Mac Aodha

Rev Patrick Woulfe

1923

Mac AODHA—IV—M'Ea, MacKay, MacKey, MacKee, MacCoy, MacHugh, Eason, Hughes, Hueson, Hewson, etc; 'son of Aodh' (a common Irish personal name, now anglicised Hugh); a very common surname, especially in Ulster and Connacht. There are several distinct families so called. In the barony of Clare, Co. Galway, Mac Aodha, of the same stock as the O'Flahertys, was chief of Clann Choscraigh. The MacKays of Strath-naver were a well-known Scottish clan, some of whom are, doubtless, to be found among the MacKays of the north of Ireland. The anglicised form MacCoy is almost peculiar to Co. Limerick, whither the family migrated from Ulster more than three centuries ago. See Mac Aoidh and Mag Aodha, which are variants.

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