Date: Tue, 25 Aug 1992
From: ML@vcp.monash.edu.au (Mik Lipcsey)
Below is Enya's family tree:
BRAONÁIN CLANNAD
****************
Grandfather Ó Braonáin Grandmother (Ó Bhraonáin - obviously not
(played Piano) (played Drums) her birthname)
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(formed a Showband Musical group, eventually to become teachers at Enya's
boarding school).
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--------------- Aobh & Mháire Uí Dhugain
| Hugh & Mary Duggan
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Leo Ó Braonáin Baba Ní Dhugain --- Pádraig & Noel Ó Dhugain
(played piano-accordian (Was Music Teacher) (Enya's twin uncles who
and saxophone; continued | are in Clannad)
with the musical group, |
I think they changed to Jazz) |
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Mháire Cía'ran Pól Deirdre Eithne Líam? Lynda? ? Olive?
F M M F F M F M F
\----------------/ (Artist) (ah, yes) (Roadie, (Chef) (Electrican) (still
(Members of Tour humming
Clannad) Manager) and
haaing)
New info (1992)
***************
Tim ?? = Mháire
|
Aisling
A couple of things I'm not too sure of:
1. Why the men are 'Braonáin' and the women are 'Bhraonáin'?
2. If Leo and Baba have any other siblings, likewise their parents?
Special thanks to Peter Warburton of pwarburt@ibmpcug.co.uk and his amazing 'Enya papers'.
Any other person who can add more info to this (eg. dates of birth, marriages, deaths, other siblings, offspring, spouses, etc.) or any corrections, please e-mail me and I will update the Family Tree. Yes, it is a bit all ad-hoc, but I hope it gives any of you a clearer picture of the family.
Date: Mon, 28 Oct 1996
From: "Jonathan K. Geldert" (geldert@bc.edu)
Does anyone know how common a name Eithne is in Ireland? I think it's beautiful and wonder if anyone has named their child this as a result of hearing Enya (or otherwise)?
Date: Tue, 29 Oct 1996
From: david.smith@utoronto.ca
As far as I know, "Eithne" per se is not an uncommon name in Ireland; the question (which has been debated on this list before) is whether or not everyone would pronounce it the same way (ie. "Enya".) I believe that this would depend on whether or not a person was from the Gaelic-speaking regions of the country, and if so, what dialect they spoke. I've seen an interview with Maire and her other sisters in Irish (Bruce Phillips' Enya tape #1) in which the pronunciations of the name varied from "AYN-ha" to "Eh-nhya" to, of course, "Enya".
Date: Mon, 10 Feb 1997
From: "Todd M. Moody" (tmmoody@mtu.edu)
I happened upon this short info-summary on a page on Irish Names on http://www.vretail.com/names.htm
I don't recall anything being posted on Eithne's surname in the past ca. 2 1/2-3 years, so, anyway, here's the entry for "Brennan" (a more direct link to the page with this entry can be found at http://www.vretail.com/names2.htm#B
BRENNAN
This is one of the most frequent surnames in Ireland and is to be found throughout the country, though noticeably less common in Ulster. It derives from the two Irish originals O Braonain and Mac Branain. The Mac Branain were chiefs of a large territory in the east of the present Co Roscommon, and a large majority of the Brennans of North Connacht, counties Mayo, Sligo and Roscommon, descend from them. O Braonain originated in at least four distinct areas: Kilkenny, east Galway, Westmeath and Kerry. Of these the most powerful were the O Braonain of Kilkenny, chiefs of Idough in the north of the county. After they lost their land and status to the English, many of them became notorious as leaders of bands of outlaws. A separate family, the O Brainain, are the ancestors of many of the Brennans of counties Fermanagh and Monaghan, where the name was also anglicised as Brannan and Branny.
Date: Tue, 21 Oct 1997
From: Harry Sarkas (hsarkas@mindspring.com)
This past weekend I picked up a copy of the September/ October 1997 issue of the Irish magazine, Irish Of The Welcomes. I was surprised to find a short article on the history of the Brennan family in Ireland. It appears in the Irish Families section of the magazine and chronicals the origins of the family name in Ireland. The article also includes a picture of Clannad and Enya (Watermark cover). For you Enya collectors out there, go and pick up a copy. I was able to find this one in the magazine section of a local Borders Books and Music store. Subscription information is as follows...
