: Hi Seosamh:: The surname (Mac Con Duibh), you mentioned (below); Are you saying that is the origin of the surname(s), McNeive, McNeeve and Cunniffe? Yes James. That appears to be the case. Irish surnames have escaped deep scrutiny, the gap being filled somewhat by commercial enterprise down the years. There has been a simplification of some names through this haphazard process and none-mention of many others. One actually meets people who have stumbled on relatives with different forms through the male line - their surname - which have not been documented. (e.g. Mason in Milwaukee being Mac Ateer elsewhere in the midwest, obviously through the process Mac an tSaoir > Mac Ateer > Mason, on the etymology of the latter part of the name) Mac Lysaght does however mention '... MacNiff or MacNeeve' being 'associated with the adjacent Co. Leitrim and when Strafford's Inquistion of Co. Mayo was made in 1636 Mac Eniffe with MacNuff appear in that county; ...' etc. (More Irish Families, p. 72) The present spread is, generally, Mc Eniff in Donegal/Tyrone, Mc Niff in Sligo/Leitrim, Cunniffe in the rest of Connacht. (There are other forms as well.) Despite a suggestion (dealt with in MIF, p. 72) that simply 'Mac Naoimh' could have been an origin of Mc Neeve, such is not accepted. There are no grounds to accept such an origin. Between the Tithes and the Griffith Valuation, names started to adopt most of their present forms. It's nice to see some of the older forms still on the go, just quoting a few : Mc Glannaghy in Donegal for Glancy/Clancy, Mc Steen, in very few instances, for Stenson in Sligo, Mc Nama for Creamer in Ros Comáin. Gura fada buan iad - May they continue for a long time! So in your search you may have only dates and Christian names to be half certain about. Keep an open mind. Ádh mór - Good luck! : Sincerely, : James McNeive
: : : : Tá siad thart go fóill faoi leagan eile a chairde! : : Your families are around Ros Comáin alright, Micheal and Kate! : : : : The present form of the surname Mac Con Duibh may be hard to recognise as either Mc Neeve, Mc Neive or Cunniffe. There are 47 Cunniffe phone nos. in Ros Comáin/Roscommon, going on the phone book on this site, at least one of these being in Tulsk. : : Early intermediate forms, not neccessarily for Ros Comáin, would have been M'Kiniff and M'Kniff, M'Anuff and M'Nuff. : : Go n-éirí libh - Good luck with the search.
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