McGuire is an anglicized form of the Gaelic Mag Uidhir, "son of Odhar," the family that ruled County Fermanagh from the late thirteenth century until the Plantation of Ulster. Maguire and MacGuire are the same name in other spellings. All three spellings are stocked in our McGuire and Maguire Irish family gifts collection.
Quick answer: McGuire comes from Mag Uidhir, built on Odhar, a personal name meaning dun-colored or pale. The Maguires were lords of Fermanagh for more than three hundred years, held Enniskillen Castle from the fifteenth century, and lost their lordship after Cú Chonnacht Maguire sailed with the earls of Tyrone and Tyrconnell in 1607. Maguire is still the most numerous surname in County Fermanagh.
What Does the McGuire Name Mean?
Patrick Woulfe's Irish Names and Surnames gives the Irish form as Mag Uidhir and the meaning as "son of Odhar," from odhar, a color word for dun, pale or sallow. John Grenham, following Edward MacLysaght, renders it "son of the brown-haired one." Mag is simply the form Mac takes before a vowel in Irish surnames, which is why the correct Gaelic spelling is Mag Uidhir rather than Mac Uidhir. Woulfe lists the old English renderings M'Guire, M'Gwire and Maguier alongside Maguire and MacGuire, and he notes a dialect pronunciation, Mac Guibhir, which explains rarer forms such as MacGiver.
In Ireland the name is usually written Maguire. McGuire became the common spelling in the United States and in much of the diaspora, and MacGuire keeps the full Mac. All three belong to the same Fermanagh family.
Where Is the McGuire Homeland?
Lough Erne in County Fermanagh is not one lake but a system of two, Upper and Lower Lough Erne, joined by the River Erne and scattered with islands. For the Maguires this water was both highway and defense. The county's Irish name is Fear Manach, from the Fir Manach, the "men of Manach," an early people who gave the territory its name. According to Grenham, the family's early base lay around Lisnaskea in the south of the county, and from there the Maguire chiefs extended their rule over all of Fermanagh.
Who Were the Maguire Lords of Fermanagh?
Woulfe records that the Maguires became the dominant chiefs of Fermanagh by the late thirteenth century and held that position until the reign of James I, when the county was confiscated for the Plantation of Ulster. Donn Carrach Maguire, who died in 1302, is remembered as the first of the family to rule the whole county. One of his sons, Maghnus, founded the MacManus family, whose head lived at Belle Isle on Upper Lough Erne.
In the early fifteenth century Hugh "the Hospitable" Maguire, who died in 1428, built a stronghold on an island in the River Erne at Enniskillen, where the river runs between the two loughs. The Annals of Ulster first mention Enniskillen Castle in 1439. The castle still stands and now houses the Fermanagh County Museum.
The Maguire lordship supported a whole learned household. Woulfe records that the Ó Caiside (Cassidy) family were hereditary physicians to the Maguires, and the Maguire lords kept bardic poets such as Eochaidh Ó hEódhusa. Within Ulster the Maguires generally stood in the political world of the O'Neill lords of Tyrone, the dominant power of the province.
What Part Did the Maguires Play in the Nine Years' War?
Hugh Maguire became lord of Fermanagh in 1589. When the crown sent a sheriff with soldiers into Fermanagh in 1593, Hugh rose against him, and that rising opened the Nine Years' War. He fought beside Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, and Red Hugh O'Donnell at the Battle of the Yellow Ford in August 1598, the greatest Gaelic victory of the war. In early 1600, campaigning in Munster, he was killed near Cork in a clash with Sir Warham St Leger. The story of the O'Neill family, the great lords of Ulster and the Maguires' senior allies, gives the wider picture of that war.
Who Was Cú Chonnacht Maguire and What Happened in 1607?
Hugh's half-brother, Cú Chonnacht Óg Maguire, was proclaimed lord in 1600, with Red Hugh O'Donnell backing his claim against a rival kinsman, Conor Roe Maguire. After the war he became the organizer of the Flight of the Earls. The Dictionary of Irish Biography records that he raised money in the Spanish Netherlands, bought or chartered a ship and sailed from Dunkirk to Rathmullan on Lough Swilly. In September 1607 he left Ireland on that ship with Hugh O'Neill, Rory O'Donnell, Earl of Tyrconnell, and around ninety-nine followers. The Gallagher family of Donegal lived under the O'Donnell lords who shared that voyage. Cú Chonnacht never came home: he died of fever at Genoa in August 1608.
What Happened to the McGuire Family After the Plantation?
The Plantation of Ulster transferred most of Fermanagh to English and Scottish settlers, and the Maguires went from lords to tenants on much of their old land. A few kept estates, and the family remained leaders of Catholic Fermanagh. Conor Maguire, 2nd Baron of Enniskillen, joined the plot to seize Dublin Castle in October 1641. He was arrested on the eve of the rising, hiding in a cockloft near his lodging, and was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn in 1645. Half a century later Cúchonnacht Mór Maguire of Tempo raised a regiment of foot for James II and was killed at the Battle of Aughrim in July 1691.
The Great Famine of the 1840s and the emigration around it carried McGuire and Maguire families to Britain, the United States, Canada and Australia, where the McGuire spelling took firm hold.
Where Is the McGuire Name Found Today?
Grenham notes that Maguire is found above all in Fermanagh, Cavan and Monaghan, and that in Fermanagh it is the single most numerous name in the county. McGuire is the more frequent spelling in North America, where many families arrived through the ports of New York, Boston and Philadelphia.
How Can I Research McGuire and Maguire Ancestors?
- IrishGenealogy.ie: civil birth, marriage and death records from 1864, with non-Catholic marriages from 1845.
- National Archives of Ireland census: the 1901 and 1911 returns for Fermanagh, Cavan and Monaghan, searchable by name and townland.
- PRONI: estate papers, wills and church records for Fermanagh and the rest of Northern Ireland.
- Griffith's Valuation: mid-nineteenth-century householders, the best census substitute for the Famine generation.
- National Library of Ireland parish registers: Catholic baptisms and marriages, mostly before 1880.
- logainm.ie: the Irish and English forms of townland and parish names found in the records.
Search every spelling. The same family can appear as Maguire in a parish register, McGuire in a census and MacGuire on an emigrant's ship list.
Notable McGuires and Maguires
- Hugh Maguire (d. 1600), lord of Fermanagh, whose rising in 1593 opened the Nine Years' War.
- Cú Chonnacht Óg Maguire (d. 1608), lord of Fermanagh, who arranged the ship for the Flight of the Earls.
- Conor Maguire, 2nd Baron of Enniskillen (1616–1645), a leader of the 1641 plot, executed at Tyburn.
- Cúchonnacht Mór Maguire (c. 1650–1691), Jacobite landowner of Tempo, killed at Aughrim.
Frequently Asked Questions About the McGuire Name
What does McGuire mean?
McGuire comes from Mag Uidhir, "son of Odhar." Odhar was a personal name meaning dun-colored or pale.
Are McGuire and Maguire the same name?
Yes. McGuire, Maguire and MacGuire are spellings of the same Gaelic surname. Maguire is most common in Ireland and McGuire in the United States.
Which county are the McGuires from?
County Fermanagh, where the Maguires were lords and where Maguire is still the most numerous surname. The name is also strong in Cavan and Monaghan.
Is it Mag Uidhir or Mac Uidhir?
Mag Uidhir. In Irish, Mac becomes Mag before a vowel, so the Fermanagh name is written Mag Uidhir.
Are the McManus and Cassidy families connected to the Maguires?
Yes. The Fermanagh MacManus family descends from Maghnus, son of Donn Maguire (d. 1302), and the Cassidys were hereditary physicians to the Maguire lords.
Why do McGuire gifts use the Irish National Tartan?
The Irish National Tartan is a tartan for Ireland as a whole. It gives the McGuire family crest an Irish setting that suits every branch of the name.
From the islands of Lough Erne to family homes around the world, the name still carries the Fermanagh story. Explore our McGuire and Maguire Irish family gifts collection for woven blankets, mugs, garden flags, ornaments and more.