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Irish names tend to vary widely in their spelling and overall form. The original Gaelic form of the name McWhiney is Mac Suibhne, which is derived from the word "suibhne," which means "pleasant."

Early Origins of the McWhiney family

The surname McWhiney was first found in County Donegal (Irish: Dún na nGall), northwest Ireland in the province of Ulster, sometimes referred to as County Tyrconnel. The 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.' They later became attached to the MacCarthys in the south and acquired their own territories and castles in Muskerry in County Cork.

Early History of the McWhiney family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McWhiney research. Another 69 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1299 and 1310 are included under the topic Early McWhiney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McWhiney Spelling Variations

The recording of names in Ireland during the Middle Ages was an inconsistent endeavor at best. Since the general population did not know how to read or write, they could only specify how their names should be recorded orally. Research into the name McWhiney revealed spelling variations, including MacSweeney, MacSweeny, MacSwine, MacSwiney, MacSwyne, MacSwyny, MacWhinney, MacWhinny, MacWhinnie, MacSwiny, McSweeney, Swiney, Swinney and many more.

Early Notables of the McWhiney family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was John MacSween, a 13th-14th century nobleman who lost his lands in Scotland after the defeat of the forces and death of Alexander Og MacDonald, Lord of Islay in 1299. In...
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McWhiney Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

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McWhiney migration to Australia +

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