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Clan McCann

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Tricia

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Clan McCann

PostWed Jul 09, 2014 12:24 pm

The McCanns, according to tradition, are a Milesian people, descended from Colla-da-Chrioch, the first king of Orghilla or Oriel. The kingdom of Oriel encompassed the land from County Donegal to County Louth. Oriel is almost synonymous with Ulster. Colla-da-Chrioch, a southern conqueror of Ulster, was one of the three Collas. The identity of the folks who lived in Oriel is shrouded in mystery and disagreement among historians. Historians who give credence to their existence, generally place Colla-da-Chrioch's conquest of Ulster in 331 AD. Some disagree placing it anywhere in the succeeding 100 years. Some scholars feel that the three Collas never existed. The McCanns (Old Gaelic, Mac Cana) are said to have descended from Breasail, a grandson of Colla-da-Chrioch.

The McCann line features in John O' Hart's book, Irish pedigrees. In this book, the McCann line along with other surname lines are taken right back to Adam and Eve. This book is a large body of work and John O' Hart appears to have a lot of authority on these matters in his time. It is not at all a full work of fiction. However, exactly how all these names were sourced and sorted with such confidence is uncertain.

It is well accepted that the McCanns originated on the banks of Lough Neagh; they were called the lords of Clan Breasail. Over time, this district was sometimes referred to as Clanbrassil, and Breasal Macha and was located on the southern shores of Lough Neagh. On a present day map Breasal Macha would cover the current baronies of Oneilland East, Oneilland West and Middle Dungannon. The first two are located in present day County Armagh and the third in County Tyrone. These geopolitical divisions (counties) were not created until late in the sixteenth century and therefor did not exist in the early days of the McCann clan. Notwithstanding this fact, McCann is thought of as a County Armagh sept.

The McCann surname is considered to be among the earliest hereditary surnames in the world. Of course at the time of Colla-da-Chrioch's grandson, surnames were not in use. Ireland was one of the first countries in Europe to adopt the use of hereditary surnames. It has been claimed by the late Edward Lysacht, the famous Gaelic etymologist, that O'Clery (O' Cleireach) was one of the earliest of all surname recordings anywhere in the world, dating from the 10th century. Unfortunately he does not give any examples or proof of this. The surname McCann began to be used in the 12th Century. Its original form was Mac Cana and it means "son of Cana", which was the given name of an early McCann chieftain.

McCann is the anglicised form of the Gaelic 'Mac Cana', 'son of Cana', a personal name meaning 'wolf cub'.
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My ipad controls my spellings not me so apologies from it in advance :) lol
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maree

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Re: Clan McCann

PostSat Jul 19, 2014 8:57 am

My Clan McCanns seem to have come from Derry.

My great grandfather was Joseph McCann who was born in England to a Mary McCann but all of his relatives hailed from in and around Swatragh, after he served in the Boer war in 1899 he returned aged 25 to Bellaghy and married Elizabeth Barton just 18 also of Bellaghy in Derry. My grandfather was born in the old McCann homestead (still there) in 1910, he was Bernard McCann (Barney), he married my granny Mary O'Neill about 1937 and had my mother and her siblings. Elizabeth McCann (b1938), my mother lived with her brother Joseph and sister Margaret with their granny Ellen O'Neill in Roughan. This is my McCann/ O'Neill connection.

My grandfather Barney had 3 sisters. Nelly, Kate and Lily. Nelly married Jim McKeown and had 2 sons she lived in the old McCann homestead at Swatragh until her death in the 1990's. The house was cut into the hill just north of Swatragh.
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Tricia

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Re: Clan McCann

PostSat Jul 19, 2014 1:47 pm

Great pedigree Maree ..i havent looked yet but have you it all down on your family tree on here?
My ipad controls my spellings not me so apologies from it in advance :) lol

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