From Mac Domhnaill, ‘son of Domhnall’ — two distinct septs, one in Clare, one the Antrim family famous for Sorley Boy and the Glens.
The Mcdonnell certificate.
Digital €19.99 · Printed €39.99 · Framed €89.99. 20% off at checkout.
Gaelic Origin · Root meaning ‘son of Domhnall’
McDonnell comes from Mac Domhnaill, ‘son of Domhnall’. One sept was first found in County Clare, chiefs of Corca Baiscinn around modern Moyarta. The better-known Antrim family, under Sorley Boy MacDonnell, won the Glens of Antrim outright and rose to become Earls of Antrim — though which way that family first crossed the narrow sea to or from Scotland's Clan Donald is genuinely disputed between Ireland's own chief heralds, and we won't pretend it's settled.
Two septs sharing one name, an ocean of scholarly disagreement between them — and the Antrim line still holding Glenarm Castle regardless of which direction it first came from.
Irish form: Mac Domhnaill
