The Warrior Clan of O'CATHAIN

Descended from IRISH Kings

It has been said that the O'CATHAIN "Warrior Clan", was a comparatively small military elite, quite distinct from other larger groups bearing the same or similar surnames. A recent book entitled "Cenel Connail and The Donegal Kingdoms - AD 500 - 800" by Brian Lacey (Four Courts Press, 2006) makes this remarkable statement on page 33 -:
"However, it is almost a certainty, as we will see below, that most of the so-called northern UiNeill did not come into Donegal from outside at all, at least as recently as the 5th century as is normally suggested. Rather, they probably emerged instead from within the existing native people of that territory. It's also very unlikely, despite the later widespread use of the name UiNeill, that these people had any connection whatever with the eponymous Niall Noigiallach. Instead it now seems clear that at least most of them were later attached to the UiNeill by fictional genealogical links - as it were, re-invented with fresh (false) identities, as part of a newly constructed 'national' ruling elite."

So, here we have the author of what appears to be a well-supported scholarly study stating quite convincingly that the northern UiNEILL themselves were a small - shall we say "upstart" - group aspiring to national control. If the above statement is true, it is even more likely that the UiCATHAIN were completely unrelated to them. Much more likely, they sought outside professional military people to build their private army. The eponymous was traditionally said to be "Catháin". This is the only Ulster Gaelic name in a family of 'ur-ri' rank that I'm aware of at that time that describes an occupation ("Warrior"), thus a nickname earned during one's lifetime, not likely a given name. Who was "Catháin", really? Y-DNA may be giving us our first clue - personally, I'm convinced he was High King Brian 'Boru' himself, or a very near relative. It makes perfect sense.

Also to be considered is the near certainty that many non-UiNEILL individuals were admitted at various times into the 'CAHAN "Warrior" Clan" - more properly, a professional military body - and would have adopted the new surname sometime after 1050. Others, also mostly unrelated, were incorporated into Clan DONALD (which actually claims "O'Cahan" as one of its sub-septs) and their descendants bear a number of surnames identifiable with that Scottish clan. At the earliest such events in Ulster these individuals would have been largely of similar Gaelic Irish stock, descendants of the Connachta, Dal-Riada, Cianachta, Fir Li, Airgialla, Hy-fiachra and other septs, some remotely related and others certainly not related at all, at least not in the direct male line. Included in the dilemma is the undeniable historical fact that important and loyal vassal clans were sometimes rewarded with "political" or mutually advantageous attachments of their pedigrees to the UiNEILL line. The dynastic Ó Catháins now seem to have been in this category.

Historical accounts (summarized in "Ulster Clans", by Mullin & Mullan) indicate that there was a branch of the "OCATHAIN"s (later O'Kanes/McCains) of Co. Derry which settled in Antrim prior to the Norman invasion of 1169. These would include segments of the large sept of Ciannachta, probably including some unsubdued members of their chiefly 'derbhfine', long established as O'CEIN in the area of Dungiven/Glengiven, Co. Derry, and taken over by the "Warrior Clan", Ó Catháin, about 1130 AD.

It may be necessary to reconsider the rigidity with which some traditional beliefs were held. This is where current scholarship is heading. When one considers the traditional evolution of OCATHAIN/ O'CAHAN as a surname, it appears from the traditional pedigree that it occurred over a period of several generations from "Catháin" (living about 950), the eponymous ancestor, to his great-grandson, Conn 'Cionntach' Ó Catháin, first to actually bear the surname by the late 11th Century. He was founder of the line whose Chiefs, following the takeover of the Ciannachta of Glengiven (Dungiven), were Princes of Limavady, Cianaght, Fir Li, and Fir-na-Creabh (the latter now the Barony of Coleraine) in Co. Derry, in the military service of the O'NEILL royal dynasty. The first of the surname mentioned in the Annals of Ulster was Rannall Ó Catháin, killed in 1138, and who by that date probably was the head of the family of military professionals which conquered these areas of Co. Derry.

