Friel — Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Frighil
Meaning: 'descendant of Fearghal (man of valour)'
Traditional stronghold: Donegal
Pronunciation: FREEL; Irish Ó Frighil: oh FREE-il
History of the Friel name
Ó Frighil is a Donegal form of Ó Fearghail, from the personal name Fearghal, 'man of valour'. The Friels claim descent from Eoghan, brother of St Colmcille, and held the distinguished position of erenaghs of Kilmacrenan, custodians of the church lands there; by long custom the head of the family had the right to officiate at the inauguration of each O'Donnell chief of Tirconnell on the Rock of Doon. The name has remained overwhelmingly a Donegal one, spreading into Derry and west Ulster generally. Its most celebrated modern bearer, Brian Friel, born in Omagh to a Donegal family, became Ireland's greatest late-20th-century playwright with Philadelphia, Here I Come! and Dancing at Lughnasa, plays rooted in his fictional Donegal town of Ballybeg.
Variants: O'Friel · Freel · Freehill
Famous bearers of the name
- Brian Friel — Playwright of Translations and Dancing at Lughnasa, the towering figure of modern Irish drama.
- Anna Friel — English actress of Irish descent, star of Brookside, Pushing Daisies and Marcella.
- Redmond Friel — Derry composer and arranger of Irish traditional melodies for choir and orchestra.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Gallagher · Boyle · Doherty · Sweeney · O'Donnell · Duffy · McLoughlin · Mooney