Irish
names are used on the island of Ireland as well as elsewhere in the Western World as a result of the Irish diaspora. See also
about Irish names.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
BAINEBRIDGEEnglish, IrishBridge over the Bain, An English town named for its place on the river Bain, now used as a surname. Lives near the bridge over the white water...
[more] BARRINGTONEnglish, IrishEnglish: habitational name from any of several places called Barrington. The one in Gloucestershire is named with the Old English personal name
Beorn + -ing- denoting association + tun ‘settlement’...
[more] BIDDLEEnglish, IrishVariant of English
BEADLE or German
BITTEL. The name is now popular in the north east region of America, where it was brought by English and Irish immigrants.
BLANEYIrishTopographic name from Welsh
blaenau, plural of
blaen "point, tip, end", i.e. uplands, or remote region, or upper reaches of a river.
BOLLARDEnglish, IrishAccording to MacLysaght, this surname of Dutch origin which was taken to Ireland early in the 18th century.
BONARIrishA "translation" of Irish Gaelic
Ó Cnáimhsighe "descendant of
Cnáimhseach", a nickname meaning literally "midwife" and ostensibly a derivative of Gaelic
cnámh "bone".
BOWEMedieval English, English, Irish (Anglicized)There are three possible sources of this surname, the first being that it is a metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of bows, a vital trade in medieval times before the invention of gunpowder, and a derivative of the Old English pre 7th Century 'boga', bow, from 'bugan' to bend...
[more] BRACKENIrishFrom Irish Ó Breacáin meaning "descendant of Breacán", a personal name from a diminutive of breac 'speckled', 'spotted', which was borne by a 6th-century saint who lived at Ballyconnel, County Cavan, and was famous as a healer; St...
[more] BRANNOCKIrishOriginally taken from the Welsh place name
Brecknock. Medieval settlers brought this name to Ireland.
BRODERICKIrish, Welsh, EnglishSurname which comes from two distinct sources. As a Welsh surname it is derived from
ap Rhydderch meaning "son of
Rhydderch". As an Irish surname it is an Anglicized form of
Ó Bruadair meaning "descendent of Bruadar"...
[more] BROPHYIrish (Anglicized)Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Bróithe ‘descendant of Bróth’, a personal name or byname of unknown origin. Also Anglicized as Broy.
BYNESIrishThis is the surname of American actress Amanda Bynes (born April 3, 1986).
CALVEYIrishVariation of McKelvey. Meaning rich in possessions or Irish from the French word bald
CANAVANIrish (Anglicized)Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Ceanndubháin "descendant of
Ceanndubhán", a byname meaning "little black-headed one", from
ceann "head" combined with
dubh "black" and the diminutive suffix
-án.
CARLINIrish (Anglicized), Scottish, French, Swedish, Italian, Jewish (Anglicized), GermanIrish (now also common in Scotland) anglicized form of Gaelic
Ó Cairealláin, an Ulster family name, also sometimes Anglicized as
Carlton, meaning ‘descendant of Caireallán’, a diminutive of the personal name
Caireall...
[more] CARNEYIrishAnglicized form of Gaelic
Ó Catharnaigh "descendant of Catharnach", a byname meaning "warlike".
CASSEYScottish, IrishThis surname originated around ancient Scotland and Ireland. In its Gaelic form it is called, 'O Cathasaigh', which means 'the watchful one'....
[more] CAULFIELDIrishComes from the Irish Gaelic
Mac Cathmhaoil, which was Anglicized to
McCawell and then morphed into Caulfield.
Mac Cathmhaoil comes from a word meaning "chieftan".
CINNAMONDScottish, Irish, EnglishPossibly originates from Scottish place name Kininmonth. Probably introduced to Northern Ireland by Scottish settlers where it remains in Ulster. Another origin is the French place name Saint Amand originated from French Huguenots settling in Ireland.
COAKLEYIrishFrom Irish Gaelic
Mac Caochlaoich "son of
Caochlaoch", a personal name meaning literally "blind warrior".
COCHRANEScottish, Scottish Gaelic, IrishDerived from the 'Lowlands of Cochrane' near Paisley, in Renfrewshire, Scotland. Origin is uncertain, the theory it may have derived from the Welsh
coch meaning "red" is dismissed because of the historical spelling of the name
Coueran....
