From Mac Donnchadha, ‘son of Donnchadh’ (from donn, ‘brown’, and cath, ‘battle’) — a name carried by branches of several major Connacht dynasties.
The Mcdonagh certificate.
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Gaelic Origin · Root meaning ‘brown battler’
McDonagh comes from Mac Donnchadha, built on the personal name Donnchadh, joining donn (‘brown’) with cath (‘battle’). Branches of this name descend from junior lines of the O'Connor kings of Connacht and the McDermotts of Moylurg, spread across Sligo, Mayo and Roscommon.
A name for a warrior's grandson rather than the warrior himself — the kind of junior branch that, in Gaelic Ireland, often outlasted the senior line it split from.
Irish form: Mac Donnchadha
