| McCartan Mac Artáin | |
|---|---|
 vert a lion a ramp. or, on a chief ar. a crescent betw. two dexter hands couped at the wrist gu. | |
| Parent house | Ulaid (Dál nAraidi) |
| Country | Kingdom of Ulster |
| Founder | Artan macCruinneith (d. 1004) |
| Current head | Dominick Macartan (died 1772) |
| Titles |
|
| Cadet branches | Guinness (possibly) |
McCartan is an Irish surname. It is the Anglicized form of Mac Artáin, denoting the son of Artán (diminutive of the personal name Art, an old Irish word for "bear"). They were the Lords of Kinelarty, a barony in the County Down which derives its name from Cenel Faghartaigh (the race/clan of Faghartagh).
The McCartans belonged to the Uí Echach Cobo—of whom Magennis was the chief family—of the Dál nAraidi, who in turn came from the Cruthin tribe who were the first Celts to arrive in Ireland from about 800 to 500 BC.[1] French President Charles de Gaulle is descended from the clan through his great-grandmother Angélique Marie McCartan.
Up until the 1600s, the McCartans were in control of much of mid-Down. The McCartan strongholds included Drumaroad, the adjoining townlands Loughinisland, Drumnaquoile, Magheratimpany, Ardilea, and the neighbouring town of Ballynahinch. The clan were chieftains of the territories of Kinelarty and Dufferin.
- ^ Cairney, C. Thomas (1989). Clans and Families of Ireland and Scotland. Jefferson, North Carolina, United States, and London: McFarland & Company. p. 53. ISBN 0899503624.