[more] CONDONIrish (Anglicized, Modern)Anglicized form of Gaelic
Condún, itself a Gaelicized form of the Anglo-Norman habitational name
de Caunteton. This seems to have been imported from Wales, but probably derives ultimately from Caunton in Nottinghamshire, which is named with the Old English personal name
Caluno{dh} (composed of the elements calu "bald" + no{dh} "daring") + Old English tun "enclosure", "settlement".
CONEIrishReduced form of McCone. Americanized spelling of North German Kohn or Köhn, or Kuhn.
CONKLINIrish, DutchOrigin unidentified. Most likely of Dutch origin (the name is found in the 18th century in the Hudson Valley), or possibly a variant of Irish
Coughlin.
CONLONIrishAnglicized form of Gaelic Ó Conalláin or Ó Caoindealbháin.
CONRANIrishThe surname Conran is derived from 'O Conarain', and Conran is a more anglicized version....
[more] CONWAYWelsh, Scottish, IrishAs a Welsh surname, it comes from the name of a fortified town on the coast of North Wales (Conwy formerly Conway), taken from the name of the river on which it stands. The river name
Conwy may mean "holy water" in Welsh....
[more] COOGANIrishAnglicized form of the Gaelic name "MacCogadhain"; composed of the Gaelic prefix "mac," which means "son of," and the Gaelic personal name "Cuchogaidh", which means "Hound of War". The name is also found in Ireland as Cogan, Coggan, Coggen, Cogin, Coggon, Coogan and Goggin(s).
COOLEYIrishAnglicized form of Gaelic Mac Giolla Chúille ‘son of the servant of (Saint) Mochúille’, a rare Clare name.
CORKERYIrishAnglicized form of Gaelic
Ó Corcra "descendant of
Corcra", a personal name derived from
corcair "purple" (ultimately cognate with Latin
purpur).
COSTELLOIrish, ItalianCostello (Irish: Mac Coisdealbha) is a common Irish surname originating in County Mayo. The surname derives from Jocelyn de Angulo (fl.1172), an Anglo-Norman knight....
[more] CRAVENIrish, EnglishIrish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Crabháin (County Galway) or Mac Crabháin (Louth, Monaghan) ‘descendant (or ‘son’) of Crabhán’...
[more] CROWLEYIrish (Anglicized), EnglishIrish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Cruadhlaoich ‘descendant of Cruadhlaoch’, a personal name composed of the elements cruadh ‘hardy’ + laoch ‘hero’. ...
[more] CULBERTAnglo-Saxon, Irish, English, ScottishMeaning and origin are uncertain. Edward MacLysaght (The Surnames of Ireland, 1999, 6th Ed., Irish Academic Press, Dublin, Ireland and Portland, Oregon, USA) states that this surname is of Huguenot (French Protestant) origin, and found mainly in Ireland's northern province of Ulster...
[more] CUNNIFFIrishFrom Irish Gaelic
Mac Conduibh "son of
Condubh", a personal name meaning literally "black dog".
CURRENTIrishThe surname of Current, is of Irish/Scottish with several different families, and meanings of this name. There are many spelling variations of this name.
CURRIEScottish, IrishIrish: Habitational name from Currie in Midlothian, first recorded in this form in 1230. It is derived from Gaelic
curraigh, dative case of
currach ‘wet plain’, ‘marsh’. It is also a habitational name from Corrie in Dumfriesshire (see
Corrie)....
[more] DADEIrishAnglicized form of
MacDaibheid, meaning "son of David".
DAILYIrishAnglicized form of Ó Dálaigh, meaning "descendent of DÁLACH". The name has strong roots in the county Cork.
DALLIrishDerived from Old Irish
dall, a byname meaning "blind".
DARRAGHIrishAnglicized form of Gaelic
Dhubhdarach, a personal name meaning "black one of the oak tree".
DAVINEIrish (Anglicized)Anglicized form of Irish
Ó Duibhín meaning "descendant of Duibhín" (Duibhín meaning "little black one") or
Ó Daimhín meaning "descendant of Daimhín" (Daimhín: "fawn").
