McSweeney


McSweeney is a surname of Norse-Gaelic origin. It is the Anglicized form of the GaelicMac Sween or Swein], meaning "son of Suibhne". Despite claims that the personal name Suibhne is of Irish origin and derived from suibneus, suaimhneas, meaning "easy-going", or "pleasant", the eponymous ancestor of the McSweeneys was of Norse-Gaelic descent. According to the Annals of Tigernacht, Swein, Son of Cinaid, King of the Gal-Gaidhil, Died 1034 AD. Claims of the McSweeneys being of Irish origin and descendants of the O'Neills are entirely false and would appear to have been made up for two purposes - firstly to smooth their way into medieval Tyr Connail, where they conquored territory and became kingmakers, protectors and fosterers to the O'Donnells, who ruled that part of Ireland, and secondly, so it wouldn't appear that the O'Neills were having to rely on foreigners to do their fighting for them - especially as the 'cessing' of galoglas warriors would have been costly to the local population, as each man would have been awarded land and cattle. Although the McSweeneys undoubtedly had Irish connections going back centuries, Swein was actually a descendant of the Ui Imair, or House of Ivar. Notable people with the surname include: