A Look at the Meaghers and Mahers
The Meagher name stems from the medieval Gaelic O’ Meachair, derived from meachar, meaning hospitable or kind, but the kindness of the Meaghers certainly hasn’t taken away from their strength and power.
The name, also recorded as O’Meagher, Maher, Meagar, O’Maher, Mahar and Mahir, still holds prominence in Ireland. Over fifty percent of those bearing variations on the name come from County Tipperary, where the clan originated. The O’Meachair clan kept control over Ikerrin near the modern town of Roscrea, at the foot of the famous Devil’s Bit Mountain in northern Tipperary. During the Norman invasion in the 10th century, the O’Meachairs refused to be ousted from their territory, unlike some other Gaelic clans, and held onto their traditional lands up to the Cromwellian period.