McKenna History

The Taoiseachs of Truagh

This site was updated in Sept.07 thanks to information kindly supplied by Plunkett McKenna
(visit Plunkett’s site here)

Definition

Like all Celtic/Gaelic names, the Mac or Mc pre-nom in my family name is
clearly a reference to the “son of...”, but there seems to be some doubt as to the meaning of “Kenna”

On researching for this page, I found the following:

MacKenna - Mac Cionaoith, Irish MacCionaoda "son of Cionaoid" - “sons of the dirk”;
MacKenna - Mac Caoineag - “son of the weeper” (the local psychic or seer!);
MacKenna - Mac Caoinnaith - “son of cionaodh” - “son born of fire”
MacKenna - Mac Cionath - “son of Kenneth” - “son born of fire”

Given that the McKenna’s were traditionally a warrior people - the “sons of the dirk” (knife) seems a little
more plausible, but, personally I prefer the psychic one!

History

The town of Emyvale in County Monaghan, Ireland is over 3000 years old - a Bronze Age tomb was discovered here in 1959.
The first inhabitants of Emyvale were of the Ui Meith tribe, hence the name of Emy.

For many years it was believed that the McKennas were brought into the area as hired fighters by the rulers of the territory, however, recent
research has shown that the McKenna’s had already settled in Ui Meith (the area
encompassing East County Fermanagh, South-West County Tyrone and North County Monaghan) establishing a fort at LisCionna or Liskenna.

The McKenna Clan arrived in the early 8th century and by the 12th century they had established an independent
‘tuath’ or kingdom in North Monaghan, which would last for the next 500 years.

Legend claims that during the 4th century a Chief (or king) of the clan, Hugh McKenna left the Kells area of County Meath
on a hunting expedition. After following a huge stag for two days and two nights he eventually killed the prey
by plunging his dirk or dagger into the heart of the beast at Liskenna in the Barony of Truagh.
(Liskenna is from the Irish ‘Lios Sceine’ meaning ‘the fort of the knife’)

Tired out from his exhaustive hunting and journeying, McKenna was entertained by the local chieftain,
a man named Treanor; he then remained on as Treanor’s guest, fell in love with his daughter, and eventually married her.
In the interim he received word that his kingdom back home in Meath had been usurped by a fellow kinsman,
so instead of returning to Meath he decided to remain on in the north of what is now Co. Monaghan, where he had been
made to feel so welcome. That lovely legend is still recalled in the McKenna logo or ‘coat of arms’, which
depicts a huntsman on horseback, a stag, two hounds, and two crescent moons,
signifying the two days and two nights that McKenna had followed the hunt.

Through time, the McKenna offspring and later descendants became very numerous, and these
ultimately overcame all neighbouring tribes, to eventually establish for themselves a small kingdom between
the McMahons to the south and the O’Neills to the north. This little kingdom or ‘tuath’ as it would have
been known then, extended from the Blackwater at Aughnacloy to the ‘lesser’ Blackwater at Monaghan,
and from the Slieve Beagh mountains in the west to the castle of Glaslough in the east, encompassing the
present parishes of Donagh (sometimes called ‘Upper Truagh’) and Errigal Truagh, an area of approximately eighty square miles.

Of course, the story of the hunt was mere legend, but later history records that McKenna’s tiny kingdom was
well and truly established by the time of the arrival of the Normans in the twelfth century (1169). It became
known as ‘Triucha Chead a’ Chladaigh’, which loosely translated, simply means the ‘Barony of the Ring Forts’.
The parishes of Donagh and Errigal Truagh have a greater proliferation of ring-forts than any other area of its size in Ulster.

Headquarters of the Clan McKenna was firmly established at Tully Hill, just south of the present Emyvale village,
and this would survive for an amazing five hundred years - from the mid-12th century to the early 17th century.
Originally, a series of three ring forts stood on this hill but only the inner ring and half of the outer ring of
the northern fort remains to this day. The fortifications also included a ‘crannog’ on Tully Lough, below the
western slope of the hill, and part of this may also still be seen. The 12th century McKenna High Cross and
the McKenna Chieftains grave may also still be seen in the neighbouring Donagh Old Graveyard.

Through the centuries the McKennas became embroiled in the tribal wars that prevailed in Ulster right
down until the demise of the Gaelic Chieftains at the beginning of the seventeenth century.
They were frequently at war with O’Neills to the north and with the McMahons to the south, often helping the
one against the other, and even occasionally at war among themselves as different branches of the family vied for over-lordship.

They were very much a part of O’Neill’s army at the Battle of Clontibret in 1595 and again at the
Yellow Ford in 1598, but, just as they were part of these great victories, they also had to share in the defeats,
and they were in O’Neill’s army again at Kinsale in 1601.

Following the retreat from defeat at Kinsale, they were pursued by Mountjoy and the English, who established
a new fort for themselves at Monaghan. From there, Mountjoy’s forces destroyed most of McKenna’s fortifications at
Tully, Emyvale. The centre fort was completely obliterated and was never restored, but the southern and
northern forts were re-built by McKenna who, despite the previous disaster, was again very much involved in
the Irish Insurrection of 1641, a war that continued right up until the Cromwellian Settlements of 1652.
As punishment for his part in that lengthy war, McKenna’s territory was again invaded and ravaged by
English forces under Hamilton in 1642, and again under Stewart in 1643.

