My McLaughlin Connections

My McLaughlin Connections

By Michael W. Caughey

Mary Mc Laughlin is my daughter's mother in law. She married Thomas Bogues.
MC LAUGHLIN
Taken together MacLaughlin and MacLoughlin were found, at the start of the twentieth century, to be the 21st most common name in Ireland, 9th in Ulster, 2nd in Co. Derry, 5th in Co. Donegall and 10th in Co. Tyrone.MacLoughlin, taken on its own, 12th most common in Co.Fermanagh.
Three-quarters of those of the MacLaughlin spelling in Ireland were found to be in counties Antrim, Donegall and Derry. Most in Ulster will be of Irish origin, but many will be of Scottish. Laughlin and Loughlin are abbreviated forms. In both Scotland and Ireland the names derive principally from the Norse personal name Laclann.
MacLochlainn was the name of a leading sept of Tirconnell, which was one of the senior branches of the northern Ui Neill, descendants of the fifth century Niall of the Nine Hostages. Up to the mid-thirteenth century the MacLoughlins were rulers of Ulster. In 1241, however, Donall MacLochlainn was defeated and killed in a battle with Brian O'Neill and the O'Neill domination of Ulster began.
The MacLaughlins were erenaghs of the church lands of Grellagh and of Moville in their homeland, the barony of Inishowen in Co. Donegall, and and were also erenaghs of half of all the church lands of Co. Derry. Some at least of the MacLoughlins of Ulster will be originally O'Melaghlins, descendants of Maoilsheachlainn (Malachy II), King of Ireland from 980 to 1002 - when he was dethrowned by Brian Boru. By the 18th century the name as O'Melaghlin had disappeared, having been replaced by MacLoughlin.
The name, as MacLaclan, MacLaughlin, MacLaughlan and so on, is common in Scotland and is that of the Clan MacLachlan, whose chief seat was in Cowal in Argyll. Their lands there were acquired by Gilleskel Maclachlan in 1292. A branch were hereditary captains of Innischonnel, an island in Loch Awe in Argyllshire, to the Campbells of Argyll.
(Source "The Book of Ulster Surnames").
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