Ó Comáin

Gaelic Irish surname Ó Comáin is rooted in an Irish chiefdom and saint. Its anglicised forms include Comain(e), Coman, Comeens, Comin(s), Commane, Comman(s), Commin(s), Common(s), Commyn, Comyn(e), Cowman(s), Cummane, Cumings, Cummin(s), Cumming(s), Cumyn, Cummyn, Kimmons, MacSkimmins, McCowman. It is sometimes incorrectly mistranslated as Hurley due to the superficial resemblance between the unrelated Gaelic words Comán and Camán, the latter referring to a hurling stick.
The names are derived from the Gaelic personal name Comán (meaning "noble" or "steadfast") or Commán ("companion" or "communion"), a name from early Irish history. The prefix ''Ó'' or ''Mac'' before the name signifies "descendant".
The surname is rooted in the provinces of Connacht (sept: Ó Cuimín) and Munster (sept: Ó Comáin), particularly in County Clare, and the 8th and 9th century chiefdom of Tulach Commáin. a burial and inauguration site for chieftains, and their capital Cahercommaun ("The Dwelling of Commaun/Commane") also in Clare.
The surname is mentioned in the Irish annals, for example Part 15 of the Annals of the Four Masters: "1052 AD, Echthighern Ua hEaghráin, successor of Ciaran of Cluain-mic-Nois and of Comman, died on his pilgrimage at Cluain-Iraird".
The surname Ó Comáin is attested in Dubhaltach Mac Fhirbhisigh's 17th-century genealogical compilation, Leabhar Mór na nGenealach (The Great Book of Irish Genealogies), a key source for tracing Irish lineages.
The various spellings can largely be attributed to the lack of Standard Irish until 1948, and the historical practice of English-speaking officials transcribing Irish names phonetically, often based on how the names were pronounced. In many cases, English officials transcribed names they were already familiar with, for example writing down Comyn or Cumming well-known Scottish surnames of Norman origin, despite having no connection to the Irish name Ó Comáin.
Irish chiefdoms of old established their claims to rule through territories divided among aristocratic, multi-lineage social units (known as ramages), which were governed by a leading chiefly ramage. Each chiefdom contained a capital site, comprising the chief residence of the chieftain, the church, and a mound which was inauguration site of chieftains.
Tulach Commáin was a small Irish chiefdom, coexisting with the larger and more ancient chiefdom of the Corcu Mruad. It likely emerged from the disintegration of this larger polity, possibly forming part of the Dál Cais and Thomond's chiefdom confederacies. The chiefdom's capital, Cahercommaun (Cathair Commáin or "Commane's Residence"), served as the political and ceremonial centre of Tulach Commáin in the 8th and 9th centuries.
According to anthropologist D. Blair Gibson, in his scholarly thesis Tulach Commain: A view of an Irish chiefdom, Cahercommaun exemplifies the hierarchical structures of early medieval Irish chiefdoms, featuring evidence of both settlement and ritualistic activity. Referred to interchangeable in variant spellings throughout the book Comáin, Commáin, Comain (different spellings are common in Ireland).
In the Gaelic nobility of Ireland, Tulach Commáin likely functioned as an autonomous túath or as part of a larger composite chiefdom. It served as a hub of political, social, and religious activity, with its elaborate structures and associated monastic sites indicating its importance as a regional power. It is likely that in the 8th - 9th century Irish composite chiefdoms were more loosely organised than in later medieval periods, so that túatha within composite chiefdoms could have been largely autonomous.
In the Anals of Innisfallen, the death of Colman mac Comáin on one of the Aran islands is recorded in 751 A.D, according to Gibson, likely son or descendent of Comáin chief of Tulach Commáin.
A possible brother is mentioned in the Anals of Innisfallen and Annals of Ulster, the demise of Célechair mac Commáin (son of Commáin) is recorded in the Battle of Corcmodruadh in either 704 or 705 A.D. Gibson identifies him as of the Eóganacht Uí Cormaic, a branch of the prominent Eóganacht dynasty. Gibson's work draws on references such as O'Brien's Corpus Genealogiarum Hiberniae and Byrne's Irish Kings and High-Kings, which outline the genealogical framework of the Eóganacht. According to Frost, the Uí Cormaic settled in what is now the Islands Barony, possibly on the territory of the Corcu Baiscinn, located directly east of Tulach Commáin. Gibson suggests that Cahercommane, associated with Tulach Commáin, may have been the centre of a short-lived Eóganacht chiefdom, or part of the larger mór túath (over-kingdom) of the Corcu Mruad.
Célechair mac Commáin, being of the Eóganacht Uí Cormaic, would directly link him by genealogy to the Eóganacht dynasty, which dominated Munster's rulership in early medieval Ireland. The Eóganacht trace their origins to Éogan Mór, a King of Munster and the progenitor of the dynasty, through notable figures such as Conall Corc, founder of the Eóganacht Chaisil. This connection would place Célechair mac Commáin's lineage within a royal framework, with ancestors likely holding the title of Rí (king) at various levels of the Eóganacht hierarchy.
In Séamus Pender’s Déssi Genealogies, Suibne mac Comáin (d. 658) is mentioned in the succession of Kings of Déssi Muman (old Irish for Munster). Also mentioned in the succession is his son or descendent Congal mac Suibne, king of the Déisi, died 701.
According to the 9th-century text by O'Daly, The Story of Moshaulum and Mac Con and Luigith, Ailill, son of Mag Nuadat, was the King of the southern half of Ireland in the 3rd century. The text recounts that Ailill sent a message to Ferchess, son of Commán, described as an old fían warrior and an ancient member of Ailill's household.
A related narrative, The Death of Mac Con, further highlights the role of Ferchess mac Commán in early Irish mythology. In this text, Ferchess is tasked by King Ailill to avenge the death of Éogan, Ailill's son, by slaying Lugaid Mac Con, a High King of Ireland and Ailill's stepson. Ferchess carries out the task, killing Lugaid with a spear, an act commemorated in the naming of the "Rapids of Ferchess".
"Commán" also appears in various Irish historical and ecclesiastical records, such as "Commán mac ua Theimhne," associated with Temenrige and commemorated in early Christian calendars. However, this figure appears distinct from the Commán associated with the 3rd-century narrative of Ailill Ólom.
In the 13th century the clan was dispossessed of their lands, following the Anglo-Norman invasion, by the "De Burgos" (Burke) invaders.
As late as the 19th century, Tulach Commáin the burial and inauguration site for chieftains, was regarded as a supernaturally potent spot. A local told an archaeologist "it has more fairies that all the other forts of the hill".
Several historical and ecclesiastical figures may be associated with the name and variants: