Downey — Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Dúnadhaigh
Meaning: 'descendant of Dúnadhach (fort-holder)'
Traditional stronghold: Cork, Kerry, Galway
Pronunciation: DOW-nee; Irish Ó Dúnadhaigh: oh DOON-ee
History of the Downey name
Ó Dúnadhaigh derives from dún, 'fort', the personal name Dúnadhach denoting a fortress-holder or castellan. The principal sept belonged to south-west Munster, in the borderland of Cork, Kerry and Limerick, and the name remains common through that region; a separate family of the same name was established in Co. Galway. Downey also absorbed Ó Maoldomhnaigh, Muldowney, in parts of Leinster, so not all Downeys share one origin. The name travelled widely: Kilkenny gave Liverpool its long-serving Archbishop Richard Downey, Dublin gave rock music the Thin Lizzy drummer Brian Downey, and in Kilkenny camogie the Downey twins Angela and Ann became the most decorated players the game has known.
Variants: Downing · Muldowney · O'Downey
Famous bearers of the name
- Brian Downey — Dublin drummer and co-founder of Thin Lizzy, the engine of the band across its whole career.
- Angela Downey — Kilkenny camogie great who won twelve All-Ireland senior medals, many alongside her twin Ann.
- Richard Downey — Kilkenny-born Archbishop of Liverpool from 1928 to 1953, who began its vast Metropolitan Cathedral project.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Murphy · Kelly · O'Sullivan · O'Connor · McCarthy · Lynch · Connolly · Daly