McDiarmid Notes 544AD to 1694

http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Contrib/manx/manxnb/v05p020.htm

KERMODE and CORMODE, contraaed from Mac Dermot, a shortened form of Mac Diarmid, ‘Diarmaid’s son.’

‘The fifth year of DIARMAID

,’ A.D

. 544.§

‘CATHAL MAC DERMOT, the son of Teige, Lord of Moylurg, and tower of the glory of Connaught died,’ A.D. 1215.*

The MAC DIARMIDA or MAC DERMOTs were princes of Moylurg in Co. Roscommon. They split into three families, the head of whom was styled the MAC DERMOT,and the other two, who were tributary to him, were called MAC DERMOT Ruadh, the Red, and Mac Dermot Gall, or the anglicised.’* It has been supposed that the scandinavian ÞORMOðR is an accommodation of DIARMAID. It may, however, beadistina Scandinavian name containing the usual prefix ÞOR, though, as it is not found in the Sagas, probably not. We find in the History of Olave the Black, King of Mann, from the Flateyan MS., under date A.D. 1229, that ‘when Ottar Snakoll, Paul Balkaison, and Ungi Paulson heard this, they sailed southwards to Sky, and found in Westerfiord THORKEL THOMODSON, whom they fought and killed, with two of his sons, but his third son THORMOD escaped by leaping into a boat, which floated alongside of a vessel, and fled to Scotland, but was lost on the passage.’⁺ It seems probable that, considering the forms which KERMODE has always taken in the Isle of Mann, that it came to us through the Scandinavians, though originally of Celtic origin.

Compare (Gaelic and Irish) MAC DERMOT.

KERMODE is much commoner than CORMODE.

MAC KERMOTT [1430], MAC CORMOT, MAC GERMOT, [1511], KERMOD [1586], KYRMOD, CORMOD [1601], CORMODE [1656], KERMOTT [1611], KERMODE [1694].

Andreas (vc), Jurby, German, Ballaugh, Lezayre, Marown, Rushen, Lonan (c), elsewhere (u).

§ Four Mast., Vol. I., P. 183.
* Four Mast., Vol. III., p. 185.
+ O’Donovan Introduction, P. 20.