Genelach Dáil Cuinn Project™ Forum

Chris,

Thanks!

I took another look at eDIL and cuilén shows a later form of coileán. Although the genitive case is shown as culíuin, I am wondering if cuilín MIGHT be a bad rendition of nominative case cuilén to a genitive case of cuilín. The "E" to "I" genitive case transition does occur with some words that end in "EN". So a Mac Cuilín looks possible - "son of a pup or whelp", used as a "laudatory term of warriors" or a "term of endearment". Derivation from cláen seems less likely with a meaning of "hump-back, stooped, squinting, unjust", etc. except for the meaning of "hair waving (?) flowing (?)". Some of these names are just too likely to be conflated.

Thanks David! This is definitely all making sense now. It seems Mac Cuilén would have produced every variant that has slowly driven me crazy in figuring this all out Including the Killeen-oriented names that must have certainly been mistaken for Ó Cillín and the like. I tried to rule out these variants as possibly later people that came from Connacht, but Edenderry has very early survivng parish registers to 1699, and several Killans show by 1710. They were certainly close if not already there. This jumbled mess of plotted records from the spreadsheet I've put together seems to be the expanse of the Mac-prefix of it in N. Leinster (all variants minus "Cullen"). Yellow font are 16th century records.
The greatest variety is around Killane, Co. Offaly (Bhaile Mhic Cuilén) which became enveloped by Edenderry and the "Culean" in the middle of E. Offaly would seem to confirm what most or all of these variants really are.

1550-1685
Ballycoyllane, Ballecoyllen, half Bally-m'quillin, Ballm'quillam, half B., Ballecullen, Ballicullane otherwise Ballymcquillane, Cullian, Culliane, Ballyculliane,Culliane, half Ballycullian, Coolyan, Cullian

Looking at how surname-based townland names mutated and anglicized over time is very interesting and I definitely like to analyze it. It's probably a very good clue to surname anglicization since so much pre-1800 is gone or just butchered beyond recognition. "Killane" disappears from all maps and records in 1685 however it remains a suburb name of Edenderry and is on google maps. A "Ballykillane" near Portarlington, Co. Laois (very close to Coolestown barony) probably anglicized in the same manner. The Irish govt agency that runs logainm.ie determined that this Ballykillane in Laois was probably named for one of the several Colin O'Dempseys in the annals. The historical references for it https://www.logainm.ie/en/28456 seem to indicate the -áin ending became pronounced 'ayn' in the 18th c, which is similar to what other Baile Ui Coileain townland names in Leinster show, and a much greater number of O'Coileains in southern Kildare and Carlow are "Cullane" and "Killane". This is probably the reason that a lot of my *likely but unverified* ancestors in early 18th c. Dublin appear as McClene, McClen, McCleen prior to c.1725 "McClane".

Both Lenamarren, Killane, and the O'Guaire farming population are in the baronies of Warrenstown & Coolestown ("Garre", 5; 1659), which was once Tuatha de Maighe. Coolestown b. also encompasses the largest "Cullen" farming population within the ancient borders of Ui Failghe. As the Book of Leinster gives the Ui Chuiline in the Ui Failghe genealogies and not another sept like Clann Colgan or Clann Mhaoilura, Tuatha de Maighe was probably their location.