Our Irish-speaking ancestors naturally bore Irish personal names until their conquerors, for convenience mainly, decided that, like the place-names, they should be replaced by something less coarse, something more refined. Here are some examples of these exotic replacements:-
Mauricius (Muirchertach), Myles (Maol Muire), Nehemias (Giolla na Naomh), Timothy (Tadhg) and Didley for Dubhaltach; and for the females - Barbara (Gormlaith), Bella (Sibeal), Sabia (Sadhbh), and Winifred (Una).
Very, very few of these continued in use.
However Samhradhan/ Samhran, `a summery person' survived neither as itself nor draped in alien garb. This rare name was borne by Samhradan, ancestor of Meic Samhradain (Mac Govern, Magowran, Magaurans) (Irish Personal Names: O Corrain & Maguire). Indeed betimes it became Somers/Summers (samhradh, summer).
The first part of Topographical Poems, penned by Seaan Mor O hUidhrin who lived in the second part of the 14th century, is an account of the territories of the northern half of Ireland and Leinster, indicating the ruling family in each district. Of the surname we are looking at, he wrote: Mac Samhradhain,
snaidhm gach neirt, ar Theallach Eachdhach oirrdheirc. Teallach Achdhach was anglicised Tullyhaw, and became the barony name of the area in north-west Co Leitrim.
Annala Rioghachta Eireann/An- nals of the Four Masters lists this surname 58 times, between 1272 and 1593. Eighteen of these relate the violent deaths of persons so named. Among them were four clerics, one of whom was Edmond, primate of Armagh, slain in 1593.
The Irish Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns (1521-1603) lists this surname, in a variety of anglicised forms, from 1590 up to 1602. Among those pardoned in a Fiant of 1590 were four of the name, one from Le Ragga.
The following year Dermot m'Gawran was among a group of pardoned persons from Cos Galway and Roscommon; in 1593 Patrick m'Gawran was among the pardoned O Reillys, M'Mahownes and O Duffys; in 1599 pardoned Edmond m'Gawran appeared to be from Co Kildare, and pardoned in 1600 was Tirrelaugh m'Gawran of Bealaugh, Co Kildare.
In 1601 Ferrall, Philip and Edmond m'Gauran of Ballenlagh (Ballinlough in the Co Cavan parish of Annagh) were pardoned. In 1602 Owen m'Gawran, Co Longford, was pardoned.
The `census' of 1659 numbers McGowren among the principal Irish names in the Co Leitrim baronies of Carrigallen and Rossclogher. The 1814 Directory to the Market Towns, Villages, Gentlemen's Seats and other Noted Places in Ireland lists a lone Thomas Magowran at Port, in the Co Cavan parish of Templeport, and here in 1876 was Rev Terence Magauran on 17 acres.
Apart from Edward M'Gauran, Cavan, who held 551 acres, not one of the other six holdings in Cos Cavan, Leitrim, Limerick, and Meath, broke into three digits.
Continuing the 15th and 16th-century church tradition, the six subscribers to Lewis's 1837 Topographical Dictionary of Ireland were clergymen, five PPs, and Philip Magauran, RC Rector of Templeport.
Of MacGovern/Magauran, MacLysaght's Irish Families says: `The MacGoverns are better known in history as Magauran. Both forms are phonetic approximations of the Irish Mag Shamhradhain, since MH is pronounced V in some places and W in others.'
The G of Govern thus comes from the last letter of the prefix Mag, which is used before vowels and aspirates instead of the usual Mac. Telephone entries in directories south of the Border list 54 McGaurans, 11 McGourans, 21 MacGoverns, 12 Governs, two Magaurans, and one MacGowran. North of the Border there are five McGaurans, 26 McGorans, and 150 McGoverns.
Ballymagauran, `the place or townland of Mag Shamhradhain', in the parish of Templeport was attacked in 1485 by the neighbouring O'Reillys, but was avenged immediately by Magauran and his followers, who claimed to have killed or imprisoned 16 of the O'Reillys and captured 200 horses.
`The long-term result of . . . disputes among the Magauran kin group was a decline in their political status' (The Anglicisation of East Breifne: The O'Reillys and the Emergence of County Cavan: Bernadette Cunningham in CAVAN Essays on the History of an Irish County, ed Raymond Gillespie 1995).