Muckeen

Originally recorded as Muckian and Muckeen, but now found as Maken, McCann or MacKean, owing to a similarity of sound when the early Gaelic O' was lost three centuries ago, this is an Irish surname from the province of Ulster. Formerly known as O' Mochaidean, meaning the male descendant of the 'early riser' or similar, the clan in ancient times is said to have been all powerful in the barony of Cremorne, County Down. It is possible that the name was a nickname, many Irish names are, and perhaps means the reverse of what it appears to say! We dont know, and without being present possibly eight hundred years ago or more, when the name was first used, nobody can say for certain. Today the surname when recorded at all, is almost invariably listed with the Mc Cann clan, a sad reflection on how a once famous name has been largely lost. In addition most early Irish records were destroyed when the IRA burnt down the Public Records Office in Dublin in 1922, and such as remain have to be taken from surviving later church registers. Amongst these we have been able to find Ann Muckian, baptised at Forkil, Armagh, on November 23rd 1865. She was the daughter of the unusually named or recorded Neice Muckian and his wife Betty (nee Lennon), whilst Margaret Muckian, the daughter of James Muckian, was baptised at Belfast, (we do not have the church), on Christmas Day 1866.