placenames1901 census
169People recorded
34Households recorded
Most frequent surnames in this year’s matched records
- Morley 14
- Tarpey 14
- McHugh 12
- Duggan 11
- Clancy 10
Bekan
Béacán
A colleague’s memorial account links the Mayo community with a long career in theology and Christian dialogue.
Recorded locationBekan53.75547° N · 8.84862° WInteractive map supplied by OpenStreetMap.
Recorded place location · Logainm.ie
The name
A reliable full-name meaning has not been established here. The recorded Irish and English forms are given without an unsupported translation.
Recorded forms
- Béacán · Irish · main form · non-validated name
- Bekan · English · main form
- Bekan Cross · English · main form · local name
Place & story
From Bekan to Maynooth
Enda McDonagh was born in Bekan on 27 June 1930, one of three sons of schoolteachers. After local schooling and St Jarlath’s College in Tuam, he entered Maynooth in 1948. His colleague Patrick Hannon records a first degree in science, followed by theological study and a doctorate in divinity in 1957. Bekan was the starting point of a career subsequently pursued in Ireland and abroad; the account does not identify his childhood house within the townland. [2]
Teaching and dialogue
McDonagh began teaching at Maynooth in 1960 and retired in 1995, with periods away including three years at Notre Dame in Indiana. His books included Doing the Truth, published in 1979. Hannon also records his appointment as an honorary canon of St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin in recognition of his work for Christian unity. [2]
Geographic information
People & family history
Census figures refer to the matched historical census area for each year. Boundaries and spellings can change over time.
1911 census
160People recorded
30Households recorded
Most frequent surnames in this year’s matched records
- McHugh 14
- Morley 12
- Lyons 11
- Moloney 10
- Tarpey 9
1926 census
128People recorded
28Households recorded
Most frequent surnames in this year’s matched records
- Morley 16
- Glynn 10
- Lyons 10
- Finn 9
- Fitzmaurice 9
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Bekan. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Doing the Truth: Enda McDonagh, The Tablet, 13 March 2021 · Patrick Hannon, The Tablet; copy hosted by St Patrick’s College, Maynooth
- Boundary geometry retains its source attribution and licence in the downloadable geographic record. Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-01-10. How this page was prepared.