Recorded in many spellings including MacComiskey, MacCumisky, MacCumesky, and the short forms commencing Mc, as well as many without the suffix at all such as Comiskey, Cumeskey, Commiskey, and Comaskey, this is an Irish surname. It derives from the pre 10th century Olde Gaelic surname "Mac Cumascaigh", translating as the son of Cumascach, the latter being a personal name meaning powerful! It is said that the adjective cumascach refers to mental powers as well as physical ability, although it has to be said that most early Irish surnames have a "warrior" base. This great sept originated in the Clones area of County Monaghan and from hence moved south to inhabit counties Cavan, Longford and Westmeath. In the Hearth Money Rolls of County Monaghan, dated 1664 - 1666 McComiskie is widely recorded, and Roger Commoskey, of Dundalk, appears on a list or army personnel of the 17th century, Dundalk being over the border from the homeland of the sept. It is interesting to note that Comerford is occasionally used as an anglicized form of Mac Cumascaigh in the Cavan-Longford area. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Teag Mac Cumascaigh. This was dated 1000 a.d, in the ancient records of Clones, County Monaghan, during the reign of Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, 1002 - 1014. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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