Corcoran is an Irish surname. The original Gaelic version being Ó Corcráin meaning "descendant of Corcrán". The personal name Corcrán is a diminutive of the personal name Corcra.[1] The personal name Corcra is derived from corcair meaning "purple" (corcair is a cognate with the Latin purpur).[2] Related variations of the name Corcoran historically include MacCorcoran, O'Corcoran, and Corcorran. The sept called MacCorcoran was of some importance in the Ely O'Carroll country. They are still people of substance in Offaly, Cork and Tipperary Counties today. The O'Corcorans hailed from Fermanagh and included a number of figures of historical importance such as the Bishop of Clogher in 1370 and Edmund O'Corcoran, "the hero of Limerick" (from the siege of 1691).[3] The surname Corcoran is found in England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States.[citation needed] The O'Corcorans belonged to Fermanagh and produced a number of ecclesiastics from the tenth to the fifteenth century whose field of activity was around Lough Erne, Cleenish, Devenish, Boa Island and White Island. One of these was Bishop of Clogher in 1373. The name is rare there now, most likely there was a westward and southward migration as it is found in counties Mayo and Sligo. Today the surname is used throughout Ireland.The name Corcoran in Ireland is derived from either of two distinct native Gaelic Septs. The first was the O'Corcrain Sept based in County Fermanagh in the north of the country. The second was the MacCorcrain Sept located in County Offaly. Corcoran was also used as a variant of Corkery, especially in County Kerry.[citation needed] The Corcorans in Offaly, Tipperary and Galway are clustered around ancient monastic settlements such as Clonfert, Lorrha, Sierkieran, Rahan and Lemanaghan. Today there are people with the surname Cochrane who descend from people originally surnamed Ó Corcráin.[4] This family derives its origin from Amruadh, who is No. 93 on the "Heber" pedigree; and were in Irish called O'Corcrain ("corcra:" Irish, red), which has been anglicised O'Corcoran, Corcoran, and Coghrane. They were formerly chiefs of Munster Corcrain, a district in the county of Tipperary, co-extensive with the parish of Killenaule, in the barony of Slieveardagh; of the district of Clare Ruaine, in North Tipperary; and also of the territory lying around Cleenish, in the barony of Clan-Awly, county of Fermanagh. Several members of the house of Cleenish gave superiors to the famous abbey of Daimhinis (or Devenish), on Lough Erne. From O Harts Genealogy "Irish pedigrees; or, The origin and stem of the Irish nation" Amruadh, the ancestor of the O Corcorans, was 93 on the line of Heber, grand son of the ancestor of the O Carrols, and father of the ancestor of the Meaghers. 91. Eile-Eigh-Dhearg : his son. From this Eile-Eigh Dhearg (or Eile, the Red King) the territories possessed in Leinster by this sept were called "Eile" or "Duiche Eile," i.e. the estate of Ely, whereof his posterity were styled " Kings" ; there being no other title of honour then used in Ireland, till the English introduced that of "duke," "marquis," "earl," "viscount," and "baron." 92. Druadh : his son. 93. Amruadh: his son; who was ancestor of 0' Corcoran (now Corcoran). 94. Meachar : his son. ~500. Amruadh, eponymous ancestor of the Corcorans lived. 548. St. Mac Tail of Cill Cuilinn (Kilcullen) (i.e. Eoghan, son of Corcran), died on the eleventh day of the month of June. 965. Conn, son of Corcran, Abbot of Mungairit, and head of all Munster died. 1001. Cahalan O'Corcoran, abbot of Devenish, died. 1040. O'Corcoran, abbot of Iniscaltra, "the most celebrated ecclesiastic of Western Europe, both for religion and learning," died at Lismore, and was interred in the church of St. Carthagh. 1045. Cathasagh O'Corcoran, coarb of Glen-Uissin, in Hy-Bairche, the territory of the Mac Gormans, in the county of Carlow, died. 1050, Maelruanaidh, son of Cucoirne (Corcoran), lord of Eile, was killed 1071 The son of Righbhardan, son of Cucoirne (Corcoran), lord of Eile, was slain in a battle 1095. The bishop O'Corcoran, successor of St. Brennan, of Clonfert, died. 1055. Fiacha O'Corcoran, died. 1163. Maolisa O'Corcoran, successor of St. Comghaile, died. 1389. John O'Corcoran, Bishop of Clogher (1373–1389), died 1487. Brian O'Corcoran, Vicar of Cleenish, died. 1496. Florence O'Corcoran, player on the harp and other stringed instruments, and a distinguished vocalist died. 1528. Master Felim O'Corcran, a learned doctor of the canon law, died. According to archeological records an ancient stone with the Ogham inscription Corcrain !!! FOG was present on White island in 1879 but has since disappeared by 1949. Ogham script dates from pre Christian Ireland. This may suggest that the Corcorans were active in this area from the 4th – 6th Century. The O'Corcorans sank into obscurity at the period of the Anglo-Norman Invasion, and several branches of the sept removed into the counties of Cork, Kilkenny, and Waterford. In Kilkenny they obtained a settlement from the FitzWalters (or Butlers), who were in possession of their ancient patrimony. And a senior branch of these settlers was represented by the late Most Rev. Michael Corcoran, Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, in the commencement of the 19th century; and by the Corcorans of Enniscorthy, in co. Wexford. The Co. Cork branch of the family settled in Carbery, and are now (1887) represented by Jeremiah (Dan) O'Corcoran, of Bengowe, Parish of Murragh, who has a son, the Rev. Daniel O'Corcoran, a Catholic clergyman in the city of Cork The first mention found to date of the Corcoran family in Irish historical records is reference to the O'Corcrain Sept, a division of the Clan, living in county Fermanagh near the shores of Lough Erne. In 1014–1022 AD, Mael Sechnaill II reigned as High-King of Ireland after Brian Boruma's death. For twenty years after the death in 1022 of Mael Secnaill II, many claimants sought the throne and during this period the Chief Government of Ireland was vested in the persons of two men: Cuán O Lóchán, the King's chief poet, and Corcran of Lismore, an Erenagh. Corcran the Cleric was Abbot of Inis Cealtra. It is recorded that Chief Corcran was killed in battle in 1090 in County Fermanagh. His son, Felimidh, who married Maeve O'Brien daughter of the King of Thomond in 1130, succeeded him. In the Annals of the Four Masters, there is mention of thirty Chiefs of the Corcoran family from 1250 to 1480. In 1140, Maelinmum O'Corcrain was Bishop of Armagh and in 1373, John O'Corcrain was Bishop of Clogher. Three of the learned and respected Erenachs, lay ecclesiastics, of County Fermanagh are recorded as Daire O'Corcrain, Padraig O'Corcrain and Conn O'Corcrain. By (1847–1864), according to Griffiths Valuation, there were 1336 Corcoran households in Ireland with Cork (179), Mayo (128), Kilkenny (128), Tipperary (124), Offaly (102), Roscommon (82), Laois (79) and Galway (60). By 1911, accourng to the Irish Census, there were 4736 individuals with the Corcoran surname in Ireland, with Cork (736), Mayo (602), Dublin (547), Offaly (343), Loais (343), Tipperary (318), Roscommon (290), Galway (279), Kerry (248) and Kilkenny (231). It is recorded that the Sept of MacCorcrain, son of Corcran, was prominent in Counties Offaly and Tipperary until the end of the 16th century when this branch of the family was scattered and settled in Counties throughout the South and West.