McGirr

McGirr is an Irish Gaelic Surname. It may be derived from an epithet or may be a calque or Phono-semantic match to Gearr which translates as Short. According to the Irish times Households in the 19th century database 'Gear' as a surname was found to be exclusive to Cork,Kerry,Limerick,Kilkenny and Offaly. The majority in Kerry. While 70% of McGirr households in the 19th Century were found in Tyrone and almost exclusively in Ulster other than Mayo. The name McGirr is certainly most common in Tyrone and is associated with the Cenél Fearadhaigh of Clogher. The Annals of Ulster tell us that Cu-Uladh(The hound of Ulster) McGhirr-McCawell(MacCathmhaoil) 'chieftain of his own tribe' was an illustrious Professor of science in England in 1368. A company based in Canada 'House of Names' that deals in family coats of arms claim from among the many variations of the name MacGeer,MacGirr,McGear;McGirr and Mcgeer and Mcghirr that these ancient Irish were believed to be descended from among the many 350 chiefs who accompanied the banished King colla da crioch, who left Ireland for the Hebrides in the year 327AD. There are Shorts listed in Kirkcudbrightshire east Scotland and a few McGirr's. The McGirr name would be far more prominent in Ireland than in Scotland. In the aftermath of the potato famine with the mass emigration of Irish it was very common for Irish to conceal their roots to avoid discrimination and names were commonly changed, i.e O'Donnell to Dodds. As for the gallóglaigh, the Ulster Annals show Cu-Uladh McGhirr-McCawell(MacCathmhaoil) perhaps too well established to be among this group. Edward Shortt son of a vicar who served as British Home secretary in the 1920's whose Family roots have been mentioned as originating from Co.Tyrone.

Cenél Fearadhaigh, of the Cenél Eóghain, Feradach was the son of Muiredach, and great-grandson of Niall whose descendants included the MacCawells (MacCathmhaoil), as well as the Irish Campbells, of Cenél Fearadhaigh [Theas] in the Clogher area of Co. Tyrone. MacGilmartin were chiefs in the barony of Clogher, and one was chief of Cenel Fearadaigh in 1166. The Mac Fiachra sept of Cenél Fearadhaigh were known as MacKeaghery.

In 1365 when Malachy of the Mac Cathmhaoil, the ruling house of Clogher, Tyrone, slew an O'Neill of Tír Eoghain, Malachy was known as ‘Maelechainn mac in ghirr meic Mac Cathmhaoil’. Translated his name is Malachy the son of the Short-Fellow Mac Cathmhaoil. This feat of slaying an O’Neill warranted a change of name so he became Malachy mac in ghirr or simply Malachy MacGirr. Later this family survived the Ulster Plantation, receiving a number of grants of lands at the time. They are to be found later in the 1660s as taxpayers in the Clogher Valley and elsewhere in Tyrone. Today the family is generally found as McGirr, McGerr, McKerr and in the anglicised version as Short.

• Eamonn McGirr (died 2004), Irish-born entertainer in New York's Capital District area
• Ernest McGirr, Q.C. (1887–1982), politician in Manitoba, Canada
• Greg McGirr (1879–1949), Australian politician, elected as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
• Herb McGirr (1891–1964), New Zealand cricketer who played in two Tests in 1930
• James McGirr (1890–1957), the Labor Premier of New South Wales from 6 February 1947 to 3 April 1952
• James McGirr Kelly (1928–2005), United States federal judge
• Les McGirr, former football (soccer) player who represented New Zealand at international level
• Edward McGirr (1916-2003) Professor of medicine, Dean of Faculty of medicine, Glasgow University and Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. Awarded the CBE in 1978

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