Irish formÓ Maolchallann
Meaning'descendant of Maolchallann' (chief of the kalends)
CountiesDerry, Antrim, Down, Limerick
Other spellings5
Origin of the Mulholland name
Woulfe names three families of Ó Maolchallann: (1) a branch of the Ui Fidhgheinte, chiefs of Caonraidhe, now the barony of Kenry, north Co. Limerick; (2) a Meath family, chiefs of Dealbhna beg, now the barony of Demifore; (3) an Ulster ecclesiastical family, keepers of the Bell of St. Patrick, seated in the barony of Loghinsholin.[1]
- 1012Four Masters: Dubhtaichligh Ua Maelchallann, lord of Dealbhna Beag, slain in battle.[8]
- From at least the 12th centuryUlster family keep the Bell of St. Patrick, to the end of the 18th century.[1]
- 1432Patrick O'Mulholland slain with O'Neill (Donnell Bog) in O'Kane's country.[9]
- 1830Mulholland York Street mill, Belfast, produces machine-spun flax yarn (priority disputed).[10]
- 189073 birth entries (71 spelled Mulholland); principally Antrim, Down, Londonderry.[3][6]
Mulholland surname: questions
What does the surname Mulholland mean?
Woulfe gives Mulholland as an anglicised form of Ó Maolchallann, 'descendant of Maolchallann', which he glosses as 'chief of the kalends'.[1]
Where in Ireland is the Mulholland name from?
Woulfe says the family 'now extant' was seated in the barony of Loghinsholin, in the present county of Derry, and that a branch seems to have settled early in Co. Antrim; 'the name is common in Ulster'. In 1890, 65 of the 73 Mulholland birth entries were in Ulster, principally in Antrim, Down and Londonderry.[1][3]
What was the Mulhollands' link to the Bell of St. Patrick?
Woulfe says an Ulster ecclesiastical family of Ó Maolchallann were keepers of the Bell of St. Patrick, known as the Bell of the Testament, 'from at least the beginning of the 12th down to the end of the 18th century'. He adds that the Irish annals suggest the family of O'Meallain was at one time associated with them in its guardianship.[1]
Is Mulholland the same name as Holland or Malcolm?
Woulfe prints Holland among the anglicised forms of Ó Maolchallann, and Matheson's lists record Holland and Mulholland reported as used interchangeably in one registration district. But Matheson also gives Holland as a principal name of its own, with other varieties (Hawney, Wholihane), so not every Holland is a Mulholland. Woulfe also says Mulholland is 'sometimes confused with' Ó Maolcholuim, an Antrim surname anglicised Malcolm, Mulholm and similar forms.[1][5][7][2]
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