Ulster Y-DNA patterns, of R1b Haplogroup, show distinct similar- ities, though with GDs of 10 or more from some previously-thought likely O'CAHAN relatives. This suggests separate origins for some groups and very remote relationhip for others. Genetic Distance (GD), and how to interpret it in terms of estimating TMRCA, has been a matter of much dispute. What my project shows, is that GD's, when compared with known historical dating and documented pedigrees, are averaging about 150 +/- 30 years per total GD in this long lineage now under study. That is, a GD of 8 would suggest a MRCA living 1000-1400 years ago. This theory is entirely my own and not considered scientific. It is useful as a rough guideline only in documented pedigrees or traditional genealogies supported by credible historical timelines.

When surnames were finally adopted and stabilized within various Irish septs, it's probable that name choices would have followed the 'derbhfine' (kin-group descended from a common greatgrand-father) under the Brehon Law system. This means certain surnames, especially those derived from prominent persons, would have been adopted by a number of then distinct septs descended from within the 'derbhfines' (i.e. up to 2nd cousins of the actual eponymous relative), thus extending the line back as much as a couple of hundred years beyond the actual bearer of the eponym. This theory may be most useful when considering Y-DNA results in long lineages showing GDs somewhat greater among bearers of a surname than conventional thinking and historical documentation would allow. Also to be considered are female-line descendants assuming the surname of a prominent ancestor as well as the several other explanations of the term "Non-Paternal Event".

I have stated, "Some things have been overlooked and I think the above explanation helps answer some questions." Well, now we know one certain thing that was overlooked, though no one had any way of knowing without the help of DNA analysis - The "Warrior Clan" in Ulster appears to have been Dalcassian! Short of a fundamental error or NPE in the line since the adoption of the surname, it remains to be seen how and when the traditional part of the pedigree may have been altered and whether the genealogical evidence supports a Dalcassian origin for the eponym.

Considering the 1001 alliance between King Brian 'Boru' and his brother-in-law, King Mael-Sechnaill II of the southern UiNeill, in conjunction with Y-DNA results and many other relevant facts of history, the "how", "when" and "why" now seem rasoanably resolved.

The latest Y-DNA development has been the identification of an apparently definitive SNP Marker known as L226. When tested as POSITIVE it appears unique to Irish Type-III. Thus, all Type-III people should take this additional test from FTDNA. I have tested and am L226 Positive. The "Irish Type-III Website" and "Irish Eyes" email newsletter of Dennis Wright are highly recommended for members of the KEANE Y-DNA Project. Dennis has started a new FTDNA Project for those testing positive for L226, Irish Type-III. His site is most interesting. His charts and explanations are useful not only for "Irish Type-III" but also for members of other Irish Haplotypes, such as NW Irish and SW Irish. His URL address is as follows-:

http://www.irishtype3dna.org/

After several years the KEANE Y-DNA Project now has 95 members, most bearing surname variants of KEANE, KANE, or CAIN. Only a few of these have been determined by Y-DNA results to be "Irish Type-III", a sub-clade of R1b, concenrated in the Irish counties of Clare, Limerick and Tipperary. The remainder R1b types derive from one or another of several northern, northwestern and southern Irish septs (Also see my "News" sections in the this Project), while a few show probable male-line Viking ancestry. The latter, bearing KEANE or variant surnames, suggest followers of High King Brian 'Boru' who adopted the same surname as many of the the Ó Catháin "Warrior Clan" with which they served throughout Ireland.

The counties Clare, Limerick and Tipperary include most of the northern Munster Province region known as Thomond. The territory is the homeland of the ancient Dalcassian sept, named for its founder Cas, traditional ancestor of Ireland's most notable warrior, High King Brian 'Boru' (k. 1014).

Along with myself, there are a CAIN and a KEAN of "Irish Type - III" Haplotype in our Project. A cuuple of others, including a Kane spelling, appear on the "Irish Type-III" website. Their appearance within the male-lineage of Clan Ó Catháin (O'Cahan) is supported by my own extensive research and by the 1716 MS Pedigree (O'Lunnin MS, TCD, Dublin) which, when read in the context of recent Y-DNA developments, demonstrates a highly probable double descent of the Thomond "Irish Type - III" O'Cahans, Caseys and others, from the kin-group of King Brian 'Boru'. I have joined the O'Brien Y-DNA Project (FTDNA), and suggest that other "Irish Type-III" people do the same.

