Mac an tSaoir

Mac an tSaoir is the Scottish Gaelic original form of the surname McIntyre, which literally means "son of the carpenter." The name Mac an tSaoir (pronounced [maxk ən tʰɯːrʲ]) belongs to a well-known Highland Scottish clan, Clan MacIntyre, whose Gaelic name is Clann an t-Saoir [ˈkʰl̪ˠãũn̪ˠ ən̪ˠ ˈt̪ʰɯːɾʲ]. The McIntyres are part of the larger group of clans descended from Somerled, the 12th-century ruler of the Isles. Traditionally, the clan traces its lineage through Maurice Mac Neil, a nephew of Somerled, who is said to have played a key role in securing Somerled's marriage to the daughter of the King of Mann and the Isles. Later, the clan migrated from the Hebrides to the mainland, settling at Glen Noe on Loch Etive, where their chiefs resided. The earliest recorded chiefs date from the 17th century. The surname has several variant forms, including MacEntire, MacIntyre (a more common spelling), and even the shortened Tyree, which sometimes derives from a different origin. The McIntyres were historically allied with the Campbells and the Stewarts of Appin, and the name is particularly associated with Argyll and the islands.