McHale — Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Mac Céile
Meaning: 'son of Céile (companion)'
Traditional stronghold: Mayo
Pronunciation: mick-HAYL; Irish Mac Céile: mock KAY-leh
History of the McHale name
McHale is a thoroughly Mayo name with two distinct sources that merged centuries ago. The native line, Mac Céile, were an ecclesiastical family, erenaghs of Killala on the north Mayo coast; the other descends from a Welsh family, followers of the Burkes, whose patronymic from the name Howel was gaelicised as Mac Haol. Both were anglicised McHale, and Tirawley in north Mayo remains the name's home ground. Its most towering bearer was John MacHale, Archbishop of Tuam for nearly half a century, the 'Lion of the West', champion of tenant rights and of the Irish language.
Variants: MacHale · MacHail · McHail
Famous bearers of the name
- John MacHale — Archbishop of Tuam and nationalist champion known as the Lion of the West.
- Kevin McHale — Boston Celtics Hall of Famer, one of basketball's greatest forwards.
- Des MacHale — Cork mathematician, humour scholar and biographer of George Boole.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Walsh · Burke · Moran · Higgins · Conway · Costello · Jennings · Browne