The Irish version of the surname is Mac
Fhlannchaidh, from the personal name Flannchadh, which
it is thought meant red warrior. It originated in two different
areas in countries Clare and Leitrim. In the former they were a
branch of the McNameras where their eponymous ancestor being FlannchadhMac Commara. The Clancy's formed part of the great Dai
gCais tribal group and acted as lawyers or brehons to the
O'Brien chieftains. Their homeland was in the barony of Corcomroe
in north Clare and they remained prominent among the Gaelic
aristocracy until the collapse of that institution in the
seventeenth century. The Leitrim family of the name were based in
the Rosclogher area of the country around Lough Melvin. Today the
surname is still common in Leinrim and Clare with significant
numbers also found in the adjacent countries.
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