(O)Brennan;
Variant Spellings; (Mac)Brennan, Branan, Braniff, Brannan, Brannen, Brannie, Brannon, Branon, Breanon, Brenan, Brennen, Brennon, Brenon, Brinane.
Brennan is unusual among Irish names in that it is the English equivalent of two Irish surnames, one of them with a Mac prefix and one with an O prefix. This in spite of the fact that today the name is usually found as Brennan without either prefix.
The name Brennan is common in the country being in the top fifty in the list of Irish surnames.
In Irish the name is Braonain and is derived from two words Braon meaning 'drop or moisture' and the diminutive an. An analogy with tears may give the name the meaning of 'sorrow'.
The main sept of the MacBrennans is to be found in eastern Co. Roscommon. From there members of the sept have spread to counties Mayo and Sligo.
The territory of the O'Brennan sept is in the barony of Fassadinin in northern Co. Kilkenny. The nearness of this sept to the Pale ensured that they would always be under English pressure. As a result their influence and estates were reduced drastically in the seventeenth and eighteenth century. In fact many members of the sept became highwaymen and the story of one of them is told in the song "Brennan on the Moor".
The Most Rev. John Brennan (1625-1693) was Archbishop of Cashel and a friend to Saint Oliver Plunkett. His letters to Rome paint a clear and grim picture of the persecution of Catholics during his lifetime. Abbe Peter O'Brennan was guillotined in France in1794 during the revolution.
Coat of Arms
(Mac)Brennan
(O)Brennan
Where the Family Lived (Blue Area)
Addresses for More Information
Ireland
Centre for Irish Genealogical and Local Studies, Carraig, Cliff Road, Windgates, Bray, Co. Wicklow, Ireland. (Sean Murphy, MA, Director)
General Register Office, 8-11 Lombard Street East, Dublin 2, Ireland.
Telephone (01) 671 1000
Website http://www.doh.ie/manual/chap4/gere.htm
National Archives, Bishop Street, Dublin 8, Ireland.
Telephone (01) 478 3711
National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2, Ireland.
Telephone (01) 603 0200
Website www.heanet.ie/natlib
Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, 66 Balmoral Street, Belfast BT9 6NYY, Northern Ireland
Telephone (01232) 251319.
Website http://proni.nics.gov.uk/index.htm
University College Dublin, Adult Education Office, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
Website http://www.ucd.ie/delltti
Britain
Family Records Centre, London, England.
Website http://pro.gov.uk/about/frc/default.htm
Public Records Office, Kew, Surrey, England.
Website http://www.pro.gov.uk
General Register Office for Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Website http://www.open.gov.uk/index.html
National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, Wales.
Website http://www.llgc.org.uk/index.htm
North America
Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints, Family History Information, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
Website http://lds.org/en/ 2 how do I begin/0- how do I begin.html
Family Tree Maker’s Genealogy Site
Website http://www.familytreemaker.com/index.html
The Irish Ancestral Research Association (TIARA), P.O. Box 619 Sudbury, MA 01776, USA.
Website http://tiari.ie
Irish Genealogical Society International, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.
Website http://www.rootsweb.com irish/index.html
New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston Massachusetts, USA.
Website http://nehgs.org/main-01.htm
Australasia
Genealogical Society of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
Website http://www.alphalink.com/au/esv
National Archives of Australia, Canberra, Australia.
Website http://www.aa.gov.au/AA_WWW/AA_Home_Page.html
National Archives of New Zealand, Wellington, New Zealand
Website http://www.archives.dia.gov.nz
List of Links
Cyndi’s List of Genealogical Sites on the Internet: Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Website http://www.cyndilist.com/ireland.htm
UK and Ireland Genealogical Information Service.
Website http://www.genuki.org.uk
Copyright © 1998 by A. MacDarragh Burke, MD
All Rights Reserved.