Probably the greatest of all the McKenna chieftains was Patrick McKenna who came to power c.1580, but
he was unfortunate in that, at that time, the English were encroaching from the south and trying to
establish a ‘shire’ in what is now Co. Monaghan. Patrick, who had fought in all the battles of the Nine Years War (1594-1603)
died in 1612 and was succeeded by his grandson Niall McKenna, who was leader during the 1641-52 wars.

By 1652, his territory had been so ravaged that he emigrated to Spain where he joined the Spanish army and later died there.
Niall was succeeded by his nephew, Phelemy McKenna, who, with four of his sons, was murdered by English forces
in 1666 and is buried in Donagh Old Graveyard. His fifth son, Major John McKenna was later appointed High Sheriff of
Monaghan by James 1st, and it was this Major John McKenna who led the Catholic Irish forces at the Battle of
Drumbanagher, near Glaslough, in 1688, following which he was executed. He too is buried at Donagh.

The Battle of Drumbanagher is sometimes refereed to as ‘The Opening Shots of the Williamite Wars’, but even more
frequently it is referred to as ‘McKenna’s Last Stand’ as it was this battle that really brought an end to
the power of this once great family.

Defeated at Drumbanagher, the influence of the McKenna Clan declined rapidly and, with the various Plantations of
the 17th century, practically all their lands were confiscated and transferred to alien ownership. Despite this,
the McKenna name never died but, on the contrary, increased to an amazing rate, to such an extent that the
McKennas far outnumber all other surnames in North Monaghan today and is second only to the
McMahon name in the entire county.

Many have made great names for themselves in both Irish and World history. General Juan McKenna became
prominent in the Liberation of Chile; an Adjutant McKenna held senior office in the 1798 French Expedition
led by Napper Tandy; Reginald McKenna became British Chancellor of the Exchequer in the early part of the
20th century and might even have become Prime Minister; Siobhan McKenna became a famed Hollywood screen
actress; etc. etc. Just a few of the many who made headlines throughout the globe.

The late Sir Shane Leslie in his excellent book ‘Long Shadows’ wrote: - “Daniel O’Connell brought their (McKenna)
Chief from our (Leslie) estate in Truagh (barony of) to London to open a bank. The McKenna family were
successful outside their own country; producing a Dictator in South America and a Justice of the Supreme
Bench in Washington; O’Connell’s proteges in England were successful bankers. One grandson,
Reginald McKenna, became Liberal Chancellor of the Exchequer and later presided over the Midland Bank.
There was even a moment when, occupying a City of London seat, he might have stopped a gap in Downing Street.”

The following is a translation of an address presented by the Lord of Truagh to Hugh Roe (or Red Hugh) O'Donnell,
then in his 15th year of age, on the occasion of his escape from Dublin Castle A.D. 1587,
when the said Red Hugh was making his way home to Tirconnell:

The Truagh Welcome
"Shall a son of O'Donnell be cheerless and cold
While MacKenna's wide hearth has a faggot to spare?
While O'Donnell is poor, shall MacKenna have gold?
Or be clothed, while a limb of O'Donnell is bare?
While sickness and hunger thy sinews assail,
Shall MacKenna, unmoved, quaff his madder of mead?
On the haunch of a deer shall MacKenna regale ?
While a Chief of Tirconnell is fainting for food?
No; enter my dwelling, my feast thou shalt share;
On my pillow of rushes thy head shall recline;
And bold is the heart and the hand that will dare
To harm but one hair of a ringlet of thine.
Then come to my home, 'tis the home of a friend,
In the green woods of Truagh thou art safe from thy foes:
Six sons of Mackenna thy steps shall attend,
And their six sheathless skeans shall protect thy repose."

Shirley's "History of Monaghan" ties the family to Portinaghy, parish of Donogh,
where one of the name was sheriff. In 1640 sixteen McKennas were in the barony of Trough,
three of whom were protestant. In 1659 there were over 90 heads of families of the name in Monaghan.
In 1591, Patrick McKenna was granted Ballydavough, Ballymeny and Ballylattin and twelve other estates.

My Ancestors

So far, I have been unable to trace exactly where my family came from in our kingdom, or indeed
what status they enjoyed while they lived among kings, the earliest ancestor I have been able to trace
is (coincidentally!) a John McKenna, born around 1780 to a farming family who later went on to
farm with his wife Mary McMullin, somewhere in Ulster.
John and Mary’s son Charles, who was born in 1809, married Rachel Boylan and had two children
James and Ann before the terrible potato famine (“The Great Hunger”) struck Ireland between 1845 and 1849.

His farming livelihood crushed, Charles must have struggled with what to do to next. With between 500,000 and
a million of his countrymen dead or dying of hunger before 1849, Charles took the decision to uproot his young family
and move to Bridgeton in Glasgow, Scotland. His son, John McKenna, became the first Scottish born
McKenna of my family line in 1852 (and tragically also the first McKenna to die in Scotland in 1862 just 10 years old)
and my family remained in that area of the city for more than 100 years until my parents were
compelled to move in the early 1970s due to housing demolition works.

It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us fathers and sons. ~Johann Schiller

We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future ~ George Bernard Shaw