DAWIrish (Anglicized)Irish anglicized form of Gaelic
Ó Deaghaidh, ‘descendant of
Deaghadh’, a personal name of uncertain origin. It may be composed of the elements
deagh- ‘good’ +
ádh ‘luck’, ‘fate’; some such association seems to lie behind its Anglicization as Goodwin.
DEADYIrishAnglicized form of Gaelic Ó Déadaigh ‘descendant of Déadach’, a personal name apparently meaning ‘toothy’.
DEANEIrishSurname found in Ireland, it is the name of one of the Tribes of Galway.
DEESIrishThe surname Dees refers to the grandson of Deaghadh (good luck); dweller near the Dee River; one with a dark or swarthy complexion. Also considered of Welsh origin.
DERRYIrish, EnglishEnglish variant of
Deary, or alternatively a nickname for a merchant or tradesman, from Anglo-French
darree ‘pennyworth’, from Old French
denree. ...
[more] DIAMONDIrishAnglicized form of Gaelic
Ó Diamáin "descendant of Diamán", earlier
Díomá or
Déamán, a diminutive of
Díoma, itself a pet form of
DIARMAID.
DISKINIrishReduced Anglicized form of Gaelic
Ó Díscín "descendant of
Díscín", which may be derived from
díosc "barren". The place name Ballyeeskeen, now Ballydiscin, in County Sligo, is derived from the surname.
DOANEIrishIrish: reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic
Ó Dubháin ‘descendant of
Dubhán’, meaning ‘the little black one’, a common name in the 16th century in southern Ireland, or
Ó Damháin ‘descendant of
Damhán’ meaning ‘fawn’, ‘little stag’, a rare Ulster name...
[more] DOLEEnglish, Irish (Anglicized)English: from Middle English dole ‘portion of land’ (Old English dal ‘share’, ‘portion’). The term could denote land within the common field, a boundary mark, or a unit of area; so the name may be of topographic origin or a status name...
[more] DONNELLANIrishFrom the Gaelic Domhnallain, a diminutive of Donnell/Domhnall meaning "world mighty" (Irish form of the Scottish Donald).
DOWNEYIrishAnglicization of Irish name Dounaigh, which is, in turn, an Gaelicization of a Norman name. Dates from the 11th c.
DRURYEnglish, French, IrishOriginally a Norman French nickname, derived from
druerie "love, friendship" (itself a derivative of
dru "lover, favourite, friend" - originally an adjective, apparently from a Gaulish word meaning "strong, vigourous, lively", but influenced by the sense of the Old High German element
trut,
drut "dear, beloved")....
[more] DUCKEnglish, Irish, Dutch, Low German, GermanEnglish from Middle English
doke, hence a nickname for someone with some fancied resemblance to a duck or a metonymic occupational name for someone who kept ducks or for a wild fowler. ...
[more] DWIGGINSIrishAnglicized form (with English genitive -s) of Gaelic Ó Dubhagáin (see Dugan) or, more likely, of Ó Duibhginn (see Deegan).Possibly a variant (by misdivision) of English
Wiggins.
ENRIGHTIrish (Anglicized)From Irish Gaelic
Indreachtach, literally "attacker". The surname was borne by British poet D.J. Enright (1920-2002).
FAGANIrishFrom a surname, "The name Fagan in Ireland is usually of Norman origin, especially in Counties Dublin and Meath. In the County Louth area the name is derived from the native Gaelic O'Faodhagain Sept of which there are a number of variants including Feighan, Fegan and Feehan." (from irishsurnames.com)
FAHEYIrishReduced Anglicized form of Gaelic
Ó Fathaidh or
Ó Fathaigh ‘descendant of
Fathadh’, a personal name derived from
fothadh ‘base’, ‘foundation’. This name is sometimes Anglicized as
Green(e as a result of erroneous association with
faithche ‘lawn’.
FAIREnglish, IrishEnglish: nickname meaning ‘handsome’, ‘beautiful’, ‘fair’, from Middle English
fair,
fayr, Old English
fæger. The word was also occasionally used as a personal name in Middle English, applied to both men and women....
[more] FALLONIrishAnglicized form of the surname
Ó Fallamhain meaning "descendant of
Fallamhan", the name being a byname meaning "leader" (derived from
follamhnas meaning "supremacy").
