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Roots : The Mighty Moran Clan  From
priests to centerfolds to “Irish-American of the Year,” the
Moran clan have produced some very interesting folk.
The anglicized “Moran” can be traced to multiple distinct
Irish names, and though commonly linked to County Mayo, forms of the name
originated throughout middle Ireland in Counties Leitrim, Galway, Kildare,
Offaly, and more. Moran is so heavily anglicized – from the French
“Morrin” to the Irish “Moran” – that exact
knowledge of each Moran’s lineage may be hard to trace. Most Morans
will find it helpful in tracing their roots if they can determine the
particular county or region of Ireland to which their family belongs.
The ancient form of Moran is the Gaelic Ó Moráin, from a
diminutive of mór, meaning “big.” Roughly translated,
Ó Moráin means descendant of the “Great One”
or “little big man.” The Ó Moráins hailed from
Mayo, notably in the northwestern area of the modern town of Ballina where
the ancient kingdom of the Ó Móráin sept is believed
to have been. After the Norman invasion of 1169, the Ó Móráins
lost control of their territory to the Burkes and Barretts. Today Morans
are located mainly in the southern region of Mayo and Galway, suggesting
that the Ó Móráins migrated southward after their
defeat.
Among the many different spelling variations of the name is O Moghrain,
which was earlier O Mughrain, and connected to O Mughriain of Ui Maine,
who was chief of Criffon in Co. Galway, which explains the presence of
the Moran name in this area.
A third ancient form of the Moran name is Ó Murcháin, from
the Gaelic “murchadha,” meaning “sea-warrior.”
In modern times, Ó Murcháin is most often translated as
Morgan or Moran (as a contraction of Morgan) though it has also taken
the forms “Morahan” and “Morrin.” The ancient
Ó Murcháin family hailed from eastern Offaly, near Kildare.
The Morans have distinguished themselves as statesmen, artists, athletes,
businessmen and performers. Among notable Morans is the well-known folk-history
figure Michael Moran (1794-1856), better known as Zozimus. A blind musician,
Michael made his living on the streets performing ballads and recitations
of famous works. A monument stands in his honor in Glasnevin Cemetery
in Dublin.
Daniel Keys Moran, a prolific American writer and author of The Tales
of the Continuing Time series, is well known in the contemporary science
fiction literary community, and has had several short essays and stories
featured on National Public Radio.
The Morans have had influence on gender equality as well: Frances Moran
(1893-1977) was the first woman Professor at Trinity College Dublin, and
the first woman on the board of the college. She is also remembered as
the first Irishwoman to become a senior counsel, and for blazing a trail
for Irishwomen in academia and politics.
American actress Erin Moran holds a place in the hearts of classic television
enthusiasts for her role as Joannie Cunningham on the sitcom Happy Days.
Erin Moran followed the sitcom with her own series Joannie Loves Chachi
as well as appearances on Love Boat and Murder, She Wrote.
Irish footballer Kevin Moran (born 1954) is the only sports player to
have won both an All-Ireland Gaelic Football Medal and an English FA Cup
Medal. He played Gaelic football with the Dublin team from 1975 to 1977
and won two All-Ireland medals before joining Manchester United and winning
the FA Cup in 1983 and 1985. The dual star played for the Irish national
soccer team 71 times.
Morans also distinguished themselves in the artistic field. The work of
American landscape painter Thomas Moran (English-born, American Hudson
River School 1837-1926) can be seen in museums throughout the country,
including the Fine Arts Museum in San Francisco. One of his most famous
images is of the Grand Canyon.
During the American Civil War, Union soldier Lt. Charles H. Moran took
part in a daring escape from a Confederate prison in Richmond, Virginia.
He was one of 109 escapees who crawled through a rat-infested tunnel to
make their getaway. Fifty-nine succeeded in reaching Union lines, 48 were
recaptured, including Moran, and two drowned in the nearby James River.
Moran later wrote, “No tongue can tell how the poor fellows passed
among the squealing rats, enduring the sickening air, the deathly chill,
the horrible interminable darkness.”
Another member of the clan who made a great escape – from the porn
industry – is Cissy Moran, the former Playboy and Hustler centerfold
who embraced Christ and became a social worker.
On the other end of the community service scale, we have Father Moran,
a Jesuit missionary from Chicago who went to India in 1919 and befriended
Mahatma Gandhi.
And finally, the most famous Moran in Irish-American circles today is
Thomas Moran who has managed to have a hugely successful career in corporate
America while still finding time for many humanitarian and community causes.
We are proud to name Tom as Irish America’s “Irish-American
of the Year, 2008.”
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