While researching a customer’s ancestral goddess, I came across something intriguing. There was an Irish sept, the Corcu Loigde, that claimed descent from a Fairy Queen named Cliodhna. It turns out, my Irish ancestors were part of the sept and I am able to claim fairy blood! What’s even more amazing is that MOST people of Irish descent can claim a legendary hero, fairy, god, or goddess as their ancestor. In this article, I’m providing you a look at my research of the Irish clans and their descent from Fairy Queens. Check if YOUR Irish or Scottish ancestors’ names are on this list and find out if YOU were born in a fairy bloodline!
(Check out this article and compare your Irish surnames against a list of clans who claim gods and goddesses as ancestors!)
READ THIS FIRST: Check the variations of each of your surnames and compare to what I have listed here. You can Google your surnames and find the variations. Why is this important? There are multiple versions of most Irish surnames. For example, my ancestors’ last name was McNally. Variations of McNally include: MacNally, MacNall, and MacAnally, etc. This is not an all-inclusive list as there are thousands of Irish surnames that could literally take up a book.
1. Cliodhna: Celtic Fairy Queen and Goddess of Cork
I have to put Cliodhna at the top, as she’s been the inspiration and voice behind this project. If you have any of the following Irish surnames in your ancestry AND your ancestors came from Cork, Ireland, they are part of an ancient sept called the Corcu Loigde. And it means YOU are a grandchild of Cliodhna the Fairy Queen! Cliodhna is an ancient sovereignty goddess of what is now Cork, Ireland. She is a goddess of beauty, love, healing, dreams, music, and the Celtic Otherworld. She is also considered a fairy queen, witch and mermaid. Read all about Cliodhna and how to work with her here.
Do you have any of these Irish surnames from Cork in your ancestry? If so, you descend from Cliodhna!
- Coffey
- Flynn
- O’Donovan
- O’Driscoll
- O’Leary
2. The Fairy Bloodlines of Queen Medb
Queen Medb is the queen of Conacht in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. She started the infamous Cattle Raid of Cooley in her attempts to capture the kingdom of Ulster’s prized bull. Scholars believe she is a variation of a sovereignty goddess and may even be the war goddess The Morrigan. In later centuries, she became a Celtic Fairy Queen. This may be because of Shakespeare’s fairy Queen Mab character. To many modern pagans, Queen Medb is more than a mythical figure or queen, she is a warrior goddess and an ancestor to the following Irish clans.
Do you have any of these surnames in your Irish heritage? Then you descend from Queen Medb!
- Ainnsin
- Beglin
- Calbrain
- Ciaracan
- Connick
- Cronan
- Curnin
- Doonan
- Dunnan
- Finn
- Finnigan
- Foaley
- Geoffrey
- Herry
- Jeffries
- Kearon
- Keegan
- MacCogan
- MacConkeel
- MacEnhill
- MacLeavy
- MacMurrow
- MacShaffrey
- MacShane
- Moraine
- Moran
- Morey
- Mulhooley
- Mullock
- Murray
- Murrow
- O’Quinn
- Sharry
- Sullihan
- Tarmey
- Tormey
- Woods
3. Fairy Bloodlines of Queen Una (Oonagh)
Another goddess of the Tuatha De Dannan who was demoted to Fairy Queen over the centuries is Una (sometimes spelled Oonagh or Oona). She’s a fairy queen of Munster and is a goddess of music, love, and fidelity. And she protects young animals and children. Queen Una lives under Knockshegowna in County Tipperary (also called the Fairy Mound of Una). She is the last queen of the Daoine Sidhe and the wife to the High Fairy King Finvarra.
Do your Irish ancestors have this name? If so, you’re a descendant of Una and part of an ancient fairy bloodline:
- O’Carroll
4. Aine: Midsummer Fairy Queen and Ancestor
Aine is a Celtic Irish goddess of summer, sovereignty, animals, crops, fertility, Midsummer and the sun. She resides in County Limerick, where her sacred hill Knockaine is located. Yet her memory is preserved in many place-names throughout Ireland. Aine rides an otherworldly red mare and sometimes shifts forms and becomes the red mare. In some myths, Aine is married to or was impregnated by the King of Munster Ailil Aulom, and his descendants the septs of the Eoganachta, claim Aine as their ancestor. The Eoganachta was a dynasty originating in Southern Ireland, in the kingdom of Munster in Medieval Times.
These are the clans of the Eoganachta. Do You Have Irish ancestors with any of these clan names? If they originate in Southern Ireland, you have an even higher chance they delineate from the Eoganachta septs. Which means Aine is your Fairy Queen ancestor and you have fairy blood!
