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Ó Finneadha or Ó Feinneadha?

  • 03-10-2017 9:42pm
    #1
    gaiscioch
    Registered Users Posts: 1,530 ✭✭✭


    Does anybody know what the difference is between both surnames? Which one would be the Feeneys of north Connacht? The Ó Feinneadha spelling seems to be by far the most common, yet there are well-known people with the Ó Finneadha spelling.


Comments

  • #2
    dubhthach
    Registered Users Posts: 3,284 ✭✭✭dubhthach


    Woulfe has the following:
    Ó FIANNA, Ó FIANNAIDHE—I—O Fynea, O Finnee, Feeney, Feeny, Finney, Finny; 'descendant of Fiannaidhe' (soldier); a substitution for older Ó Féinneadha; the name of a family of the Ui Fiachrach who were formerly seated at Finghid, now anglicised Finned, in the parish of Easkey, Co. Sligo, and are still numerous in Connacht. To be distinguished from Ó Fídhne, which see.
    Ó FÉINNEADHA, see Ó Fiannaidhe.
    Ó FÍDHNE—I—O Finny, Finney, Feeny, Feeney; 'descendant of *Fídhne'; the name of a Galway family, still in use in that county. The family is mentioned by MacFirbis. Compare with Ó Fiannaidhe.
    FÍNE, see Ó Fídhne.
    Ó FÍNNE, see Ó Fídhne.

    The mention of Ó Fídhne as Galway family is interesting! Especially as Woulfe notes it should be distinguished from the Sligo name. Also fact that it's a name in Dubhaltach Mac Fhirbhisigh famous genealogical work of mid 17th century.

    The distrubution in Connacht is fairly widespread going off the Griffith Survey:

    https://www.johngrenham.com/findasurname.php?surname=feeney


  • #3
    gaiscioch
    Registered Users Posts: 1,530 ✭✭✭gaiscioch


    Could Ó Finneadha be a misspelling or an older version of a more modern spelling then? Could it have a modern form just as Ó Conchubhair became Ó Conchúir, etc?


  • #4
    dubhthach
    Registered Users Posts: 3,284 ✭✭✭dubhthach


    gaiscioch wrote: »
    Could Ó Finneadha be a misspelling or an older version of a more modern spelling then? Could it have a modern form just as Ó Conchubhair became Ó Conchúir, etc?

    Well as Woulfe's book dates to 1923 it predates the spelling reform. I imagine though we are looking at change in spelling due to phonetic changes in the langauge. There are several examples in Woulfe where there is a 'non-traditional' spelling variant given to reflect 'caint na nDaoine' in late 19th/20th century.

    I'd be curious what Mac Fhirbhsigh would have had, given his text is from the mid 17th century.

    Of course in case of Conchubhair -> Conchúir you are seeing fairly standard response to when internal -bh- became silent (eg. either formation of a diphtong or a long vowel). If you look at Latin texts from early middle ages you see that the -bh- was prononunced eg:
    Terdelachum O Conchovar

    Like in Cnoc (in Connacht and Ulster Irish) though the 'Con' -> 'Cro/Cru' sound change isn't written. I'd imagine Crochúr Ó Crochúir would be easier for a learner to figure out than Conchubhar Ó Conchubhair :)


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