US/Canada - write to:
Ireland of the Welcomes
P.O. Box 54161
Boulder, CO 80238-4161 USA
Phone - 1-800-876-6336 or 303-678-0439
Fax - 303-661-1816
Europe & Elsewhere - write to:
Ireland of the Welcomes
P.O. Box 5704
Dublin 8, Ireland
(back issues are $5.00)
For those of you who can't get the magazine, the
following transcription is provided...
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Ireland of the Welcomes
Vol. 46, No. 5 - September/October 1997
pages 42-43.
Irish Families - Brennan
Brief History of an Irish Family
by John Grenham
Illustration by Myra Maguire
This is one of the most frequent surnames in Ireland, and is to be found throughout the country, though noticeably less common in Ulster. In 1980 it was ranked 27th, with 358 births, while in 1996 it was 14th in the Republic and only 91st in Northern Ireland.
It derives from three Irish originals: Ó Braonáin, a á diminutive of braon, possibly meaning "sorrow", Mac Branáin, and Ó Branáin, both mean bran, meaning "raven", one of the most popular personal names in early Ireland.
The Mac Branáin were chiefs of a large territory in the east of the present Co. Roscommon, and a large majority of the Brennans of north Connacht, counties Mayo, Sligo, and Roscommon, descended from them.
Ó Branáin was a name found among the Cenel Eoghan, the tribal grouping claiming descent from Eoghan, (one of the sons of the 5th century monarch, Niall of the Nine Hostages), who was reputedly responsible for the kidnapping of St. Patrick to Ireland and who was the founder of the Uí Néill dynasty. Their territory included the modern county which records his name, Tyrone, and it is in this area and the adjoining counties of Donegal, Fermanagh, and Monaghan that the northern Brennans are now most commonly found. In this area, especially Donegal, the name was also anglicised as Brennan and Branny. Fifteen Brannan births are recorded in 1890, most of them in Donegal.
Ó Braonáin originated in at least four distinct areas, Kilkenny, east Galway, Westmeath and Kerry. Of these the most powerful were the Ó Braonáin of Kilkenny, chiefs of Idough in the north of the country, around the modern town of Castlecomer. The orginal Braonáin from whom they claimed descent was the son of Cearbhall, a ninth-century leader of Osraige, famed in the Annals for his many bloody victories over his neighbours. Displaced by the Normans in the twelfth century, they slowly regained their power over the succeeding two centuries as the Normans were assimilated. By the start of the 17th century, four seperate sub-groups of the family are identified as landowners in north Kilkenny. After they lost their lands and status to the English, many of them became notorious as leaders of bands of outlaws. Witness the popular ballad "Brennan on the Moor".
One of the last claimants to be chief of the name of the Kilkenny branch was John Brennan (1768-1830), popularly known as the "wrestling doctor" for his satires on the Dublin medical establishment. The classical scholar Christopher (John) Brennan was the most learned poet Australia produced at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. Mostly in the symbolist tradition, his work is characterised by force of feeling and depth of imagery.
Joseph Brennan (1887-1963) was one of the most influential Irish civil servants of his generation, becoming the first Secretary of the Department of Finance, chairman of the Currency Commision and, from 1942 until 1953, first governor of the Central Bank.
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Illustrations: p.42 - Brennan Coat of Arms
Photos and descriptions on page 43:
1) Picture of Doo Lough, Connemara, Co Mayo
2) Brennan's Family Bakers logo
3) Clannad from the time of the Banba album, and Enya from her Watermark album cover with a description on the bottom of the photos: "Members of the O' Braonáin (Brennan) family from Co. Donegal are very well-known world wide as Clannad (above) and Enya, whose haunting voice has won many awards."
4) Picture of Francis Brennan and the Park Hotel in Kenmare, Co. Kerry which he manages.
5) Picture of the Arigna Valley, Co. Roscommon, once home of the chiefs of the Brennan clan.
John Grenham is the author of Tracing Your Irish Ancestors and Clans and Families of Ireland (Gill and Macmillan)
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Disclaimer: The above transcript is provided for your
own personal study. Commercial distribution is prohibited
without the authors' permission.
On a personal note, I've learned that Leo Brennan was orginally from Co. Mayo before he moved to Co. Donegal. However, it amazes me how alot of Brennans still reside in the same region where the family name originates. The same magazine already has done a piece on the origins of the Duggan family name, but I don't have a copy.