Túathal

Tuathal (Old Irish: Túathal) is an Irish male name meaning [ruling with] 'fervour over the people' or 'valour of the tribe', from Old Irish túath 'people, tribe, tribal territory' + gal 'ardour, valour', from Proto-Celtic *galā 'might, ability'.

tuathal is also the Modern Irish for movement anticlockwise or widdershins, from the Old Irish túath 'left, north' + sel 'turn', from a different Proto-Celtic root not meaning 'people, tribe', see there, sense 2 for details.

People with the name include:

Túathal Techtmar, legendary king
Túathal Máelgarb (fl. 6th century), king of Tara
Túathal mac Máele-Brigte (died 854), king of Leinster
Tuathal Mac Augaire (died 958), king of Leinster
Túathal (bishop of the Scots) (fl. 1050s), bishop of Cennrígmonaid, modern St Andrews
Tuathal Ua Connachtaig (fl. 12th century) Irish bishop of Kells or Breifne

The surname O'Toole is an anglicisation of Ó Tuathail (Old Irish: Ua Túathail), meaning grandson or descendant of Túathal. One instance is the O'Toole family prominent in medieval Wicklow, who claimed descent from Tuathal Mac Augaire.

Placenames associated with the name include:

Listowel (Irish: Lios Túathail) 'Túathal's ringfort', a town in County Kerry
Carrauntoohil (Irish: Corrán Túathail) 'Túathal's sickle', a mountain in County Kerry
Glasthule (Irish: Glas Túathail) 'Túathal's stream', a suburb of Dublin

See also[edit]