Saint Finian / Fintan of Ardkeen - More Info

[Mary Lee Becker]

   Lena McVea and I continue to try to determine the connection between the Mac Giolla Fhiondain (sons of the devotee/follower/servant of St. Fintan/Finian) aka the "Mac Liondain" and the Clints of the Ards.

   The confusion regarding multiple Catholic saints who share the same (or nearly the same name) has caused much confusion amongst historians of Ireland. I found this information today, which does shine a great deal of light on one of these St. Finians:

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St. Finian
Feast Day: September 10
Died: 579

Irish abbot, a disciple of Sts. Colman and Mochae also called Winin. He was born in Strangford, Lough, Ulster, in Ireland, a member of a royal family. Studying under Sts. Colman and Mochae, he became a monk in Strathclyde and was ordained in Rome. Returning to Ulster, Finian founded several monasteries, becoming abbot of Moville, in County Down, Ireland. He became embroiled with St. Columba, a student, over a copy of St. Jerome’s Psalter, and St. Columba had to surrender that copy to Finian. He also founded Holywood and Dumfries in Scotland. Finian was known for miracles, including moving a river.
http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=3365

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   The fact that we have the earliest known Clint graves of the Ards are in an area (Ardkeen "Ard-caoin") that was reportedly the birthplace of one of the St. Fintans / Finians I think is no accident, especially in light of the fact that these Clints of the Ards match the Y-DNA of the Mac Giolla Fhiondain.

   Irish historians have long assumed that these Mac Giolla Fhiondain came from further east, because, I think, they have assumed that they were the followers of the wrong saint: St. Finian of Clonard:

http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=3368

   For right now, I would have to say that the Y-DNA evidence, combined with the existing historical documents and headstones, strongly suggest that the Mac Giolla Fhiondain were the sons of the devotee/follower/servant of St. Fintan / Finian of Ardkeen.

  The members of this ancient Ulster sept went by the following surnames:
Mac Liondain, McAlindon, McAlinden, McLindon, McLinden, Lindon, Linden, McGlyndon, Glyndon, Lyndon, McClinton, Clinton, Clint, Macklenden, Macklenden, McClendon and McLendon (in America).

   We will likely be able to refine this theory, as we gather additonal historical documents and Y-DNA test results from families from the Ards Peninsula.

   More on St. Mary's Church of Ardkeen and Castle Hill:

http://www.worldfamilies.net/forum/index.php?topic=11468.0

http://www.worldfamilies.net/forum/index.php?topic=11605.0

Posted by
Mary (McClendon) Becker
Group Admin.
Ards Peninsula Families DNA Project

[Mary Lee Becker]

Doing the math:

Death of St. Finian / Fintan of Ardkeen: 579 AD

The "devotee/follower/servant" of St. Fintan of Ardkeen would have had to have been born during or after the lifetime of St. Finian / Fintan of Ardkeen.

Calculating the standard 4 generations per 100 year, from the date of 600 AD until the date of 2,000 AD you have a potential of 56 generations of descendants.

Probability to common male ancestor for the Clint of the Ards test subject’s closest McClendon Y-DNA match, taking into account that their common male ancestor was further back than 4 generations :

4 generations..............0.76%........abt 100 years
8 generations.............15.92%.......abt 200 years
12 generations...........47.71%.......abt 300 years
16 generations...........75.55%.......abt 400 years
20 generations...........90.79%.......abt 500 years
24 generations...........97.05%.......abt 600 years
28 generations...........99.16%.......abt 700 years


For the descendant of Isaac McClendon of the state of Georgia, b. c1754, we can be reasonably sure (due to an excellent paper documentation) that he and the descendant of the Clint from Ards, whose ancestor was John Clint, b. c1796 did not share a common male ancestor within at least the last 200 years, or 8 generations. The probable number of generations to a common male ancestor are:

8 generations...............3.58%.......abt 200 years
12 generations...........29.16%.......abt 300 years
16 generations...........60.16%.......abt 400 years
20 generations...........82.11%.......abt 500 years
24 generations...........93.26%.......abt 600 years
28 generations...........97.78%.......abt 700 years

These matches are based on 67 marker Y-DNA tests.

Mary Becker
Group Admin