The Devine Name

Devine ~ O'Daimhín (Ó Daimhín in Irish Gaelic language)
~ Variant Spellings; Divine, O'Devine, Devane, Davin, Deavin, Devin.

Devine ~ a nickname given to one thought to be so immaculate that they qualified for this holy description.

The following excerpt from Irish Roots Magazine ( Issue Number 2, 2000, Page 9), was kindly forwarded to me by Carolyn Devine of Peterborough.

O’Devine

The Irish Surname Expert Column by Paul MacCotter

Carolyn Devine of Peterborough queries the origins of this surname, born by her Donegal ancestors. She recounts a family tradition that her ancestor was a Frenchman called De Vin, who fought at the Boyne, and wonders as to the veracity of this.

Carolyn’s query reminds us of the very common phenomena where families with perfectly ‘native’ names often have traditions of exotic foreign origins which, on examination, have no basis in reality.

There is nothing foreign about the O'Daimhín (Devine) sept. This rare Christian name occurs in the early genealogies of the Airghialla people, who inhabited Fermanagh, Monaghan and Armagh in early historic times. One of these men was ancestor to this sept, the first of whom to merit mention was Dunchadh Ua Daimhene, coarb (hereditary possessor of church land) of Derry, who died in 1066. A descendant must have been the Domhnall Ua Daimhíne slain at the church door of the monastery of Derry in 1212.

The mainline of the family were aristocrats of the Airghialla and kings of one section of that people, the Fir Manach, who give their name to modern Fermanagh. The annals record the obituary of Flaithbertach Ua Daimhíne, king of Fir Manach, in 1278. Soon after this the family were superseded in the kingship by their distant relatives, the Maguire sept, and confined to the sub-kingship of the smaller territory of Tir Cennfota, now the barony of Tirkennedy in mid-Fermanagh. The obituaries of two Ó Daimhín kings of this territory are recorded, that of Donn Ua Daimhíne in 1349 and of Brian Ua Daimhíne in 1427.

An entry of 1447, which records the slaying of a Maguire claimant to Fermanagh by ‘the sons of Ua Daimhín’ in the service of a rival Maguire, suggest that the sept were still powerful in Fermanagh then. We know that in the period that followed, however, the Maguire’s ramified to the extent of dispossessing most of their under-kings and giving their lands to their own younger sons, so’s that within a few decades the Maguire clan owned virtually the whole of Fermanagh.

After this we hear no more of noble Devines, rather of such men as Cuconnacht and Jenkin O'Devane who, after the conquest of Ulster in the early seventeenth century, conformed to the Protestant religion and were awarded lands under the Plantation of Ulster. This was around Dungannon in County Tyrone, which was still, in the mid-nineteenth century, the county with the greatest number of Devine households in Ireland, with nearly 100 of a total of around 550. Derry / Londonderry came in next, with 60, while only three Devine households occur in Fermanagh. The remaining households were well scattered throughout Ulster, Leinster and Connacht.

Other information collected from Devine Surname Genealogy Forum

Devine of Irish origin...O'Daimhín in Gaelic (means "little poet") from South Ulster ... mentioned in Irish Annuals from around 900 AD. Kings of Oriel (South Ulster) around 1300 AD. Name still common mainly in Counties Derry, Tyrone, Fermanagh and Cavan.

Devine is also believed to be an Anglicisation of the Gaelic name O'Duinihior.

Devine Genealogy Articles

The four articles below were kindly forwarded by Carolyn Devine of Peterborough, UK

Condensed version of HISTORY OF THE DEVINE FAMILY (no letters):34 Pages

Full version of HISTORY OF THE DEVINE FAMILY: 104 pages

O' Devine: Irish Surname Expert Column: 1 page

Gorry Research Article for Devine 2 Pages

Irish Influence: 2 pages, including extract below

NZ Devines: 2 pages

Extract from HISTORY OF THE DEVINE FAMILY
compiled in 1998 by Thomas Edward Devine

The Devines originally belonged to the county of Fermanagh, and are descended from the Gruoch na Colla or three brothers, who conquered the clan Rorys and destroyed the ancient palace of Emania, which was for centuries the great fort or stronghold of the Red Branch Knights. The names of these brothers were Colla Maen, Colla Da-Crioch and Colla Uais. They took possession of a portion of Counties Down, Armagh, Louth, Monaghan and Fermanagh.

The Devines claim Colla Huiss as their ancestor. The name Devine is derived from King Cairbre, second of one of the Collas, who was the Ard Righ or High King of Ireland, a man distinguished for his generosity and liberality towards is friends. Hence, he was called Cairbre, Arigiod na Daimh, or the Dispenser of the Golden Presents. The word Daimh is pronounced 'duif', hence Divin-Devine-Devane-Davin-Devenny-Diver, etc.

The Annalists tell us of the race of Daimens being settled in Fermanagh along the river Erne. It is related that in the thirteenth century in an election held for the chieftaincy, the Devines were defeated by the McGuires, after which the Devines seem never to have regained their supremacy in Fermanagh.

After their failure to maintain their power in Fermanagh, the clan seems to have scattered out seeking settlements in the neighboring counties, especially Tyrone, where they settled in the district of Donaghady, north of Strabane, becoming active and firm supporters of the O'Neils.

Many of the race of Devine are found in Sligo, Mayo and Donegal. There are also quite a few of the name in County Derry in the districts adjoining Tyrone.

There is a town land along Burndennet in Donaghady, Co Tyrone called Lisdivin, translated as Devine's Castle or Fort. This would confirm the tradition of the Devines owning the district of Donaghady from the Ferry at Donelong on the Foyle to the Butter Lox above Donaghmana.

In the district or country above and around Donananna, the name is still very plentiful. There are also many of the name to be found in the Southern part of County Derry, Altahoney and Fir Glen district.