Ó Laighin

Ó Laighin, Gaelic-Irish surname, anglicised as Lyons, Lane or Lyne.

Overview

Ó Laighin was the surname of two unrelated families in medieval Ireland.

1 - Ó Laighin of County Kerry, usually anglicised as Lyne or Leen.

2 - Ó Laighin of County Galway, their home district been around Kilconnell. Now rendered Lyons or Lane.

Over two hundred households of the latter family were recorded between 1847-64.

Etymology

Coat of arms of Leinster

Laighin is the Irish name for Leinster,^[1][2] the most populated of the four Provinces of Ireland, which is located in the south-east of the island and entirely within the Republic of Ireland. The prefix Ó (common in Irish surnames) creates the meaning "of Leinster" or "descendant of Leinster".^[3]

Laighin may also derive from the Irish word láigen, meaning 'spear' or 'lance',^[4][5] which lent its name to the Laigin (Leinstermen) who inhabited pre-Norman south-east Ireland.^[6]

Notable People

• Pádraig B. Ó Laighin, academic in sociology, poet and advocate for the Irish language.

See also

• Donal Lyons, Mayor of Galway, 2001–2002.
• Mossie Lyons, Kerry footballer.
• Tadhg Lyne, Kerry footballer, c. 1933 – May 31, 2002.
• Hugh Lane, Irish art enthusiast, 1875 - 1915.

References

1. "Leinster". New English-Irish Dictionary. Foras na Gaeilge. 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
2. "Changes in the list of subdivision names and code elements" (PDF). iso.org. International Organization for Standardization. February 2010. p. 20. Retrieved 12 November 2022. IE-L Leinster Laighin
3. Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977). Focloir Gaeilge-Bearla/Irish-English Dictionary. Foras na Gaelige. ISBN 1857910370.
4. Connolly, Sean J. (2007). Oxford Companion to Irish History. Oxford University Press. p. 308. ISBN 978-0-19-923483-7.
5. "láigen". eDIL 2019: An Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. 1913–1976. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
6. Ó Cathasaigh, Tomás. "The Oldest Story of the Laigin: Observations on Orgain Denna Ríg (2002)". In Boyd, Matthieu (ed.). Coire Sois, The Cauldron of Knowledge: A Companion to Early Irish Saga. University of Notre Dame Press. pp. 422–438.