Show ContentsMullawney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Before Irish names were translated into English, Mullawney had a Gaelic form of Ó Maoldhomhnaigh, which means descendant of a servant of the Church. 1

Early Origins of the Mullawney family

The surname Mullawney was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where O'Moloney, "were chiefs of Cuiltenan, now the parish of Kiltonanlea, in the barony of Tulla." 2

Early History of the Mullawney family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mullawney research. Another 131 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1601, 1690, 1709, 1726, 1865, 1900, 1925, 1937, 1949 and 1976 are included under the topic Early Mullawney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mullawney Spelling Variations

One must realize that attempting to record a Gaelic name in English was a daunting task. Even today the translation is a difficult one. Names, therefore, often had many spelling variations. The variations of the name Mullawney include: Molony, Maloney, O'Maloney, O'Molony, MacLoughney and many more.

Early Notables of the Mullawney family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was Father Donough O'Molony who was tortured to death in 1601. John Mullowney (c. 1690-1726) was born in Derrew, near Ballyheane, County Mayo who began his career as a horse thief and was sentenced to death in Castlebar in his youth. The Grand Jury made a deal with him in which...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mullawney Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Mullawney family

Suffering from poverty and racial discrimination, thousands of Irish families left the island in the 19th century for North America aboard cramped passenger ships. The early migrants became settlers of small tracts of land, and those that came later were often employed in the new cities or transitional work camps. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Although the immigrants from this period were often maligned when they arrived in the United States, they provided the cheap labor that was necessary for the development of that country as an industrial power. Early immigration and passenger lists have revealed many immigrants bearing the name Mullawney: Eleanor Moloney settled in Boston, Massachusetts. in 1767; Joseph Moloney settled in Pennsylvania in 1772; Biddy, Edmund, George, James, John, Michael, and Patrick Molony all arrived in Canada in 1847.



  1. MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
  2. O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)


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