The Origins of the Mulcahy Family Name:

There are multitude of rich histories underlying the many Irish surnames in use today. The name Mulcahy originally appeared in Gaelic as O Maolchathaigh, which means "a descendant of a devotee of St. Cathach." The surname is not, as is often believed, derived from "Cathach," meaning "warlike."

Pronunciation, rather than spelling, was what guided scribes and church officials in recording names, a practice that often led to the misleading result of one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname Mulcahy are preserved in documents that were examined for evidence of the family's history. The various spellings of Mulcahy included Mulcahey, O'Mulcahey, Mulcahy, O'Mulcahy, Mulcahee, Mulkey, McMulkey and many more.

Research found that the surname Mulcahy is derived from a St.Carthach. or Carthage. The name first appeared as O'Maolcathaigh it should have been O'Maolcarthaigh. a descendant of a devotee of st.carthach.

{The Eighth Sept of Leix

The Seven Families,
There were seven prominent families that controlled lands in the county of Leix (Laois). They were the families of O’More, O’Lawlor, O’Kelly, O’Dowling, O’Doran, O’Devoy and McEvoy. The story of Laois resolves around the most powerful family of O’More, whose main stronghold was at Dunamase where they ruled. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the O’Mores fiercely resisted English aggression with the support of the other six families. After the battle of Kinsale in 1601, when the last of the Gaelic lords were finally defeated, the O’Mores and the other powerful families in Laois had there lands confiscated and over the next nine years would see many of them transplanted to Connaught and to Kerry.

The Family of O’More take there name from the legendary Gaelic warrior O’Mordha who is a descendant of Conall Cernach of the Red Branch Knights of Ulster. This pedigree they share with many of the most distinguished families in Ireland and it was also in this pedigree that we derive the family of Mulcahy.

John O’More,
In the sixteenth century the O’Mores fought tirelessly to protect there lands from the English and to protect there Catholic faith. However some O’Mores did conform to English ways and renounced there lordship to Dunamase in order to keep there lands. These families were known as “The Kings O’Mores” and were held in contempt by there Catholic counterparts. One such man to conform to English ways and the new religion was Roger Ceach O’More, chief of his name. Roger was later killed in battle by his own brother Patrick, one would suspect, as punishment for his treachery.
Another younger brother of Roger Ceach was John O’More. This John holds special significance for the Mulcahy family as it is believed it is this man that took the name of Maolcatha or probably Maolcarthach. The surname he took meant that he was a “Devotee of St. Carthach”, and Maolcarthach would later be anglicized Mulcahy.

St. Carthach the younger,
The sixth century saint St. Carthach was born near the river Maine in Castlemaine, Co. Kerry. He was said to have been of the same race as Brendan and the blood of the Red Branch of Knights of Ulster. It is in this ancestry that links the Saint to the O’More family.

From an early age St. Carthach came under the tutelage of St. Carthage the elder, it is believed that he took his tutors name. St. Carthach founded his first monastic settlement at Rathan in Co.Offaly. He ruled there for forty years, but himself and over eight hundred of his monks were expelled around 634 A.D by Prince Blathmac. The Monk and followers fled to the safety of Lismore in Co.Waterford. St.Carthach died on May 14th 637 A.D and is said to have been buried within the confines of his own church at Lismore.


Chief of his name,
John O’More took the surname of Maoilcarthach based on the fact that he was quite possibly a descendant of the early saint, and therefore was likely to have become “a devotee” of the saint. At the time John took the name in the 16th century it is likely that he was living in the Waterford or Tipperary area, which is where the family originated. Today the name is found numerously in the bordering counties. Research found that the surname Mulcahy is derived from a St.Carthach. or Carthage. The name first appeared as O'Maolcathaigh it should have been O'Maolcarthaigh. a descendant of a devotee of st.carthach.} (source - Oisín Mulcahy)

Often leaving Ireland from racial discrimination and colonial oppression, thousands of families left Ireland in the 19th century for North America aboard passenger ships. Many early immigrants found a plot of land to call their own, something unimaginable for most Irish families. Those that arrived later were often accommodated as laborers since there was a large demand for cheap labor. This was the fate for many of the families that arrived in North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Whether they became agrarian settlers or industrial workers, the Irish that came to North America were invaluable for rapid development of the infant nations of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Mulcahy or a variant listed above: Patrick; David, Denis, John, Thomas, Timothy, William Mulcahy all arrived in Pennsylvania between 1800 and 1860.

                                                                                                                                   
Spanish Royal blood entered the Mulcahy family when in 1588 more than 25 ships, under the command of the Duke of Medina Sedonia, of the Spanish Armada of Philip II of Spain were wrecked off the Southern Irish coast. Many sailors settled in counties Cork, Waterford and Tipperary. An unknown Spanish Nobleman married into the Mulcahy family, hence the dark skin and hair now common in the family. From 1591, Hugh O’Donnell of Tyrone, on O’Neill’s behalf, had been in contact with Phillip II of Spain, appealing for military aid against their common enemy, England. Spain, no doubt through its long ancestry with Ireland also played a role in the 1916 rising by supplying weapons and training to the Irish Republican Army.

Some noteworthy people of the name Mulcahy

Richard Mulcahy (1886-1971), General and Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army during the War of Independence 1916, Defense Minister from 1923-1924, elected as TD for Dublin North-West in 1922, in June 1944 became leader of Fine Gael, went on to serve as Minister for Education from 1948 until 1951 and again from 1954 until 1957

Anne M. Mulcahy (b. 1952), American businesswoman, chairman and CEO of Xerox

Edward Mulcahy, American Diplomat

Hugh Mulcahy, American professional baseball player

Alan Mulcahy (b. 1983), Irish professional football player

Dave Mulcahy (b. 1978), Irish professional football player

Michael Mulcahy (b. 1952), Irish expressionist painter

Mark Mulcahy, well-known musician.

Russell Mulcahy (b. 1953), Australian film director