SNIPPET: Per the Nov/Dec 2008 issue of Dublin's "Ireland of the Welcomes" magazine, this popular Munster province surname was first recorded in Co. Tipperary, although O'SULLIVANs are believed to be direct descendants of the first Celts who settled in Ireland as far back as 300 BC. Later, the name began cropping up in other Munster counties, where it is still most widely found - in fact, over 80% of Ireland's O'SULLIVANs can be found in Cork and Kerry. The exact meaning of the name is still a topic of debate among scholars. It is agreed that the Irish 'suil' is the root word of the surname, meaning 'eye,' but it is to this day uncertain whether the name as a whole means 'hawk-eyed' or 'one-eyed,' with some even claiming that there is a derivative of dubh (black) in the original surname, making it meaning 'little dark-eyed one.' Whatever its true meaning, the O'SULLIVAN tribe was no doubt a force to be reckoned with from an early stage in history, with a family motto of An Lamh Fhoisteanach Abu, or 'The Steady to Victory.' Following the Anglo-Norman invasion, the O'SULLIVANs became a powerful and plentiful tribe, with the O'Sullivan Mor sept settling in South Kerry, and the O'Sullivan Beares in West Cork. Along with the McCARTHYs and O'DONOHUES, the O'SULLIVAN clan defeated the Normans in 1261 at the battle of Caisglin, and again in battle the following year, helping to establish boundaries between the Normans of North Kerry and the Gaels of South Kerry and Cork. Maureen O'SULLIVAN, who starred in many movies and was regarded as Ireland's first film star, was born in Boyle, Co. Roscommon. Her roles included Jane in the Tarzan series. She died in 1998, and her children include the actress Mia FARROW.