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CONNEELY Family History

The famous clan name of 'Mac Conghaile', which is usually anglicised as Connolly, Connelly or Conneely. The derivation is from the ancient pre 10th century gaelic 'cu' meaning 'hound', giving the modern translation of 'the son of the descendant of the hound'. The latter was probably a nickname for a chieftain who possessed the qualities associated with that animal, i.e. speed, tenacity, and strength. Most Irish surnames have developed a wide range of variant forms, and this is no exception. The name is (in all its forms) most associated now with County Antrim and County Tyrone, although it has been claimed that the descent maybe from a Galway sept formerly 'Mac Conghaola', the name translation remains the same...