Finnegan

Finnegan is the transferred use of a well-known Irish surname. It is the anglicized version of Ó Fionnagán which comes from the Gaelic “finn/fionn” meaning “fair, white”. The “-án” is a diminutive suffix so Fionnagán essentially means “little fair one”. Fionn mac Cumhail (anglicized: Finn MacCool) was a mythical hunter-warrior from Irish mythology and whose followers (the Fianna) lived apart from society as bandits and hunters who could be called upon by kings in times of war. Essentially, the Fianna were the king’s bodyguards (the military elite of ancient Ireland) and Finn was their captain. Finn MacCool was a hero of legendary proportions in Irish folklore. He was renowned as a warrior, but also glorified for his wisdom, bravery and “fair” good-looks (hence the name Fionn). Legend has it that Finn acquired his wisdom by touching the “salmon of knowledge” and then sucking his thumb. This gave him the ability to see into the future so that he was able to defend against enemies, protect his homeland and bring great prominence to the Fianna. In fact, it is argued that Finn MacCool and his Fianna were the precursors to the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable. The Finnegan septs may all believe they are ultimately descended from this illustrious Irish hero. Finnegan could also be considered a literary name due to the well-known (though highly complex) novel written by James Joyce in 1939 called “Finnegans Wake”. Joyce was inspired by an old Irish ditty called “Finnegan’s Wake” wherein Finnegan drinks too much whiskey and falls from a ladder, hits his head and dies. At his wake, the funeral-goers accidentally spill whiskey on the corpse and Finnegan “wakes” from the dead. In other words, whiskey is the cause of both his death and his resurrection. Indeed the Irish “water of life”.