidh

Language(s)	Irish
Origin
Word/name	Mac Con Allaidh Mac Conallaigh
Meaning	'son of the wild hound'
Region of origin	Ulster
Other names
Variant form(s)	McNally, McAnalty, McNalty, Nalty, Conalty, Connally
Cognate(s)	Mac Conallta,[1] Ó Conallta[2]

McAnally is an Irish surname. It is the Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Conallaidh meaning 'son of Cú Allaidh' ('wild hound', 'wolf').[3] The death of the progenitor – Conchobhar mac Con Allaidh, lord of Cenél Moain, in Ulster – is recorded in the Annals of the Four Masters in 1178.

In Ulster McAnally, and its common variant spelling McNally, is unrelated to the Mayo name Mac an Fhailghigh ('son of the poor man').[4][5][6] It is however etymologically related to Mac Conallta, a County Sligo sept, and Ó Conallta ('son/descendant of Cú Allta'; a variant of Cú Allaidh).[7]

History

The MacAnallys were of the Cenél nEógain, a large and powerful confederation of clans descended from Eógan mac Néill (fl. 5th century), son of Niall of the Nine Hostages. The MacAnally sept of County Tyrone were descended from Conchobar mac Con Allaidh (fl. 12th century), chieftain of Cenél Moain. A minor sept derived from their eponym Cú Allaidh Ó Luinigh, the family fostered Niall Conallagh O'Neill, tanist of Tyrone, who derived his sobriquet. A prominent branch ruled from their seat of Lisanally (Irish: Lios Chon Allaidh, lit. 'fort of the wolf') in what is now County Armagh.[8][9] Another branch settled in Clandeboye, County Antrim and became hereditary physicians to the O'Neill Kings of Clandeboye (Léigh Mac Con Allaidh).[10] In the 17th century, the family lands were confiscated following the Flight of the Earls and subsequent Plantation of Ulster.[4]

The status of the family is fully recognized in the Annals of Ulster and Ceart Uí Néill.[4]

Notable people

• Aonghus McAnally (born 1955), Irish broadcaster, son of Ray McAnally
• Charles McAnally (born 1836), American Civil War officer
• Conor McAnally (born 1952), Irish television producer, son of Ray McAnally
• David Russell McAnally, (1846–1909), American author on Irish folklore and Celtic mythology
• Ernie McAnally (born 1946), American baseball player
• John McAnally (born 1945), British Royal Navy officer
• Lyman McAnally (born 1957), American musician
• Mary McAnally (born 1945), British producer and tennis player
• Ray McAnally (1928–1989), Irish actor, father of Aonghus and Conor McAnally
• Robert McAnally (1882–1956), Australian composer
• Ron McAnally (born 1932), American Thoroughbred horse trainer
• Shane McAnally (born 1974), American musician

See also

• McNally (surname)
• Nally
• Branches of the Cenél nEógain

References

1. Woulfe, Patrick (1923). "Mac Conallta - Irish Names and Surnames". www.libraryireland.com.
2. Woulfe, Patrick (1923). "Ó Conallta - Irish Names and Surnames". www.libraryireland.com.
3. Ó Raifeartaigh, T. (1959). Review of Irish Families, Their Names, Arms, and Origins: MacAnally. Irish Historical Society. p. 176.
4. Ó Ceallaigh, Seamus (1951). "A Preliminary Note on Some of the Nomenclature on the Map of S.E. Ulster". The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. 81 (1): 39. ISSN 0035-9106. JSTOR 25510763.
5. Ó Ceallaigh, Séamus (1951). Gleanings from Ulster History: Punann Ó Chois Bhanna. Cork University Press. p. 115.
6. "Gaelic surnames in Ulster". www3.smo.uhi.ac.uk.
7. "Index of Names in Irish Annals: Cú Allaid". medievalscotland.org. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
8. Lisanally (PDF). History Armagh. 2007.
9. Lisanally in the 17th Century (PDF). History Armagh. 2021. ISSN 1743-565X. The surname, Mac Con Allaidh 'son of the wolf', is found among the Cineál Moain, a branch of the Cineál Eoghain
10. Ó Donnchadha, Thadhg (1931). Leabhar Cloinne Aodha Buidhe. Dublin: Creative Media Partners, LLC. p. 315. ISBN 978-1-01-330822-2.