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 Lios Túathail "Túathal's ringfort", a town in County Kerry
- Carrauntoohil Corrán Túathail "Túathal's sickle", a mountain in County Kerry
- Glasthule Glas Túathail "Túathal's stream", a suburb of Dublin