Also, those of any Haplogroup who have not yet uploaded their Y-DNA results to YSearch.com ought to do so.

(UPDATE - update 08/27/09): It is a virtual certainty that descent from the eponym "CATHAIN" is solid, while the earliest generations in the O'Lunnin MS are obviously spurious, as previously suspected. From "CATHAIN" (probably nick-name of Cathassey or his father, Donncuan) to the present time, the lineage remains fully supported by documented genealogical and historical evidence. After thorough review, no inconsistencies have been noted. I thus believe, as previously stated, that "CATHAIN" was indeed a member of the kin-group of none other than the supreme "Warrior" of his time, King Brian 'Boru', the UiBrian male-line origin disguised for political reasons while his descendants served as a military elite in Ulster. See Pedigree posted below.

LINEAGE
The ancestry of the Ó Catháin "warrior clan" in Ulster has traditionally been held to be senior cadet branch of the UiNeill, descended from King Fergal(d. 722). As the present representative of this family and having asserted its Chiefship based on documented, connected pedigree from Sean O'Cahan, The O'Cahan (d. 1498), it seemed incumbent upon me to undergo Y-DNA testing to possibly obtain a close match to others, determine a localized area of male-line origin, and thus assess the veracity of portions of the early traditional pedigree. Rather than one of the expected Ulster-based Haplotypes, the result of my 67-marker test clearly showed a sub-group of R1b1c Haplogroup now designated as "Irish Type-III" or R-L226 Positive. Close similarities have been found with several Dalcassian Irish families (descendants of the Dal gCas of southwest Ireland) concentrated in the area of Thomond (north Munster) where my Co. Clare ancestors lived following the settlement there about 1520 of Daniel O'Cahan who came "from Ulster". Daniel's genealogy, as asserted by the early 18th Century O'Lunnin MS (Trinity College, Dublin), and supported by much other evidence, traces back to the kin-group (Irish: 'derbhfine') of all O'Cahan Chiefs between 1472 and 1598.

One of the earlier male-line ancestors in the O'Cahan lineage is Cathusach (or Cathasaigh), born ca. 990, traditionally considered the founder of the O'Casey family of Thomond. He is now shown as clearly descended from within the kin-group of Brian 'Boru'. My closest Y-DNA match is a Genetic Distance (GD) of 4 at 67 markers to a Casey and a GD of 5 to the "Irish Type-III" modal value.

Upon re-examination of the traditional descent from "Catháin",
the eponymous ancestor as shown in the early O'Lunnin MS, some curious references are found which have relevance to the Y-DNA results.

There are some obvious anachronisms and misspellings in the early portions of the MS pedigree, which could well be attributed to faulty memories of sources, errors in copying from an earlier text, or phonetic spelling from a verbal account. It is noteworthy that the original MS was copied and updated by G. Carter, Captain, R.N., in 1935. He was related to the Beech Park, Ennis, Co. Clare Keanes (Burke, "Landed Gentry of Ireland", Various Edns.), who are NOT descended from my male line. Y-DNA testing supports that onclusion. The Ennis Keane family, settled in Clare during the Cromwellian era, have a northern Irish haplotype.

There is, however, a very significant reference in the O'Lunnin MS to a female-line connection to the line of Brian 'Boru' as follows -:

"Keane (a quo nominelur O'Keane) - (sic.) - of the Co. of Derry" with his son shown as-: "Cahasy = (i.e. married-LK) Duffcouely, dau of Danemore (sic.) O'Bryan, last king of Munster of that name". At that early date this could only refer to Donough (?-Mor), King of Munster (d. 1065). Whether he was "the last" may be debatable, as his collateral descendants claimed the title until Domnall Mor O'Brien (d. 1194). It's likely he was the last effective king prior to the division of Munster into Desmond and Thomond which became a political reality by the 12th Century.

