Mag Shamhradhain

That's the real family name. how in the hell did they ever get McGovern out of it? well, apparently the name itself means the Son of Little Summer. Anybody know what Little Summer means? Anyway, the name was anglicized to McGovern, MacGovern, Magauran, and believe it or not in some cases Somers.

Well, maybe I'll take a stab at answering my own question. Samhain is one of the major Celtic fetivals, it comes from Druidic times before Christianity. Samhain is celebrated on October 31st, November 1st. It is the end of one Celtic year and beginning of the next. When Christianity came to Ireland they were able to do away with all of the Druidic feasts except Samhain, the Irish wouldn't let it go. This festival also honored the dead, and on this night the dead, good and bad would come out of their cairns and roam the land. Food was place outside of cottages and left for the spirits. The Catholic Church created All Saints Day from the Irish Custom.

So, that portion of the name Samhain, comes from the festival, I believe one of the Irish gods was Samhain - God of the Spirit World(the dead). Now very interesting also is the Mag portion of Mag Shamhradhain. Mac is the patronym for son of. To the best of my knowledge Mag is not. In fact Mag in Celtic means 'plain' - a cleared area. Just outside the town of Ballymagauran (several miles west of Bawnboy Ireland) is the ancient Plain of Prostration - the very area where the ancient Irish paid homage to an idol called Cromm Cruach! This idol was torn down by St. Patrick, or by his orders anyway. The McGovern's were from a Druidic background, the were the learned men, priests of the old days. So, there you have it! The name could actually mean 'The Plain of Samhain' thereby making the name not a patronym but based on a locality, and livliehood! Anyone have any input on this? This is of course pure conjecture on my part, but pretty well thought out I think.

The name is notably from Cavan, with some representation in Fermanagh and Leitrim. the McGoverns served as chiefs of Eochaidh (presently Tullyhaw) in County Cavan. Their seat of power was in the Barony of Tullyhaw in near Ballymagauran.

The following excerpt is taken and quoted from CavanNet and is also copyrighted by CavanNet:

"Like the O'reillys, the Magaurans (or McGoverns) trace their roots to the Ui Briuin, ancient kings of connaught. The name originates from Samhrain who lived in the 1100s. The Magaurans were chiefs to the mountainous territory of Teallach Eochaidh in west cavan, from the 12th to 16th centuries. The first reference to them in the irish annals occurs in 1231, when Giolla Iosa Magauran, the chief died. Teallach Eochaidh was surrounded by much more powerful neighbors. To the east by the O'Reillys, to the south by the O'Rourkes, to the North by the MaGuires, and to the west by the O'Connors.

In 1220 Farrell MaGauran was killed by the O'Rourkes. This set a precedent, the most common reason for the family appearing in the annals was when they were killed by some of their more powerful neighbors. Although in 1248 they managed to kill Hugh MaGuire. In 1272 Donnachadh Magauran was killed by his brother Thomas. In the late 1300s Brian, the chief, had a bardic(poetry) school at the foot of Cuilceagh. His son thomas commissioned a scribe to write the Duanaire Mheig Shamhradhain(the book of the Magaurans) which is preserved in the National Library.

In 1431 they were again in conflict with the MaGuires when they murdered John MaGuire, as a result of this the MaGuires invaded Tullyhaw and burned Ballmagauran (a few miles west of bawnboy) their headquarters. The O'Reillys burned it in 1485. The MaGuires invaded Tullyhaw in 1512, but this time the O'Reillys came to the aid of the Magaurans and defeated the invaders. In the same year Thomas sought the MaGuires help in an internal power struggle.

Tullyhaw finally became part of Ulster permanently in 1584 when Sir John Perrot shired Brefnie and created the county of Cavan. The influence of the Magaurans as a ruling family lasted longer than most Gaelic rulers, protected by the mountains and inhabiting an area more suitable for pastoral farming, they continued to elect a chief well into the 1800s. Lewis's Topographically Dictionary, published in 1837 records that "Tullaghagh, in the mountain district between the counties of Fermanagh and Leitrim, generally known as the "kingdom of Glan"....or the county of the Magaurans. To this isolated district there is no public road, and only one difficult pass....is densely inhabited by a primitive race of Mac Gaurans and Dolans, who intermarry and observe some peculiar customs; they elect their own king and Queen from the ancient race of the Magaurans to whom they pay implicit obedience. Tilling the land and attending the cattle constitute their sole occupation; potatoes and milk, with sometimes oaten bread, their chief food". This description of life in the Glan, with the exception to potatoes, could have been written 250 years earlier when a lot of Ireland was still ruled by Gaelic chiefs. Over 200 years after the collapse of the Gaelic political System, with the Industrial revolution in full flight, the Magaurans were still living the life of Gaelic chiefs in the mountains of Tullyhaw".

Well, there you have it - believe it or not. Though I wasn't too impressed. Sort of reads like a Monty Python script, what with the town being burned down every 20 years whether it needed it or not! Also, I've got to keep a close eye on the O'Rourkes that I'm related to by marriage from now on!