A note from our Co-Chairs
Welcome to the Treinfhir website, a resource for all things Traynor, Treanor, Trainor, Trainer, McCreanor and many other variations, sure they’re all the same name.
Which in fact they are, or so our research has shown us. All persons with the name can trace themselves back to a common ancestor, with two main branches, the Ui Maine and the Ui Neill, living cheek by jowl in the South Ulster/North Leinster area since, oh a long time ago. North Monaghan would be the locus, but there are significant branches in neighbouring counties and other parts of Ireland. To learn more, click here
And what do the Treinfhirs do, when they are at home and abroad? Tell lies might be an answer. Not a correct answer, but then who’s to tell? There was the small matter of the Gathering which took place on Prince Edward Island in June 2024. Three hundred people of the name Tr’n’r, descended from a Tr’n’r, married to a Tr’n’r or having an interest in the name came from all parts to this Canadian province on the southern end of the Gulf of St Lawrence. It was a quiet place until the Treinfhirs arrived. Why PEI (as it is known)? The surname Trainor is as ubiquitous there as it is in County Monaghan, the result of an extended period of migration to the island in the early 1800s.
The Gathering on PEI wasn’t the first such event, oh no. There were two previous iterations based in Monaghan in 2019 and 2022, taking in parts of Louth, Down and Cavan as well. For more on those events, click here.
It’s not just the odd Gathering that occurs. No, the Tr’n’rs are a very literary crowd, not afraid to tell a tale. We have published digital versions of many stories, some wild, some plaintive, but all telling a story of the clan and those who contributed. To view the stories, click here. And if you want to contribute, follow this link and read to the end of the guide for contact info.
And music, oh boy, but the Tr’n’r’s love a bit of music. They even have a Suite named after them. To view this on YouTube, click here, you won’t be disappointed. We also regularly have ceilis online. In PEI, it’s known as a kitchen party. Songs, music, recitations, jokes and craic. Keep an eye out for one of those, and if you have a usable talent, let us know and you might get to join in.
Maybe it’s relatives you are after? Maybe there might be treasure, or a legacy. Not among the Tr’n’rs, they’re all abysmally poor, not a pfennig or a dime to spare. But if you want to trace your roots, or see where you fit on the family tree, you might find some assistance here. There is a full team of trained and eager genealogists available 24/7 to aid your search, even if your only information is that you think maybe your ancestor was from Ireland and their name was Owen or Mary, but not both. Although they might be at their tea when you call, it can happen.
There is a private Facebook page, which you can join by visiting here. You might get asked a question or two, and any bold behaviour and you’ll be kicked off the page. There are over 4000 people on the page, and they pretty well all mind their language and don’t do controversial stuff, like, oh politics and football.
The Treinfhir Clan is a constitutional, not-for-profit, membership organisation, based in the Republic of Ireland and run on a voluntary basis. There is a membership subscription, which runs from 2024 to 2026. if you would like to join, click here.
Joint Chairpersons: Noel Treanor (Dublin) & Noel Treanor (Clontibret)
Newest Volume of Treinfhir Book is Here
PEI 2024 (June 20-23) saw introduction of the latest edition of the Treinfhir Book. The book team has been hard at work putting this together, working with a group of authors to bring out a new set of stories which we think you will find inspiring, interesting and in some cases, quite amusing.
For those of you who may not know it, the Treinfhir Book – this is the second printed volume – was the brainchild of long-time clan member Ted Trainer. It arose from his vision of a continuing compendium of stories that would chronicle who we are, where we came from, and all that we have done in our personal and professional lives over the past decades. Ted’s idea was that this big family of ours has a compelling story to tell. It is best told through the memories we all have of those who came before us and from our own personal experiences as well.
Along with celebrating the latest edition of the book, the team hosted a workshop during PEI 2024 to explain how the book is developed, how stories are chosen for it and how we work with authors to bring their stories to life. The team hopes that this workshop inspired you to contribute your own story to a future volume of the book.
The workshop was led by Charles Traynor; other team members who were on hand to answer attendees questions included Ted Trainer (Maine), Noel Treanor (Clontibret, Ireland), and Ann Purdy (Maine and PEI). If you were unable to join us in PEI but have an interest in writing a story for the book, any of us will be happy to hear from you any time.
Our warmest regards,
The Treinfhir Book Project Team
Noel Murphy of Castleshane is an experienced radio documentary maker, and is working on the story of the Treinfhir Clan, entitled ‘The Strong Ones’. He has many brilliant interviews and stories in full on his patreon site. Members of the clan can exclusively access all his documentaries here at the lowest cost, just contact ourselves for the requisite password.
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Image Credit
The image at top is a section of The Domhnach Airgid (silver church), which is an ornate shrine, fashioned out of silver and bronze that was intended to hold a sacred text. The Domhnach Airgid was reputed to have been given to St. Macartan (the first of our Clan). It is said to be one of Ireland’s most prized possessions and is housed in the National Museum of Ireland. Photo by Marceau. This section depicts St. Patrick presenting St. MacCartan with the Gospel Book. For more information and photographs, please visit Irish Archaeology, whom we gratefully acknowledge for use of the photo.
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