Edward McNamara

Cormac Cas was King of Thomond around the fifth century and he spawned a tribal grouping known as the Dál gCais or Dalcassians which dominated Munster until the final suppression of the old Gaelic order in the seventeenth century. Twenty-three generations later and in direct descent from Cas we find Cumara, Chief of Maghadhair in county Clare. Cumara is a contracted form of Conmara - hound of the sea. His son, Domhnall, who died in 1099, adopted the surname Mac Conmara, or son of Cumara, thus becoming the very first MacNamara. The name has survived relatively unmodified as MacConmara in Irish and Mac (or Mc) Namara in English, to this day.

The sept of MacNamara was, after the O'Briens, the most important and powerful of the Dalcassians of Thomond. They were hereditary marshals to the O'Briens and had the privilege of inaugurating their chief who was, of course, often a king. There was frequent intermarriage between these two strong families. The sept was originally confined to a small territory, but by the end of the eleventh century they had become lords of Clancullen (which comprises a great part of East Clare) and they are so described by the Four Masters many times at various dates between 1099 and 1600. The sept in due course became two - the chief of West Clancullen (barony of Bunratty) being MacNamara Fyne (i.e. fionn, fair), and the chief of East Clancullen (baronies of Upper and Lower Tulla) MacNamara Reagh (i.e. riabhach, swarthy or grizzled). They earned a reputation as builders and are recorded as having built forty-two castles, fifteen fortresses and several friaries. Macmiccon MacNamara Fionn received a papal bull authorising him to install Friars Minor in Quin Abbey, near Ennis, which he built in 1402. Many of the family lie buried in the shadow of the now roofless abbey.

Like their ancient fortresses, the MacNamara seats are all in County Clare. From the woods around Cratloe Castle, built in 1610, came the oaks for London's old Westminster Hall and the royal palace in Amsterdam. They were to a great extent dispossessed in the Cromwellian debacle, but one family, resident until quite lately at Ennistymon, became Protestants and were extensive landlords up till the Land Act of 1903.

The history of Clare is full of the name MacNamara. Half a century before America was discovered, John Macmiccon H MacNamara, Lord of Clancullen and High Chieftain of the Dalcassians, completed the building of Bunratty Castle begun by his father, Sioda, and planned his dream castle at Knappogue. These two splendid County Clare castles have survived the depredations of war and poverty over the past five centuries.

In the seventeenth century, having lost most of their power and possessions to the Cromwellian confiscations, many MacNamaras dispersed to Europe and, in later years, to America, Canada and Australia, where their name still features, often prominently. Given the meaning of their name, it is not surprising that the MacNamara men usually opted for a naval rather than a military career and that they boast many admirals.

The popular ballad with the rousing tune, MacNamara the Leader of the Band, was written at the beginning of this century by Patrick MacNamara from Limerick.

The drover "Clancy of the Overflow", considered a legend in Australia and made a houshold name by Banjo Patterson (One of our finest poets) was in reality Thomas Micheal McNamara. Clancy was a drover and legendary horseman living in the Overflow Ditrict of Northern Queensland in the 1800's. He was renowned for his exploites on horesback and as a pioneering Australian. He is most popularly remembered from the "Man from Snowy River" poem also by Patterson. Clancy's legend came to represent what life was like for pioneering Australians and in turn became part of the folk lore of the nation. His descendants live in Queensland to this day.

Dame Jean McNamara was considered a saviour to the Australian rural economy. during the earlier part of the 20th century Australia was gripped by rabbit plagues. The Australian climate is well suited to the rabbit. Dame Jean managed to find a virus known as Miximitosis that would affect and control rabbits without causing harm to other native wildlife. The virus was very succseful and as a result brought many rural communities back from the brink of economic disaster. Miximitosis became a houshold name and was the basis of more than a few jokes.

The ancient sept arms of MacNamara are recorded by the Chief Herald of Ireland and in Burke's, "The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales" as "Gules a lion rampant argent in chief two spear heads or". In plain English this describes a red shield, thereon a white lion in attacking posture with a gold or yellow spear head in either top corner.