WELCOME TO THE MCANALLY (and variant spellings) DNA PROJECT.  
Since "project" implies cooperative sharing, please do not join our group if you insist on "minimum" administrative access.  Sign up as "Limited" or "Advanced"

You may already have genetic connections posted here!   The "Y" DNA test will also give you "your" migrations before and since the last ice age.

"Y" DNA tests trace the family line of your McAnally surname.  The sample must come from a MALE.   Because we are of the common "R1b" haplogroup we highly recommend testing at 37 markers or more in order to delineate true relationships.
 
Family Finder (autosomal or atDNA) tests identify all blood ancestors back to 4+ generations.  The sample may be from a Male or Female.

We also serve as a posting site for McAnally mitochondrial tests. Samples for mtDNA may be from a male or female, but the test only traces maternal lines.

Four Origins of the McAnally Surname:

Like most Irish surnames there is more than one origin ofthe McAnally surname.  This is a result of English speaking people trying to translate the Irish spellings and pronunciation of Irish surnames during the Ulster Plantation and even before.  Because of the slight distinctions in the pronunciations, and at times perhaps the indifference of the English doing the translations, differently spelled Irish surnames ended up having new surnames which were spelled the same in English.

One of the most common McAnally origins you might have heardhas its roots in Connacht.  The form of this name in Irish is Mac an Fhailghigh and the derivation is obscure.  In modern Irish Failgheach means “a poor man.” These words are pronounced MacAnally.  The name in Mayo and Roscommon generally drops the prefix “Mac” and the simple form Nally is in use.

The second origin of McAnally is also frequently found online.  The name’s origin is the Province of Ulaidh and comes from Mac Cu Ulaid. An historic character from Irish literature is Cu Ulaid which means “hound of Ulster”.  It comes from a story about a very strong lad thought to be the son of Lugh, a Celtic God. He was invited to eat dinner at a rich man’s home after the gentleman had seen how well the lad had done in his military exercises earlier in the day.  The lad had to do some chores and then would go straight to the man’s house.  Apparently, forgetting about the lad, the man had put his hounds out for the night for protection.  When the lad arrived, he defeated the onslaught of the hounds. He felt bad about the deed so he promised to be the rich man’s hound for protection until he had trained new pups for the task.  Thus the name Cu Ulaid became the lads name.Mc Cu Ulaidh was translated by the English into McAnally.

The third origin of the McAnally surname, one you don’t hear about, comes from Co. Longford, which seems odd because before the Ulster Plantation Co. Longford was named Co. Angaile or Anally.  In fact there are still a lot of McAnallys living in the area.  It was formed out of the ancient territory of Teffia, comprised of the whole of Co. Longford, and was the principality of O’Ferrall of the Clanna Rory.  His chief residence was in the town of Longford, anciently called Longphort-ui-Fhearghail, or the Fortress of Ferrall. It appears that this territory was divided into upper and lower Anally, the former comprising that portion of the county of Longford south of Granard, and a part of the county of Westmeath possessed O’Ferrall Buidh or Yellow; the latter that portion north of Granard, possessed by O’FerrallBau, or the Fair.  The O’Ferralls were dispossessed of the eastern parts of this territory by the English settlers, the Tuites and Delamares, who came over with Hugh de Lacy in the twelfth century.  Amongst the old clans of Anally were also the following, viz.:--O’Cuinn or O’Quinn, who had his castle at Rathcline; and the MacGillegans.  The Muintir Megiollgain or Giollgain, were located by O’Dugan in the territory of Muintir Eoluis, that is, in the northern portion of Co. Longford, and their chief was O’Quinn.  A district called Corcard was possessed by the O’Mulfinnys; the MacCormacs; MacCorgabhans (now Gavans); O’Dalys; O’Slamans or Slevins; and O’Skollys.  The O’Ferralls maintained sovereignty till the reign of Elizabeth, when Anally was formed into the County Longford.

The fourth origin for the McAnally name is one that many McAnallys in this group belong to; those with close genetic distances from the Niall of the Nine Hostages, or Noighiallach, and have GDs from 3 to 4. One of Niall’s sons was Eoghan, and he is the progenitor of Cenel Eoghan.  A Cenel would be a group of clans all related to one lord but made up of different families.  Since there were no surnames at the time, the clans had different names as well, but they all were part of the main Cenel.  County Tyrone and Innisowen were also named after him.  Eoghan had a grandson named Moan and he was the progenitor of Cenel Moan.  There were three different septs of Cenel Moanand the Gormleys were in one of them.  The line was as follows: Niall Noighiallach, of Cenel Eoghan, Muiredaigh, of Cenel Moan, Coleman, Faelain, Tendalaigh, Dalbhach, mail Mithidh, Cathmaoil, and the second  The second O’Gormleys formed the O’Gormley clan and the MacConallaidhs were forming theirs at about the same time.  In 1040 CE the MacConallaidhs were Lords of Cenel Moan.  Shortly after that the O’Gormleys became chiefs, and the MacConallaidhs were High Stewards.  From 1143 to 1145 the O’Gormleys of Cenel Moan became Kings of Aileach and of Cenel Eoghan.  This essentially made them Kings of Ireland.  The MacConallaidhs were still high stewards and stayed that way until the Ulster Plantation in 1609.  In 1145 the O’Neills and the Loughlins teamed up and damaged Cenel Moan enough to where it would never again attain kingship, but they still were major players in the wars in Ulster. 

There are more than the two origins you’re used to hearing about and there are many who will dispute it.  If anyone out there knows of another McAnally origin I would welcome them sending it to me.

Michael McNally tyrodin@yahoo.com

An in-Progress Tree uniting current Irish surname DNA to historical Irish genealogies can be found at: https://r-a259.genealogy.network/tree.xhtml?clade=R-DF104 

The "classic" American McAnally appears to be Charles born in 1685, kidnapped to USA at age 7.  There appears to be also distant related lineage arriving in the late seventeenth to the middle eighteenth century. Additionally there are many branches of this surname that can trace their family back to the late 1700 to mid 1800s but but do not connect to this "classic" lineage.

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