McConnon Coat of Arms

Origins

While the Anglicized versions of Irish names are often familiar to people, their Irish Gaelic heritage is often unknown. The original Gaelic form of the name McConnon is OCanain, from the word "cano," which means "wolf cub."

Ancient History

The Irish people have had an impressive impact on world history; in fact, rather disproportionally so, considering the size of that beautiful, but tiny Emerald Isle. It is a nation which has produced many world leaders, statesmen, artists, clerics and scholars.Closely interwoven into the colourful chronicles of this great land is the history of the Irish sept McConnon. Using documentary evidence supplemented by legend, researchers have isolated historical data using books by O'Hart, McLysaght and O'Brien, the Four Masters and Woulfe, church baptismals, parish records, and ancient land grants. This research found that the family name McConnon was first found in Tirconnell (Irish: Tír Chonaill) present day Donegal, located in Northwestn Ireland in the province of Ulster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Spelling Variations

Many spelling variations of the name were found, particularly when families attempted to

translate the name from the Gaelic to the English. Your name, McConnon occurred in

many references, and from time to time the surname was recorded as Cannon, O'Cannon,

MacCannon, Cannan, Cannen, Cannin, MacCannan, McCannon, McCannan and

O'Cannanand these changes in spelling even occurred between father and son.

Compounding the problem, church officials and scribes spelled names based on their

sound; thus it was not uncommon to find a name spelled several different ways during the

lifetime of one person: the first, when he or she was baptized, another when that person

was married, and yet another often appeared on the headstone. The prefixes "O," meaning

'grandson of' and "Mc," meaning 'son of' are very common in Irish names, although this

does not guarantee that the name is Irish: many Scottish names also used Mc (rather than

Mac).

Symbolism of McConnon Family Coat of Arms

Heraldry, in its early form, was probably introduced to Ireland by the Anglo-Normans

around 1172, but by then the practice of using symbols to identify important individuals

would not have been unknown to the Irish. It was not until much later that heraldry was

regulated by the English Crown, and Irish symbols were then included in the armory.

Introduction

An Achievement of Arms such as the McConnon arms typically consists of these parts: the Escrolls, displaying the family motto and name, the family crest (if any) seen above the helmet, the actual

Coat of arms (also known as 'arms,' or 'the shield'), the Helmet depicted below the crest, the Torse on top of the helmet, and the Mantle draped from the helmet. Each of these elements will be described below. Supporters were a later addition to the Achievement; they are somewhat

rare, and are usually personal to the grantee.

The mantle was spread over and draped from the helmet and served as a protection, 'to repel the extremities of wet, cold, and heat, and to preserve the armour from rust.' The numerous cuts and slits suggest that it had been torn and hacked on the field of battle. The style or design of the mantling is up to the individual heraldic artist, and it is usually depicted in the main color and

metal from the shield. The helmet (or Helm) varied in shape in different ages and countries, often depicting rank. The Esquire's Helm, as depicted here, is generally shown silver, with a closed visor and facing to the dexter (its right). On top of the helmet is a Torse or wreath which was formed by two pieces of silk twisted together. Its purpose was to hold the crest and mantle on the Helm.

Motto

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century.

Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

The coat of arms displayed here for the surname McConnon did not include a motto.

Shield

Shields (or Escutcheons) at first were painted simply with one or more bands of color or

'ordinaries'. Later, the ordinaries were used in conjunction with other figures or

symbols. The Coat of Arms for the surname McConnon can be described as follows:

MCCONNON ARMS

Red, with a pellet or cannonball on a silver bend with a gold border.

RED

Gules, derived from an Old French word goules or gueules meaning "throats" translates into modern English as "red" and is the military color for excellence and fortitude. It is symbolic of nobility, boldness and ferocity, and can also represent fire and summer. Some ancient laws restricted its use to princes and their families. Red corresponds to the metal copper and is

denoted in engravings by numerous perpendicular lines.

PELLET

A black roundle is given the various names of pellet, ogress and gunstone, a roundle being any circular charge of color or metal. Black roundles represent cannon balls and bullets and may indicate that the first bearer was an artilleryman, or that he braved the dangers these things in

battle. It may have been intended to appear globular on the shield, rather than flat like most other roundles, so an artist may shade it accordingly. Pellettée describes a shield strewn with pellets.

OR(Gold)

"Or" (from the French word for gold) is the tincture of gold, or in heraldic terms "or," was considered the noblest color. One of only two metals used in heraldry, it exceeds all others in value, purity and finesse. It represents the light of the sun, and was once borne only by princes. Gold is said to gladden the heart and destroy all works of magic. It is also associated with excellence

and achievement, and the bearer surpasses all others in valor. It is represented on coats of arms by the color yellow, and in engravings by an indefinite number of small points.