Also, "Constantine O'Keane als Conkenny" appears at the point in
the pedigree where I have the name shown as 'Conn Cionntach', as other traditional versions spell it. I don't know how 'Conn Cionntach' might translate to 'Constantine', but I think 'Cennetig' would be closer to the Gaelic, though that spelling with slight variation in pronunciation might well translate as "The Guilty". The "als Conkenny" however would seem to weigh against that interpretation. There are several persons of that name among Brian 'Boru's near kin, one of whom was ancestor of the Kennedy family of southern Ireland.

The surname 'Keane' certainly was not in use in the 10th Century but
the MS shows all descendants of "Catháin", down to Richard O'Cahan of Coleraione & Dungiven, the father of Daniel who settled in Co. Clare (ca. 1520), married wives of prominent Ulster noble families (O'Lunnin MS; and R.I.A. MS RR/14/B5). This gives the definite impression of long-term residence in Ulster.

In an effort to determine the most likely identification of "Cathain", the warrior name-father of the O'Cahan family, I have explored the kin-grup of Brian 'Boru' in some depth. Though he had been considered the most likely male-line ancestor, it does appear that historians have accounted for all of his sons. The O'Lunnin MS shows a man named Dungan as father of "Cathain". It gives the line as "Dungan>Cathain>Cathusack" - listed closely together unlike other names in the pedigree. King Brian did have a brother named Donncuan which is a variant of Dungan. Checking the Annals of Munster and the Annals of the Four Masters (AFM), it was found that Brian's brother, Donncuan, was killed in 950. Further research however showed there was a son of this Donncuan, also named Donncuan, who was killed at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014, and that he had a son, Cahassey or Cathasaigh, who married a grand-daughter of King Brian'Boru'(See pedigree). Thus, those qualifying as "The Warrior" INCLUDE the brother, nephew, or grand-nephew in a male line fron Cennetig, and a female line descent from Brian himself.

PEDIGREE

LORCAN, King of Thomond, had issue,

CENNETIG, King of Thomond, d. 951, had issue, twelve sons, of whom only the following left known issue,

1. Mathgamain (Mahon), k. 976.

2. DONNCHUAN, of whom presently.

3. BRIAN 'BORU', High King of Ireland; possibly identifiable, with Catháin - 'Warrior' - in the O'Cahan chiefly line, based on documented pedigree and Y-DNA which confirms the O'Cahan chiefly line as Dalcassian; Catháin, likely a nickname, was taken as a surname in the mid-11th Century by the eponym of the "Warrior Clan" in service of the O'Neill Dynasty in Ulster; Brian was one of several persons who could have inspired the Ó Catháin surname, including a female-line through his grand-daughter (see below); he was b. 924 (Annals-CS) or 941 (AU) at Kincora; he marched into Connaught and Leinster and joined forces in 997 with High King Mael Sechnaill II (Malachy) of the 'Southern UiNeill'. Together they divided Ireland between them; in 1001 King Mael Sechnaill II formally submitted to him as an ally and Brian was given command of "the royal forces"; he became the most well-known and successful warrior-king in the Irish historical era; he m. at least four times; His son, Donough, was by his wife Gormflaith of Naas (d. 1030), dau. of Murchad, King of Leinster. Gormlflaith was widow of Anlaf (Olaf) (d. 981), King of Dublin, and had been the wife of Mael-Sechnaill II, High King of Ireland - i.e., King Brian was Mael-Sechnaill's brother-in-law. Brian was k. 1014 at Battle of Clontarf having had issue, among others,

.......1a. Donough ('Mor' - O'Lunnin MS); b. ca. 975; deposed 1063; d. 1065; "last King of Munster of that name" (sic., O'Lunnin MS), had issue,

..............1b. Dubhcoubhla ('Duffcouley' per O'Lunnin MS); b. ca.1000; probably named after her step-grandmother (d.s.p. 1009) of the same name, the last wife of King Brian 'Boru'; m. ca. 1020 her 2nd cousin Cahassey/ Cathasaigh, grandfather of the first to assume the surname O'CAHAN, son of Donchuan, brother of King Brian 'Boru' and also ancestor of the O'CASEY family (O'Brien Genealogies - McCurtin, Hugh - 1608 ).