FANNINGIrishThe roots of the name are unclear. It seems the name is Native Irish Gaelic. It is thought to be derived from the Gaelic name Ó Fionnáin which means "fair".
FARADAYIrishFrom Irish Gaelic
Ó Fearadaigh "descendant of
Fearadach", a personal name probably based on
fear "man", perhaps meaning literally "man of the wood". A famous bearer was British chemist and physicist Michael Faraday (1791-1867).
FARLEYIrishanglicized form of the Gaelic surname O'Faircheallaigh.
FARMERIrishAnglicized (part translated) form of Gaelic
Mac an Scolóige "son of the husbandman", a rare surname of northern and western Ireland.
FARNANIrish (Anglicized)Irish shortened Anglicization of Gaelic
Ó Farannáin ‘descendant of
Forannán’, a personal name possibly based on
forrán ‘attack’. The family bearing this name was connected with the church of Ardstraw in Ulster.
FENNESSEYIrishAn ancient Irish name. Presumed to come from the name Fionnghusa, or sometimes O'Fionnghusa....
[more] FIELDEnglish, Scottish, Irish, Jewish (Anglicized)English: topographic name for someone who lived on land which had been cleared of forest, but not brought into cultivation, from Old English
feld ‘pasture’, ‘open country’, as opposed on the one hand to
æcer ‘cultivated soil’, ‘enclosed land’ (see
Acker) and on the other to
weald ‘wooded land’, ‘forest’ (see
Wald)...
[more] FINNIGANIrishThis interesting surname is of Irish origin, and is an Anglicization of the Gaelic
O' Fionnagain, meaning the descendant(s) of Fionnagan, an Old Irish personal name derived from the word "fionn", white, fairheaded.
FITZWILLIAMIrishFitz appears to be a Norman term derived from the French word fils and the Latin word filius, each of which means son. The name is most common in England and Ireland, each of which was conquered by Normans between 1066-1167.
FLANNERYIrishAppears originally in Irish Gaelic as
O Flannabhra derived from
flann, meaning "red", and
abhra, meaning "eyebrow". First appeared in County Tipperary, Ireland.
FLOODIrishThere are some English Flood's, but the name mainly derives from the Irish O'Taicligh or Mac an Tuile and was Anglicized to Flood, Floyd, and Tully when the Gaelic language was outlawed in Ireland by the English.
FOGARTYIrish (Anglicized)Reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Fógartaigh ‘son of Fógartach’, a personal name from fógartha meaning "proclaimed", "banished", "outlawed". It is sometimes Anglicized as
Howard.
FOLEYIrishIrish surname which comes from two distinct sources. As a southern Irish surname it is derived from the Gaelic byname
Foghlaidh meaning "pirate, marauder". As a northern Irish surname it is derived from the Gaelic personal name
Searrach, which was based on
searrach "foal, colt" and anglicized as
Foley because of its phonetic similarity to English
foal.
FOODYIrishAnglicized version of ó Fuada, or 'descendent of Fuada'. It comes from the personal name 'fuad' or 'swift' but also 'rush' and 'speed'.
FORSYTHEScottish, IrishAnglicized form of the Gaelic personal name
Fearsithe, composed of the elements
fear ‘man’ +
sith ‘peace’. Some early forms with prepositions, as for example William de
Fersith (Edinburgh 1365), seem to point to an alternative origin as a habitational name, but no place name of suitable form is known...
[more] FOYIrish (Anglicized)A different form of
Fahy (from Irish Gaelic
Ó Fathaigh "descendant of
Fathach", a personal name probably based on Gaelic
fothadh "foundation").
FURLONGEnglish, IrishApparently a topographic name from Middle English furlong ‘length of a field’ (from Old English furh meaning "furro" + lang meaning "long".
GALLScottish, Irish, EnglishNickname, of Celtic origin, meaning "foreigner" or "stranger". In the Scottish Highlands the Gaelic term
gall was applied to people from the English-speaking lowlands and to Scandinavians; in Ireland the same term was applied to settlers who arrived from Wales and England in the wake of the Anglo-Norman invasion of the 12th century...
[more] GAMONIrishThis name is a last name for the Irish it means Liam Gamon.
