MacShane

MacShane

Pronunciation	mac-SHAYN
Origin
Meaning	Son of Shane
Region of origin	Ireland
Other names
Variant form(s)	McShain, Shane, McShane

MacShane or McShane is an Irish surname. It derives from the Gaelic Mac Seáin or Mac Seagháin and evolved from the given name Shane, a derivative of John. Historically, the MacShanes from Ulster are a branch of the O'Neills, while in County Kerry, the surname was adopted by the Fitzmaurices.^[1]

This surname was also the name given to the group of sons of Shane "An Diomas O'Neill", Prince of Ulster, Lord O'Neill, and Chief of all the O'Neill clans from 1558-1567. When he died, his ten or more sons were spread out among family within Ulster and Scotland.^{[citation needed]} In the early 1580s they regrouped and for nearly a decade battled with their O'Neill cousins for dominance of Ulster and their father and grandfather's estate, the Earldom of Tír Eoghain. he English officials used the term "the Mac Shanes" (the sons of Shane) as an all encompassing term to describe many sons that made up this army in Ireland.^{[citation needed]} Two specific families in Ireland, both descendants of Shane O'Neill, kept the nickname as a surname; the MacShanes in modern southern County Londonderry, and the MacShanes of Mayo.^{[citation needed]}