4. Eichtigern, ancestor of McGrath of Thomond.

5. Anluan, ancestor of the Quirk family.

DONNCHUAN, b. ca. 920; 2nd son of Cennetig, King of Thomond; k. in battle 950; had issue six sons, one of whom,

DONNCHUAN, b. ca. 945; k. at Battle of Clontarf, 1014 (Annals - M1014); possibly the "warrior" from whom the surname derives, but more likely his son, Cahassey.

......1a. Conaing, b. ca. 965; "Conaing, son of Donncuan, son of Brian's brother" (Annals - M1014), apparently King Brian's Deputy (Jaski. 2000, pp 138ff), k. at Battle of Clontarf, 1014.

......2a. CAHASSEY, of whom presently.

CAHASSEY/CATHASAIGH (Gaelic: Cath - Battle; ?-saighead - Arrow), b. ca. 990, ancestor of O'Cahan (Ó Catháin) of Thomond and in Ulster, also O'Casey of Thomond; he was of age to have been present at Battle of Clontarf; m. ca. 1020 (O'Lunnin MS) Doubhcoubhla, his 2nd cousin, daughter of Donnchad (Mor), King of Munster, son of King Brian 'Boru' (as above), and had issue,

DERMOD/DARBY, b. ca. 1020, m. (O'Lunnin MS) Elinor, dau. of Macgenis, Lord of Tiragh, and had issue,

CONN CIONNTACH Ó Catháin (or "Conkenny" in O'Lunnin MS), first to assume the surname, as a descendant of Brian 'Boru' (The Warrior') through a female line and a descendant of Brian's brother in direct male-line; b. ca. 1045; this is no doubt one of several spelling variants or a copying error for 'Cennetig'; it appears his name was a composite of the names of two double cousins (1C-1R; 3C-1R), Conchobar (Conor), k. 1078, and Cennetig, k. 1084, both kings of the Dalcassian kingship of Tulcha Oc (Tullahog), tradittional inauguration place of the O'Neill kings in Co. Tyrone, and "righdamna of Eire"; Conchobar is styled king ("ri") of Cenel Eoghan, and Cennetig as king ("ri") of Gaileng - a significant border region of the southern O'Neill (F.J. Byrne, 2001, Chart p. 297; Jaski, 2000, Chart, p. 311); from O'Lunnin MS, he m. "Rose, dau. of Hugh Boye, First Lord of Clannaboye in the County of Antrim" (Note: appears anachronistic - Hugh lived in mid-13th C. - but possibly an earlier ancestor), and had issue,

GIOLLCHRIOSD Ó Catháin, b. ca. 1065, m. (O'Lunnin MS) Mary, dau. of Hugh McMahon, Lord of Monaghan, and had issue,

IOMHAR Ó Catháin, b. ca. 1085, m. (O'Lunnin MS) Winifred, dau. of Gilliosa O'Reilly, Lord of Cavan, and had issue,

RANNALL Ó Catháin, b. ca. 1105, Chief of his Name; the first of the family to be mentioned in the Annals of Ulster (AU-1138), where he is described as "Lord of The Craebh (Creeve), Ciannachta and Fir Li"; by that date he was probably the leader of the "Warrior Clan" that conquered the Ciannachta in the territory around Dungiven, Co. Derry; m. (O'Lunnin MS) Honora, dau. of Roarke, "Prince of Bressic (sic ?-Breffny), containing three counties, viz. Leitrim, Cavan and Fermanagh"; k. 1138, having had issue.

From Rannall the male-line descent is fully documented through 29 additional generations to the present time, as presented in my book : "The Warrior Clan of Ulster - Descent of the Chiefship of The Princely Ulster House of Ó Catháin - 800 A.D. - 2000 A.D."

CREDIT
KEANE DNA Website