Welcome

Welcome to the O'Kane Genealogy site. The aim of this site is to provide some background information on the Irish surname (last name) O'Kane which is the anglicised form of O'Catháin and is diversely renpresesented by the following forms: Kane, Keane, Kayne, Keaney, O'Keeny, Keyne, O'Cain, Cain, Keny, McCain, Cathain, McKane, Caine, Cane, Ó Catháin, Ua Catháin, Ui Catháin, MacCatháin, O'Cahan, MacCain and other varients. In addition, it embraces McAvinney, McEvinney and McQueen. Another large sub-sept of O'Catháin is McCloskey (McCluskey, Cluskey and McLuskey), a numerous north Derry name. McCloskey derives from Bloscaidh O'Catháin (Bloskey O'Kane), who, in 1196, slew Murtagh O'Loughlin, heir to the Irish throne.

The north of what is now County Derry was the heartland of O'Catháin country. Their territory spread out from the Limavady region, north across the Faughan and Roe valleys, east beyond Binevenagh Mountain to Coleraine and the Bann, and south through the upper Roe valley to Dungiven and the Sperrins beyond. The O'Catháins were overlords of these lands from the late twelfth century onwards. It is believed they came from the west of Ireland, having been displaced by Anglo-Norman invaders in the 1170s. Moving north through Ulster, the O'Catháins, in turn, drove out the O'Connors from the latter's lands around Glengiven (Dungiven) and established their overlordship for the next four centuries.