Where the MacNamara name comes from, how the family is related to Brian Boru, the Clare castles they built including Bunratty, and which DNA test to take.

MacNamara (Mac Con Mara, “son of the hound of the sea”) is a Dál gCais surname from east County Clare. The family shares Brian Boru’s kindred but does not descend from Brian himself. For centuries the MacNamaras were the second most powerful family in the kingdom of Thomond after the O’Briens, and they built or held around 50 tower houses, including Bunratty and Knappogue castles.

MacNamara at a glance

  • Irish form: Mac Con Mara (Mac Conmara)
  • Meaning: son of Cú Mara, “hound of the sea”
  • Homeland: Clann Chuiléin, covering the modern baronies of Bunratty and Tulla in east Clare
  • Kindred: Dál gCais, distant cousins of the O’Briens
  • Hereditary role: marshals of Thomond

Origin of the name

The surname comes from a chieftain called Cú Mara, based at Magh Adhair in County Clare. His son Domhnall, who died in 1099, took the name Mac Con Mara, making him the first MacNamara. The name has changed little since. MacNamara and McNamara are the same name spelled two ways, and there is no difference in origin between them.

The MacNamaras of Thomond

The family’s territory, Clann Chuiléin, stretched across east Clare between the Shannon and the Fergus. The chiefs were styled Lords of Clann Chuiléin, and the lordship later split between two branches, East and West, with the MacNamara Fionn line based at Knappogue.

Their standing with the O’Briens was formal. Clare Libraries notes that the MacNamaras held the hereditary office of chief functionary to the O’Brien kings, and one of their duties was to preside at the inauguration of each new King of Thomond at Magh Adhair near Quin.

They were also prolific builders. During the 14th and 15th centuries they built, acquired or repaired close to 50 tower houses, more than the O’Briens themselves. The best known are Bunratty Castle, rebuilt by Maccon MacNamara and his son Seán Fionn around 1430 to 1440, and Knappogue Castle, the long-time seat of the MacNamara Fionn chiefs. The family also founded Quin Abbey as their burial place in the early 15th century.

How are the MacNamaras related to Brian Boru?

The MacNamaras belong to the Uí Caisín branch of the Dál gCais, which also produced the O’Gradys. Brian Boru’s O’Brien line came from a different branch of the same kindred. So a MacNamara is a distant cousin of Brian through the shared Dalcassian ancestor, not a direct descendant. The medieval genealogies trace both lines back to the legendary founder Cormac Cas.

MacNamara DNA

Men of the Dalcassian MacNamara line usually carry the Y-DNA marker R-L226, also known as Irish Type III, which is the genetic signature of the Dál gCais. McNamara is one of the surnames that cluster most strongly in that group. A positive result confirms Dalcassian paternal ancestry. To place yourself on a specific MacNamara branch, the Big Y-700 test from Family Tree DNA is the one project administrators recommend. A Y-37 test is a cheaper first step.

Women can’t take a Y-DNA test, so ask a father, brother or paternal male cousin to test, and use an autosomal test such as AncestryDNA to build your own tree. Our Brian Boru descendants and DNA guide explains what R-L226 can and can’t prove.

MacNamara places to visit in Clare

  • Bunratty Castle and Folk Park: the MacNamara tower house, fully restored, 15 minutes from Shannon Airport.
  • Knappogue Castle, near Quin: seat of the MacNamara Fionn, now known for its medieval banquets.
  • Quin Abbey: the MacNamara burial place, a well-preserved Franciscan friary that is free to visit.
  • Magh Adhair, near Quin: the mound where the MacNamaras presided over the inauguration of the O’Brien kings.

All four are within 20 minutes of each other. See places to stay near Quin and Ennis, and add Killaloe to the trip with our Brian Boru trail.

Related Dál gCais surnames

The MacNamaras’ closest cousins are the O’Gradys. See also the Kennedys, Hogans, McGraths, MacMahons and Caseys, or browse all Brian Boru kindred surnames.

Frequently asked questions

Is MacNamara Irish or Scottish?

Irish. It originated in County Clare and remains most common there.

What is the difference between MacNamara and McNamara?

None in origin. Mc is an abbreviation of Mac, and both come from Mac Con Mara.

Are the MacNamaras descended from Brian Boru?

Not directly. They belong to the same Dál gCais kindred and are distant cousins of the O’Briens.

Did the MacNamaras build Bunratty Castle?

The present castle was built by the MacNamaras around 1430 to 1440. It later passed to the O’Briens.

Sources

  1. Clare Libraries Local Studies, MacNamara, MacConmara.
  2. Wikipedia, MacNamara.
  3. Dennis M. Wright, “A Set of Distinctive Marker Values Defines a Y-STR Signature for Gaelic Dalcassian Families”, Journal of Genetic Genealogy 5(1), 2009.