McMahon Family Name
NAME MEANING: "Bear" VARIANTS: Mahon, MacMathghamhna, Mac Mathuna, McMachon.
The McMahon Surname comes from the Irish Mathgamha or MacMathúna meaning bear. There are two distinct septs, the main one being from Clare. Mahon was the son of Murtagh Mor O'Brien who was king of Ireland. He died in 1119. The last inaugurated chief of the name fell at Kinsale in 1602. The Ulster sept were lords of Oriel . They came to prominence with the decline of the O'Carrolls. Bernard (1680 - 1747), his uncle Hugh who died in 1737 and his brother Ross Roe (1698 - 1748) were all archbishops of Armagh. They had previously been bishops of Clogher. Three out of five bishops who held the see of Clogher were McMahons. Heber McMahon (1600 - 1650) was a leader of the confederate Catholics. He commanded the Ulster army and died on the scaffold.Hugh, the last chief of the Ulster sect, was betrayed by Owen O' Connolly and beheaded in 1641. Col. Brian McMahon fought at Benburb and was on the supreme council of confederate Catholics. The name was also prominent in King James' Irish army. Col. Art McMahon's infantry regiment was notable in France's Irish brigade. John McMahon (1715 - 1780) was born in France.
He was Marquis d'Equilly and is descended from the Clare McMahons. His grandson Patrick (1808 - 1893) was president and Marshall of France. Charles James Patrick (1800 - 1891), known as 'The O'Gorman Mahon' is also thought to be a descendant of the Clare McMahons. He was a politician and soldier. He was born in Ennis in Co. Clare on March 17th. He was educated at TCD. He joined the Catholic Association and was prominent in helping Daniel O'Connell win the Clare election of 1828. He was an MP for Clare in 1830 but was unseated on the strength of a petition accusing him of bribery. Daniel O'Connell backed his opponent in the general election of 1831 and Mahon was defeated. This caused a breach between himself and O'Connell which never healed.
He was called to the bar in 1834 but he never practised. In 1835 he began to travel widely. He travelled most of Europe. In France he was a close friend of Louis-Philippe and Talleyrand. He went to Africa, the East and South America.
He was back in Ireland in 1846. He was an MP for Ennis between 1847 and 1852 when he was defeated by just thirteen votes. Again he travelled abroad. He was appointed a lieutenant, a rank that was above many generals, of the Russian Emperor¹s International bodyguard. He fought against the Tartars, travelled to China and India and fought under the Turkish and Austrian flags. In the 1860s he went to South America again. He was a general in Uruguay during the civil war and commanded a Chilean fleet in the war against Spain. He became a colonel under the Emperor of Brazil and fought on the Northern side during the American civil war.
He returned to France and was made Colonel-in-Chief of a regiment of Chassuers by Napoleon III. In Germany he was on good terms with Bismarck and the Crown Prince. He was back in Ireland again in 1870. He joined Parnell's party. He became an MP for Clare from 1879 to 1885 and he was an MP for Carlow until his death in 1887. He claimed to have fought thirteen duels in his lifetime, several of which proved fatal for his opponents, and was said to have told Gladstone that he was the cause of all of them. He died of sound mind and body at Sidney Street London on the 15th of June at the age of ninety one.
His fellow candidate in the Clare general election of 1880 was Captain William O'Shea (Kitty's husband) and it was O'Shea who introduced him to Parnell.
The rt. Hon. Sir Bryan Mahon (1862-1930) was born at Belleville, Co. Galway on April 2nd. He was a lieutenant in the 8th Kings Royal Irish Hussars and in 1883 received the DSO for his part in the Dungola campaign of 1896. He fought at Arbala and Omdurman. He was a brigadier general during the Boer War and cut through Boer lines to relieve Mafeking, an action that aroused such celebrations in London that a new word, mafficking, was coined. He was awarded a CB, served in Egypt and India, was appointed KVCO in 1913. At the outbreak of WW1 he was appointed to command the 10th Irish Division and served in the Gallipoli campaign. He was Commander-in Chief in Ireland during 1916 and 1918. He retired to live in Ireland in 1921. He received the KCB in 1922. He was nominated to the first Free State senate in 1922. He died in Dublin on September 24th 1930.
Some of the most noted of the name were, Sir William McMahon, who was the Prime Minister of Australia from (1971-1972); in more recent times Bryan MacMahon, of Listowel, School Teacher, writer of short stories and playwright. Also Les McMahon became the member for Sydney ,Australia in the Federal Government between (1975-1980) for the Labour Party.
Eliza Callan married McDonnell Carterstown, Kate Callan, Nicholas Callan, Herny Callan (P P Kilsaran) Peter Callan (St Johnsfort unmarried) Anne Callan married Donegan Monasterboice