Green
Green—There are several Irish Sept Names which have been anglicised Green. O'Greine was a Co. Meath sept; O'Glaisnigh a Co. Monaghan sept; and McAlasher and McAlesher a Co. Fermanagh sept, have anglicised their names Green, the latter in the districts of Irvinestown and Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh. The McGlashens in the districts of Burt, Co. Derry, and in Kilmacrenan, Co. Donegal, have anglicised the name Green.
The name McGlashen is one of Scottish origin, and, according to Dr. McBain, is a side form of the sept name Mac Gille-ghlais, its form in Scottish Gaelic. It may be here stated that many septs from the Scottish Isles and from Argyle and Kintyre settled at an early period in Derry and Donegal, apart from the many septs that came to Antrim with the McDonnells.
Green is the anglicised form of O'Hoonin and O'Honeen (O'h-Uaithnín) in Tipperary and Mayo; O'Hooney (O' h-Uaithnigh) in Cork; Fahy (O'Fathaigh) in Co. Galway; in Co. Kerry we have Uaithne, and in Roscommon we have Glas; the first being the Irish for real green, and the second for grey-green; and it is very probable that in these two cases the names may be nicknames of some branch of a sept. McGlashen (Mac Glaisin or Mac Glasáin) is also the Gaelic of Green in the Northern parts of Orghiall, and its other form, Mac Giollaghlais, in most of Western Ulster, that is McAlasher. Giles in Co. Louth is the anglicised form of O'Glaisin.