McIntyre, McIntire, McEntire
"The name Mac an tSaoir originated both in
Northern Ireland and Scotland. In Ireland, it has gone through a
variety of transformations, of which MacAteer is the most common,
especially in counties Antrim, Donegal and Armagh -- where there is a
townland called Ballymaccateer. Mac an tSaoir means son of the
tradesman and it is very likely that the Irish name, Carpenter, also
derives from MacAteer. Both MacIntyre and MacAteer are more plentiful
in the north than in the south of Ireland. In County Mayo there is a
Carrickmacintyre (MacIntyre's Rock), but Cahermackateer is a County
Clare placename.
"St. Kieran, who founded the famous
Abbey of Clonmacnoise in AD 541, was known as Mac an tSaoir long before
the establishment of surnames, designating his father as a craftsman.
Michael Mac an tSaoir was Bishop of Clogher in County Tyrone from 1268
to 1287."
Grehan, Ida. The Dictionary of Irish Family Names, Roberts Rinehart Publishers, 1997, page 233.
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