The McCarthys were descended from Kings of Munster (southern Province of Ireland) going back to the third century A.D. The surname in Gaelic is MAC CARTHAIGH = son of CARTHACH. CARTHACH, from whom the name originated, was King of Cashel (County Tipperary) around 1040 A.D. The McCarthys (sometimes written in the old Church Records as Carthy) later moved down south, principally into the area which is taken up by the present-day counties of Cork and Kerry with which they have ever since been most strongly associated. And like many other prominent clans, the McCarthys, being very numerous, eventually had to have various branch-names in order to differentiate one section from another. The most prominent branch-name associated with them in Beara is ROHANE. Tradition has it that this section of the McCarthy clan came here originally from the district of Carrigrohane, which is close to Cork City (The well-known Carrigrohane straight road runs from the Ballincollig side right up to the city suburbs along by the River Lee). The McCarthy branch name STROCK derives from the Gaelic word STRACAIRE, a big, powerfully-built man. A misture of a sad and humorous branch-name is McCarthy BAWNEE. These McCarthys were evicted from their farm in the Lauragh district of the Tuosist Parish, County Kerry, which is close to the Eyeries Parish, Co. Cork. They settled for some time in the townland of Clashduve in the Parish of Adrigole. One of them eventually headed off from there to settle near the town of Bantry, and he brought with him a white cow named BAWNEE (from BAWN = white). There were so many McCarthys around Bantry that this cow gave rise to the new branch-name McCarthy(BAWNEE). ----- Riobard.