- Connelly
- Lynch
- MacAnliffe
- MacCarthy
- MacGillycuddy
- Morgan
- O’Bogue
- O’Cahalane
- O’Callaghan
- O’Cannifree
- O’Connell
- O’Cronin
- O’Dennehy
- O’Donnell
- O’Donoghue
- O’Dwyer
- O’Feehan
- O’Flahiffe
- O’Flynn
- O’Hea
- O’Keefe
- O’Kirby
- O’Leary
- O’Mahoney
- O’Moriarty
- O’Quirke
- O’Sullivan
The MacLeod Scottish Clan’s Fairy Bloodline
The MacLeod clan from the Isle of Skye, Scotland, claims they have fairy blood. The story comes from a centuries-old relic the family still has in their possession – the Fairy Flag. Legend says the flag was given to the MacLeod clan by a fairy woman who had married a MacLeod chief. She was married to him for twenty years and was forced to leave him and return to the Otherworld. The fairy woman said goodbye to the chief on the fairy bridge and gave him the flag. She told him to wave the flag whenever they were in dire need of help and it would be granted three times.
If you have the MacLeod last name or it’s in your family tree, you can claim fairy blood. Unfortunately, we don’t know enough about this fairy woman to provide a name or anything else. But the clan claims they descend from her. Learn more about the fairy flag of Dunvegan here.
Compendium of Fairies BOOK: Signed Copy
Grab a signed paperback copy of Kitty Fields’ Compendium of Fairies, Volume 2 in The Otherworldly Oracle Collection with detailed info. on how to work with the ancient elementals, fairy queens, and more.
You Have Fairy Blood…Now What?
Maybe you realized you’re part of a fairy bloodline. But now you’re wondering what to do with this information? It’s up to you what you do with the information. I’m not saying anyone is necessarily a fairy or that your ancestor was a fairy, I’m saying that these clans claimed it. This is similar to how the Egyptian pharaohs claimed to be gods or descend from the gods. It gave people status and probably fueled their religious rites and beliefs. Aside from telling people your ancestor was a fairy, consider working with your ancestor in your spiritual or magical practice. Research and study their lore and history. Set up an altar space. Provide offerings. Ask your ancestor to send you messages in your dreams and life. Immerse yourself in Irish Celtic culture.
Why Are There Only Irish and Scottish Surnames Here?
Unfortunately, if you don’t have Irish or Scottish ancestors, you might be wondering where the other names are. I wish I could find the same information for ALL cultures and heritages, but it doesn’t exist at this magnitude. Ireland had a Renaissance right before the Viking Age in which their clergy (who could read and write) began documenting Irish folklore, mythology, and history. Geneaology including names and locations of septs and clans was recorded, and we are lucky to have this information still today. While I can’t supply you with other European fairy bloodlines, I can help you find out more about your magical and pagan ancestors. Read the links below to learn more!
My Paternal side is Connelly also my biological father is a Connelly they originate from Southern Ireland,
And northwestern Ireland as well they are also descendants of the hound of valour and The Tuatha Dé Danann The Goddess Queen Aine is our Paternal Ancestor.
My family name is Sinnott or Synott. From county wexford in Ireland, and Peart from Wales . Are there any Godesses in my Family. My daughter is a practising Wiccan witch.
My grandmother was from County Cork last name McQuirre I remember her telling me stories of the wee folk. And I also remember talking to them as a child out in the flower garden.
I wondered about Fae bloodlines among ancient Irish families. I’m an O’Driscoll and this confirmed what my heart and soul had been telling me for years.
Check the variations. So many people are looking for the EXACT name, when there are so many variations of just a single name! CHECK AGAIN!
I have three last names from my grandmother, great grandmother, and great-great-grandmother alone. I only know those three, which are from one side of my family tree as well!
I think you should put an article on Queen Mebd, specifically. You already have on The Morrigan, but maybe you could do one just for her. Thanks!
Blessed be
-Margaret, Satanist, Green, Black, and White Witch
If you cannot find the name of your family look into the Gaelic word for your surname. For example Hayes isnt found here, but it is a version O’hea or O hAodha.
Exactly!
What about Grey, Horrocks, or Mustard?
What about the Townsend’s of cork?
What about Mcwhinney-holt? It’s my moms maiden name
Lol….same here….no Downey’s, or Thompson….in our DNA my siblings and I have 72-93% Irish in us, but none of the names in our family are on any of these lists….Fogarty, Donnelly, Kinsella, even more names and not a single one on any of the lists…
make sure you’re checking the original gaelic names and their variations too. there’s MANY variations with Irish surnames that you could be missing.
My name is Skye, both sides of my family are of Irish and Scottish descent (including some from the Isle of Skye), but none of my surnames were on that list.
Probably Macleod ancestors they are on skye