GANNONIrishReduced Anglicized form of Gaelic
Mag Fhionnáin, a patronymic from the personal name
Fionnán. This name, from a diminutive of
fionn ‘white’, ‘fair’, was borne by several early Irish saints.
GARRIGHANIrishto denote 'son of Geargain' a name which originally in derived from 'gearg' which meant grouse but which was often used figuratively for warrior
GEDDESScottish, IrishThere is a place of this name in Nairn, but the name is more likely to be a patronymic from Geddie.
GEESONIrishThis unusual name is the patronymic form of the surname
Gee, and means "son of Gee", from the male given name which was a short form of male personal names such as "
Geoffrey", "
George" and "
Gerard"...
[more] GILLESPIEScottish, IrishGillespie can be of Scottish and Irish origin. The literal meaning is "servant of bishop", but it is a forename rather than a status name. The Irish Gillespies, originally MacGiollaEaspuig, are said to to be called after one Easpog Eoghan, or Bishop Owen, of Ardstraw, County Tyrone...
[more] GLASSIrish, ScottishAnglicized form of the epithet
glas "gray, green, blue" or any of various Gaelic surnames derived from it.
GLISSENEnglish, IrishPossible British version of the Irish surname Glasson from the the Gaelic word O’Glasain. Meaning green from the counties of Tipperary.
GORMLEYIrish (Anglicized)Anglicised form of
Ó Gormghaile meaning "descendant of Gormghal," Gormghal, a personal name, being derived from
gorm meaning "noble, (dark) blue" and
gal meaning "valour, ardour."
GOWANIrishReduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Gobhann ‘descendant of the smith’.
GRIBBENIrishThis surname is of Old Gaelic origin, and is a variant of "Cribben", which itself is the Anglicized form of the Gaelic name "
MacRoibin", meaning "son of (mac) Robin", a patronymic from the Anglo-Norman French given name "Robin"...
[more] GRIFFINIrish (Anglicized)Anglicized (part translated) form of Gaelic Ó Gríobhtha "descendant of
Gríobhtha", a personal name from
gríobh "gryphon".
GRIMESEnglish, IrishThe surname Grimes means 'son of Grimme'. It is also an anglicized version of the Irish surnames 'O Gormghaile', and 'O Goirmleadhaigh' from Ulster....
[more] GUTHRIEScottish, Irish, GermanScottish: habitational name from a place near Forfar, named in Gaelic with
gaothair ‘windy place’ (a derivative of
gaoth ‘wind’) + the locative suffix
-ach. Possibly an Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic
Mag Uchtre ‘son of
Uchtre’, a personal name of uncertain origin, perhaps akin to
uchtlach ‘child’....
[more] HAGANIrishReduced Anglicized form of Gaelic
Ó hÁgáin "descendant of
Ógán", a personal name from a diminutive of
óg "young".
HAGANIrishReduced Anglicized form of Gaelic
Ó hAodhagáin "descendant of
Aodhagán", a personal name formed from a double diminutive of
Aodh meaning "fire".
HALLINANIrishAnglicized form of Gaelic
Ó hÁilgheanáin "descendant of Áilgheanán", a pet form of a personal name composed of old Celtic elements meaning "mild, noble person".
HAMILLIrishAccording to MacLysaght, a shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic
Ó hÁdhmaill "descendant of
Ádhmall", which he derives from
ádhmall "active".
HANAFINIrishShortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hAinbhthín (modernized as Ó hAinifín) ‘descendant of Ainbhthín’, a personal name derived from ainbhíoth ‘non-peace’, ‘storm’.
HANLONIrishAnglicized form of Gaelic
Ó hAnluain "descendant of Anluan", a personal name from the intensive prefix
an- and
luan "light", "radiance" or "warrior". Occasionally it has been used to represent
HALLINAN.
HAREIrish (Anglicized)Irish (Ulster): Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hÍr, meaning ‘long-lasting’. In Ireland this name is found in County Armagh; it has also long been established in Scotland....
[more] HAYEnglish, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, French, Spanish, German, Dutch, FrisianScottish and English: topographic name for someone who lived by an enclosure, Middle English
hay(e),
heye(Old English
(ge)hæg, which after the Norman Conquest became confused with the related Old French term
haye ‘hedge’, of Germanic origin)...
