McConaghy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

The original Gaelic form of the name McConaghy is Óconnachtaigh. This name can be considered a place name as it indicates that its original bearer inhabited Connaught. The prefix O, meaning '"grandson of" indicates descent from the original bearer.

Early Origins of the McConaghy family

The surname McConaghy was first found in County Donegal with the MacSweenys. That name is derived from Suibhne O'Neill, who was a chieftain in Argyll, Scotland. His descendants migrated to Ireland as gallowglasses (mercenaries) prior to 1267. The three great septs of this name finally established themselves in Tirconnell in 14th century; they were known as MacSweeney Fanad, MacSweeney Banagh, and MacSweeney na dTuath, who were commonly referred to as 'MacSweeney of the Battleaxes.'

Early History of the McConaghy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McConaghy research. Another 182 words (13 lines of text) covering the year 1893 is included under the topic Early McConaghy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McConaghy Spelling Variations

Numerous spelling variations of the surname McConaghy exist. A partial explanation for these variants is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. Different spellings that were found include Conaty, O'Conaty, Connaghty, Connoty, MacConaghy, MacConkey and many more.

Early Notables of the McConaghy family

More information is included under the topic Early McConaghy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McConaghy migration to the United States +

Many destitute Irish families in the 18th and 19th centuries decided to leave their homeland, which had in many ways been scarred by English colonial rule. One of the most frequent destinations for these families was North America where it was possible for an Irish family to own their own parcel of land. Many of the early settlers did find land awaiting them in British North America, or even later in America, but for the majority of immigrants that arrived as a result of the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s the ownership of land was often a long way off. These Irish people were initially put to work on such industrial projects as the building of bridges, canals, and railroads, or they worked at manufacturing positions within factories. Whenever they arrived, the Irish made enormous contributions to the infant nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the earliest immigrants to bearer the name of McConaghy were found through extensive research of immigration and passenger lists:

McConaghy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

David McConaghy, aged 10, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1803 1
Thomas McConaghy, aged 27, who landed in New York, NY in 1803 1
William B McConaghy, aged 4, who landed in America in 1820 1
Hector McConaghy, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1828 1
William McConaghy, aged 16, who arrived in New York, NY in 1834 1
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McConaghy migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McConaghy Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Barnabas McConaghy, aged 21, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Prudence" in 1838
Mr. Francis McConaghy, aged 1 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Christiana" departing 8th April 1847 from Londonderry, Ireland; the ship arrived on 10th June 1847 but he died on board 2

Contemporary Notables of the name McConaghy (post 1700) +

Jack McConaghy (1902-1977), American two-time Academy Award nominated set decorator, best known for his work on The Desert Song (1943) and San Antonio (1945)
Lorraine McConaghy, American historian, recipient of the Washington State Historical Society's Robert Gray Medal (2010)
Brian McConaghy (b. 1963), Irish-born, Canadian forensic scientist, founder of Ratanak International
John McConaghy, Australian founder of McConaghy Boats in 1967, known for their work on yachts for the America's Cup, Kenwood Cup, Maxi Worlds and Admirals cup

Citations +

Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 86)