O'Sheehan
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The O'Sheehan (or, as is the more common anglicization, Sheehan[1]) family is an Irish clan traditionally of County Clare. Part of the Dalcassian branch of families, the O'Sheehans themselves played only a small role in Irish politics, as vassals to the more famed O'Briens, who commonly became kings of Thomond and included the Irish legend Brian Boru.[citation needed]
According to historian C. Thomas Cairney, the O'Sheehans were a chiefly family of the Uí Mháine tribe who in turn were from the Dumnonii or Laigin who were the third wave of Celts to settle in Ireland during the first century BC.[2]
The original form of Sheehan is síocháin, meaning peace or peaceful. This in combination with the prefix O', meaning 'descendant of,' could be taken to mean something like 'descendant of peace,' or 'descendant of the peaceful one,' though who this could be referring to remains unclear.[1][3]
Today, many Sheehans still live in County Clare, though others have since migrated to the United States and other countries, mainly as part of the mass exodus that followed the Great Famine.[3]
See also
References
- 1 2 "A history of the Irish name Sheehan". Ireland Calling. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ↑ Cairney, C. Thomas (1989). Clans and Families of Ireland and Scotland. Jefferson, North Carolina, United States, and London: McFarland & Company. pp. 85–87. ISBN 0899503624.
- 1 2 "O'Sheehan Name Meaning, Family History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms". HouseOfNames. 1 January 2000. Retrieved 14 February 2025.