McNamara ~ Mac Conmara

The Story of the McNamara Name

McNamara is the anglicized form of the Irish Mac Conmara, meaning “son of Conmara.” The name is traditionally understood as “son of the hound of the sea,” combining cú, meaning “hound,” with mara, meaning “of the sea.” It is a striking image, and one that gives the name an unmistakably ancient Irish character.

The McNamaras became one of the most powerful Gaelic families of County Clare. They were part of the Dál gCais of Thomond and, after the O'Briens, were among the leading families of the kingdom. Their territory was known as Clancullen, covering a large part of what is now eastern County Clare.

The family left a remarkable mark on the Clare landscape. The McNamaras were associated with numerous castles and strongholds, including Bunratty and Knappogue, while Quin Abbey became an important place of family burial and remembrance. Sioda Cam Mac Conmara founded the Franciscan friary at Quin in the fifteenth century.

For generations, the McNamaras served as powerful allies and hereditary marshals to the O'Brien kings of Thomond. Their history is therefore closely intertwined with the story of Gaelic Clare and the wider Dál gCais dynasty.

Over time, Mac Conmara became MacNamara and McNamara in English. Behind the familiar surname lies the story of one of the great Gaelic families of County Clare—a family whose castles, abbey, and ancestral lands still connect the name to the landscape of Thomond today.