Macdara

Macdara is an Irish first name that originates from the Christian saint, Macdara who lived off the west coast of Ireland on a remote island over 1500 years ago.

"St. Macdara's Island, a tiny speck of green about a half-mile long, was home in the sixth century to St. Macdara, Connemara's most respected saint, who built a one-room chapel here, with a dirt floor, walls of huge stones and a steep stone roof. In 1975 the church was restored and today it is considered one of the finest early Christian oratories in Ireland."

[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B00E5D7113EF932A3575BC0A96F958260&sec=travel&pagewanted=3 DARYLN BREWER HOFFSTOT New York Times]

Today in Ireland the name Macdara is quite rare as a first name but one of the most prominent uses of the name is a second level school located in the south of Dublin city named St Mac Dara's College and a renowned international clarinet soloist.