Maguire (surname)

For other uses, see Maguire.

Maguire
Family name
Meaning	"son of Odhar"
Region of origin	Ireland
Related names	McGuire

Maguire is an Irish surname from the Gaelic Mag Uidhir, which is 'son of Odhar,' the eleventh in descent from Colla-da-chrich,[1] great-grandson of Cormac mac Airt, monarch of Ireland about the middle of the third century.[2][3]

Maguire is an uncommon given name. The Maguire sept is primarily associated with the modern-day Co. Fermanagh.They possessed the entire county, also known as Maguire's Country, from about 1200 A.D. and maintained their independence as Lords of Fermanagh down to the reign of James the First, when their country was confiscated like other parts of Ulster. The Maguires supplied Chiefs or Princes to Fermanagh, from about A.D. 1264, when they supplanted the former Chieftains (O'Daimhin, or Devin). They were inaugurated as Princes of Fermanagh on the summit of Cuilcagh, a magnificent mountain near Swanlinbar, on the borders of Cavan and Fermanagh; and sometimes also at a place called Sciath Gabhra or Lisnasciath, now Lisnaskea. Even after the seventeenth century confiscation, Connor Roe Maguire obtained re-grants of twelve thousand acres of the forfeited lands of his ancestors, and was created Baron of Enniskillen - a title which was also borne by several of his successors. The family is first mentioned in the Annals as early as 956 A.D. have always been closely associated with the other leading septs of Ulster such as the O Neills and the O Donnells. They also spawned several well known branches which became septs in their own right, including MacManus, Caffrey, MacHugh, and several others. The name is among the forty most common names in Ireland, among the top twenty-five in Ulster, ten in Co. Cavan, thirty in Co. Monaghan and is the single most common name in Co. Fermanagh. Maguiresbridge in Co. Fermanagh, in Gaelic Droichead Mhig Uidhir, takes its name from the family.

During translation in the Ulster Plantation various English translations of the original Mag Uidhir appeared, including Mc Guire, Maguire, Mac Guire and McGuire. In South West Donegal the name is re-translated into Gaelic as Mac Guibhir.

The Maguire motto is "Justia Et Fortituda Invincibilia Sunt" this is latin for "Justice And Fortitude Are Invincible".

List of persons with the surname

• Baron Maguire, Two Barons Maguire of Enniskillen in the Peerage of Ireland
• Charles A. Maguire (1876–unknown), Canadian politician; mayor of Toronto 1922–1923
• Chris Maguire (born 1989), Scottish professional football player
• Clare Maguire (born 15 September 1987), British singer-songwriter
• Connor Maguire, 2nd Baron of Enniskillen, Irish rebel of 1641
• Darragh Maguire (born 1976), Irish professional football player
• Donna Maguire (born 1967), Provisional IRA member
• Emily Maguire (disambiguation), multiple people
• Father Bob Maguire (born c.1935), Australian priest and community worker; awarded the Order of Australia 1989
• Frank Maguire (1929–1981), Northern Ireland politician and MP
• Gavin Maguire (born 1967), Welsh international footballer
• George Maguire (1796–1882), Irish-American mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, USA
• George Maguire (born 1990), Olivier Award-winning English actor
• Gerard Maguire (born 1945), Australian actor
• Gregory Maguire (born 1954), American author
• Harold Maguire (1912–2001), Director-General of Intelligence at the British Ministry of Defence
• Hugh Maguire (d. 1600), Lord of Fermanagh in Ireland during the reign of Elizabeth I
• Hugh Maguire (violinist) (born 1927), Irish violinist
• Jack Maguire (1925–2001), American professional football player
• James G. Maguire (1853–1920), American politician; U.S. representative from California
• Jeff Maguire (born 1952), American film screenwriter
• John A. Maguire (1870–1939), American politician from Nebraska
• John Aloysius Maguire (1851–1920), Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow, Scotland
• John Norman Maguire (born 1956), Australian cricketer
• Joseph Maguire (contemporary), U.S. Navy rear admiral, Commander of the Naval Special Warfare Command
• Josh Maguire (born 1980), Australian football player
• Kevin Maguire (born 1960), American comic book artist
• Kristin Maguire, American politician and former chairman of the South Carolina State Board of Education
• Larry Maguire (born 1949), Canadian politician and activist farmer in Manitoba; representative in the Manitoba legislature
• Leona Maguire (born 1994), Irish golfer, twin of Lisa.
• Lisa Maguire (born 1994), Irish golfer, twin of Leona.
• Máiread Corrigan-Maguire (born 1944), Northern Irish peace activist
• Martie Maguire (born 1969), American country music songwriter and singer; founding member of the Dixie Chicks
• Mary Maguire (1919–1974), born Peggy Maguire, Australian actress
• Matt Maguire (born 1984), Australian rules footballer
• Molly Maguire (contemporary), musician
• Paul Maguire (born 1938), American professional football player and sportscaster
• Sam Maguire (1879–1927), Irish Republican and Gaelic footballer; eponym of the Sam Maguire Cup
• Sean Maguire (born 1976), English actor and singer
• Sharon Maguire (born 1960), British film maker
• Stephen Maguire (born 1981), Scottish professional snooker player
• Steve Maguire (contemporary), American software engineer and author
• Tobey Maguire (born 1975), American actor; best known for Spider Man
• Tom Maguire (1892–1993), Irish republican, commandant-general in the IRA
• Mark McGwire, born October 1, 1963, is a former Major League Baseball player

See also

• McGuire (disambiguation)

References