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Callanan

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About us

Researching the genetic background of the surnames: Callanan, Callinan, Calnan and other variants.


The earliest Callanans we know of are to be found in Ireland, particularly in the Counties Galway, Cork, Tipperary and Clare. The name in Irish is ó Callanáin and was reputedly famous for inherited medical knowledge. An ó Callanáin made a manuscript translation sometime in the 14th Century, from Greek to Irish, of some of Hippocrates' medical writings. There appears to be a belief that the family has two distinct branches, centreing on Galway and on Cork. The DNA project should be able to determine if this is so.