SILVER

Argent (from the French for silver), or silver is one of the two metals used in heraldry. It is usually represented on a shield by the colors gray or white. This metal represents nobility, peace and serenity. It is associated with the qualities of purity and chastity, because the metal withstands the test of fire.

BEND

The bend is a broad, diagonal band across the shield representing either a scarf worn like a sash, or the shield suspender of a knight or military commander. It has often been granted to those who have distinguished themselves as commodores. The bend signifies defense or protection, and is a bearing of high honor. Unless it is specified otherwise the bend is assumed to go from the

upper left corner (dexter, chief in heraldic terms) of a shield to the lower right (sinister base). The bend sinister follows the opposite diagonal. According to old theorists the bend should occupy one third of the surface of a shield, though it is usually drawn slightly more narrowly

than this. A charge half the width of a bend is termed a bendlet, and if six or eight of these pieces occurs on a shield it is termed ‘bendy.’ The bend sinister has been used occasionally as a mark of illegitimacy though this is not commonly the case. More often a bendlet sinister is used, or a baton sinister, which is a bendlet that does not extend to the very edges of the shield.

BORDER

The bordure or border is, as it sounds, a fairly wide border around the outside of a shield. Except for in more modern grants where the border is an original part of the shield, there is little doubt that the border is either a mark of cadency, displaying the status of a younger son or brother, or a mark of illegitimacy. The border is no longer used for these purposes; except for in England

where a border wavy is still a mark of illegitimacy and the border compony serves the same purpose in Scotland.

This is by no means a mark of dishonor, though; it is merely a heraldic tradition carried over from the days when it was necessary to distinguish the rightful heirs from others who might have some claim to the family title and fortune. The orle is the diminutive of a border and looks like the frame of a shield within the shield rather than a border. It is about half the width of a border. When charges are placed around the outside of it they are said to be ‘in orle.’ It was used as a mark to

distinguish the arms of one branch of a family from those of another, and in some cases the orle was used as a symbol of honor.

The McConnon Crest

A cannon mounted on a carriage

The Crest was worn on top of the helmet, and was usually made of wood, metal, or

boiled leather. It provided the double advantage of easy identification and the addition of

height to the wearer.

Early History

The legendary Kings of Ireland (dating from 1500 B.C.), were descended from King

Milesius of Spain, the grandson of Breoghan (Brian), King of Galicia, Andalusia,

Murcia, Castile and Portugal. King Milesius turned his attention northward to Ireland to

fulfill an ancient Druidic prophecy. He sent an army to explore this fertile island. On

finding that his son had been murdered by the three resident Irish Kings (the Danans),

Milesius gathered another army to take his revenge on the Irish. He died before he

embarked on the trip. His remaining eight sons conquered Ireland.

Heremon, eldest son of Milesius, reigned in Ireland for fourteen years, along with his

brothers Heber, Ir, and Ithe. They named the land Scota or Scotia, their mother's name,the land of the Scots. This name would later be taken by the Irish King Colla in 357 A.D.,

when he was exiled to the Scottish western Isles, leaving the name 'Ir-land', land of Ir, the

youngest of the four sons of Milesius, to the Emerald Isle. The four Irish kingdoms

eventually broke into five separate nations under the High King, or Ard Righ. These

royal lines would later produce such great kings as the 4th century King Niall of the Nine

Hostages who died in France while cutting off the retreat of the Romans from Britain, and

King Brian Boru who died in the Battle of Clontarf in 1014, finally expelling the Vikings

from Dublin and Ireland.

This great Gaelic family of McConnon emerged in later years in Tirconnell. They were descended from the Kellys, Princes of Tara, who were descended from King Colla da Crioch of Orgiall, Northern Ireland in 360 A.D. The Cannons descended through the Garveys to Fiachra Ceannfionan, which, in English, became Cannon, their Chiefs were called the Kings of Clan Connaill, and until the 13th century the sept flourished in Tirconnell district of Ireland. The powerful O'Donnells subjugated the clan soon after and they sank into obscurity in Irish history for the next few centuries, although there is some reference to the family name in the county of Donegal. Soon after 1500 the Cannon family became prominent as ecclesiastics, priests called Cannon appeared from time to time in the records of Raphoe, and today they are more numerous in County Donegal than anywhere else in Ireland. In the 1659 census the Cannons were recorded in County Meath, and in 1687 one of the name was Sheriff of County Monaghan.