This famous Irish surname recorded in the spellings of MacArdle, MacCardle, MacArdell, and the short forms of McArdle, McCardle, and McCardell, is an anglicized form of the Gaelic Mac Ardghail. This derives from "mac" meaning son of, and the personal name "Ardghal", composed of the elements "ard" meaning height plus "gal", valour, hence "high valour". The clan is traditionally a branch of the Mac Mahons of Oriel, and is widespread in the Counties of Armagh, Monaghan, and parts of South Down, Louth and Fermanagh. The surname is known to predate the surviving registers, the earlesy registers being destroyed by the IRA in Dublin in 1922. Church records in England list the christening of Samuel Charlesworth Mac Ardel on January 23rd 1744, at the church of All Hallows the Great, City Wall, London, and the marriage of Patrick McArdle to Pheby Neale on July 23rd 1788, at St. Martin's in the Fields, Westminster. James McArdle was a famous Gaelic poet (1700 - 1725), whilst Thomas Mcardle, aged 31 yrs., a famine emigrant, sailed from Derry aboard the ship "Siddons" bound for New York on March 28th 1846. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Teag Mac Ardill, which was dated circa 1659, in the famous register known as "Petty's Roll of Ireland", during the "reign" of Richard Cromwell, known as "The Lord Protector", 1658-1659.

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