Whelan

The family surname Whelan is an anglicised variety of an ancient Irish name, Ó Faoláin, which is the name of an important Irish sept which was prominent in a southeast area of Ireland known historically as "The Decies", which today is part of the modern county of Waterford.

The word Faoláin is derived from the gaelic word "faol" meaning a wolf, "faoláin" being of the diminutive form, meaning little wolf.

It is recorded that about 300 A.D., a tribe called the Deise settled on the site where Dungarvan, County Waterford now stands. In the 12th century, during the domination by the Normans, the Deise tribe appears to have been lost, as there is no clan Deisi today, or clan Ó Faoláin, O'Phelan or Whelan. It is thought that the remnants of the lost Deisi tribe are those people who identified themselves during the Norman process of assimilation in the identity of their leaders - Ó Faoláin, Phelan or Whelan. There are still very respectable families of the O'Felans (some of whom have changed the name to Phelan, Whelan or Whalen) in the counties of Waterford, Tipperary, Kilkenny, and Laois.

Legend has it that the original Faoláin from whom the surname is derived, was nineteenth in descent from Fiacha Suighe, a younger brother of Conn of the Hundred Battles, who reigned as High King of Ireland for thirty five years until his death in 157 A.D. Numerous members of the Ó Faoláin sept have been rulers of the Decies throughout history, and as such O'Faoláin sept is one of the original ancient septs of Ireland. In fact, Ó Faoláin was the first chief to fall resisting the Norman Invasion in 1169, as is documented in the historical text the Annals of the Four Masters:

The Age of Christ, 1170.

M1170.11

Robert Fitz Stephen and Richard, son of Gilbert, i.e. Earl Strongbow, came from England into Ireland with a numerous force, and many knights and archers, in the army of Mac Murchadha, to contest Leinster for him, and to disturb the Irish of Ireland in general; and Mac Murchadha gave his daughter to the Earl Strongbow for coming into his army. They took Loch Garman, and entered Port-Lairge by force; and they took Gillemaire, the officer of the fortress, and Ua Faelain, lord of the Deisi, and his son, and they killed seven hundred persons there.

By the beginning of the thirteenth century, most of the traditional Ó Faoláin lands and titles were lost in the wake of the invasion. However, branchs of the sept survived the Norman invasions and were settled in Waterford and in the southwest part of Kilkenny County, mainly in the barony of Iverk.

The earliest anglicised forms of the Ó Faoláin name were Felan, Faelan, Hyland, with many other similar variants, including Whelan and Phelan in Ireland's Waterford and Kilkenny Counties. Whelan and Whalen are the most prevalent forms in modern times, and combined together stand seventy-ninth in the list of the hundred most common surnames in Ireland, and with Phelan added, the name takes forty-fourth place.

Notable Whelans

* Bill Whelan - Composer of "Riverdance The Show".
* Charlie Whelan - served as a special advisor in Her majesty's Treasury under Gordon Brown.
* Chris Whelan - Middlesex Youth Cricketer.
* David Whelan - Former professional footballer with Blackburn Rovers and the current owner of Wigan Athletic.
* Edward Whelan - Canadian politician.
* Eugene Whelan - Canadian politician.
* Gary Whelan - Actor (played Brendan Kearney to Ballykissangel amongst other things.
* Gavan Whelan - Drummer for the band James.
* George J. Whelan - FOrmer mayor of San Francisco
* Glenn Whelan - Stoke City footballer and Republic of Ireland international.
* Jill Whelan - Actress.
* Leo Whelan (1892-1956), Irish painter.
* Liam Whelan - Former Manchester United footballer who died in the Munich Air Disaster. Known as Billy Whelan.
* Marcus Whelan - Famous Australian Rules footballer.
* Matthew Whelan - Indigenous Australian Rules footballer.
* Michael Whelan - American artist.
* Michael Whelan FRS - British physicist, electron microscopist.
* Nicky Whelan - Australian actress from Neighbours.
* Noel Whelan - Former Premiership footballer.
* Patrick Whelan - Tailor who was hanged for assassinating D'Arcy McGee.
* Paul Whelan - New South Wales State Police minister.
* Ronnie Whelan - played for Liverpool Football Club and is the son of Ronnie Whelan, Sr. who was also a footballer.
* Seán Ó Faoláin - The well-known writer is the son of Denis Whelan.
* Thomas J. Whelan - Irish-American mayor.
* Wendy Whelan - New York City Ballet principal dancer

References

* http://www.araltas.com/features/whelan/
* http://www.houseofnames.com/xq/asp/s.Whelan/Origin.IR/sId./qx/coatofarms_details.htm
* http://www.whalen-family.org/whalen-name-history.html
* Annals of the Four Masters