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Blazon of arms: Argent, a fess quarterly
sable and or between three trefoils slipped vert.
Crest: A dexter hand grasping a sword
proper.
Motto: Semper paratus. ( Always ready.)
The Irish surname McCready is the anglicized form of the Irish "Mac
Riada", i.e.. Mac Ready, the initial "c" of Mac Ready being intrusive.
This name is patronymic in origin, belonging to that category of names
derived from the first name of a father or other ancestor. In this instance,
the name simply denotes "the son ("Mac") of Riada", from the Old Gaelic
personal name. It is thought that this name is most probably derived from
the Irish "ri", which signifies "royal".
In Ireland this name is found mainly in County Donegal, and in the three
northeastern counties of the province of Ulster, where it is counted in
relatively large numbers. In ancient times, the original family that bore
this name held lands in Donegal. They were an erenagh family (hereditary
lay abbots) in the barony of Raphoe, and thus had great power and influence
in their own territory. One of the most notable members of this family
was Father Donogh Mac Reidy (also called Mac Reedy) of Coleraine, Dean
of Derry, who in 1608 suffered martyrdom by being pulled asunder by four
horses. Monsignor Charles Mac Cready, Rector of the Church of the Holy
Cross, New York, in the late 1800's, was of the same stock.
In County Derry it has been found that in some cases, however, Mac Cready
has been used as an abbreviated form of Mac Conready, alias MacAready,
the anglicized form of the Gaelic "Mac Conriada", meaning "the son of Conriada".