[more] HEALYIrishSouthern Irish: reduced form of
O’Healy, an Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hÉilidhe ‘descendant of the claimant’, from éilidhe ‘claimant’, or of Gaelic Ó hÉalaighthe ‘descendant of Éaladhach’, a personal name probably from ealadhach ‘ingenious’.
HENLEYEnglish, Irish, German (Anglicized)English: habitational name from any of the various places so called. Most, for example those in Oxfordshire, Suffolk, and Warwickshire, are named with Old English
héan (the weak dative case of
heah ‘high’, originally used after a preposition and article) + Old English
leah ‘wood’, ‘clearing’...
[more] HENNESSEEIrishA variant of the traditionally Irish surname
Hennessey or
Hennessy, an Anglicization of
Ó hAonghusa meaning "‘descendant of
Aonghus".
HERLIHYIrishFrom Irish Gaelic
Ó hIarfhlatha "descendant of
Iarfhlaith", a personal name meaning literally "lord of the west".
HEWTONIrishI can only date it back to Armagh County, Ireland in the early 1800s.
HOODEnglish, Scottish, IrishEnglish and Scottish: metonymic occupational name for a maker of hoods or a nickname for someone who wore a distinctive hood, from Middle English
hod(de),
hood,
hud ‘hood’. Some early examples with prepositions seem to be topographic names, referring to a place where there was a hood-shaped hill or a natural shelter or overhang, providing protection from the elements...
[more] HORANIrishThe last name Horan means warlike.It is the last name of one direction member Niall Horan
HUSSEYEnglish, IrishAs an English surname, it comes from two distinct sources. It is either of Norman origin, derived from
Houssaye, the name of an area in Seine-Maritime which ultimately derives from Old French
hous "holly"; or it is from a Middle English nickname given to a woman who was the mistress of a household, from an alteration of
husewif "housewife"...
[more] KANEIrish, NorwegianFrom the anglicized Irish surname Cathan, meaning "warlike." In Norway, it's used as a noble name.
KEARNSIrish (Anglicized)Irish anglicized form of Gaelic
Ó Céirín ‘descendant of
Céirín’, a personal name from a diminutive of
ciar ‘dark’, ‘black’. English patronymic
-s has been added superfluously.
KEIRSEYIrishTopographic name of Norman origin name dating back to the 13th century.
KELLEHERIrishFrom Gaelic
Ó Céileachair meaning "son of Céileachar". The Irish given name
Céileachar means "companion-dear", i.e., "lover of company".
KIERANIrish (Anglicized)Irish anglicized form of Gaelic
Ó Ciaráin ‘descendant of
Ciarán’, a byname from a diminutive of
ciar ‘dark’, ‘black-haired’. It was borne by two Irish saints, a hermit of the 5th century and the founder of the monastery at Clonmacnoise.
KILCOMMONIrishIndicated a person who was from Kilcommon, Erris, County Mayo in Ireland. The place name Kilcommon derives from the Gaeltacht phrase
Cill Chomáin, meaning "church of St. Comán."
KINSELLAIrishFrom Gaelic
Uí Ceinnsealaigh meaning "descendant of Cinnsealach", a given name probably meaning "chief warrior".
KIRWANIrishFrom Gaelic
Ó Ciardhubháin meaning "descendant of Ciardhubhán", a given name composed of the elements
ciar "dark" and
dubh "black" combined with a diminutive suffix.
KNOWLESEnglish, IrishAs an English surname it is derived from a genitive or plural form of Middle English
knolle meaning "hilltop, hillock", denoting a person who either lived at the top of a hill or near a hillock, or hailed from one of the many places in England named with this word....
[more] KYNEIrishFrom Gaelic
Ó Cadháin meaning "descendant of Cadhán", a byname meaning "barnacle goose".
LACKEYIrishLackey was originally a name for a horse servant.
LAHEYIrishLahey and Leahy originate from two different Gaelic surnames. Lahey, Lahy, Lahiff, Lahiffe, Laffey, and Lahive all originate from the Gaelic surname O Laithimh, which itself is a variant of O Flaithimh...
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