What is "mullaney"

Mullaney is a surname of Irish origin (from Connacht). It is an Anglicised form of the Gaelic Ó Maoil Sheanaigh meaning "descendant of Maoilsheanaigh". The Gaelic personal name Maoilsheanaigh means "devotee of (Saint) Seanach" and the personal name Seanach is made up of the element sean meaning "ancient", "old". Many spellings of Connacht named omit the Sh and in consequence one theory is that Mullaney may be an Anglicisation of Ó Maoileanaigh "descendant of Maoileanach". The personal name Maoileanach means "chief of the marsh". An Ulster family, unrelated to the Connacht family, bore the name Ó Maoileanaigh.