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McCook Gazette
Letter to the Editor

McCook origins

Monday, February 20, 2012

Dear Editor,

After looking at the Internet about the American Civil War, I found out about a Gen. McCook and your town being named after him. It is my belief that this surname originated in my hometown, Loughrea.

Before the English system of hereditary lordship was introduced in 1543, a Hugo Burke or in the Irish language "as Gaeilge" Uag D. Burca (or original Norman French Hugo De Burgo) failed to become the local chieftain Mac William Uachtar, so he formed his own clan about 1500-1510 and the name became Mac Uag or variously anglicized as McCook, McCoogue, Hac Hugo and Mc Kowge and McCooke. The Burkes that became McCooks were gailicized Normans, since the 14th century there is the ruins of a castle near Kilnadeema Cross just above the lake of Loughrea that was theirs. This surname is generally known in Ireland today as Mc Cooke, or Mc Hugo.

Yours,

Martin Aherne,

Cosmona Loughrea, County Galway, Ireland

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  • My maiden name is McCook but my origins are not the Scotch-Irish "Fighting McCooks" but Irish Catholic. Most of my kin on that side came to America during the mid-1800's during the mass Irish migration and were in Johnson County, Iowa. I stumbled across this letter which matches both my own and my brother McCook's DNA experience (to our puzzlement, he matched a number of Burkes) as well as some other factors and wrote Mr Aherne. He kindly and generously sent me photos of the McCook (McHugo) place of origin, Killennadeema in Loughrea County, Ireland, including the McCook lake island fortress, ruins of a McCook castle, the McCook stone inauguration chair and other fascinating facts. Very glad to have seen this letter as it has led to a richer knowledge of my Irish background as well as a new friendship.

    -- Posted by debmccookh on Sat, Sep 14, 2019, at 8:57 AM
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