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Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel!
You asked for our opinion of <Conor na Mara> as a mid-14th century Irish name. Here is what we have found.
<Conor> is an anglicized form of the Gaelic name <Conchobhar> (pronounced roughly the same as the shorter form) [1]. It is certainly a correct form of the name, but it would only have been used in an English context, e.g., in records written by an English-speaking clerk. In Gaelic, in your period, you would have used <Conchobhar>.
The phrase <na Mara> means "of the Sea". Surnames which describe where someone lives (technically called "locative bynames") are rare in Gaelic; most Irishmen were known primarily as their father's sons, e.g. <Conchobhar mac Domhnaill> "Conchobhar son of Domnall". We did find a few period Irish examples of similar construction: <an Ghleanna> "of the Glen", <an
Mhachaire> "of the Field", <an Mhuilinn> "of the Mill" [2], and your choice
fits this pattern. We should note that these names were chosen to
distinguish one person from others who lived in the same area. One
Conchobhar who lives in the glen can easily be separated from another who
lives near the mill, but they probably both live near the sea, so "of the
Sea" is an unlikely way to try to tell them apart.
We wonder if you got the phrase <na Mara> from the modern surname <MacNamara>. In fact, there is no relation between the two. <MacNamara> is a modern form of <mac Conmara>, which means "son of Cú Mara". <Cú
Mara> was a given name. (The slash represents a sharp accent on the
preceding vowel.) The given name itself does derive from the word for
"sea", but does not imply that the bearer lives near the sea [1].
I hope this letter has been useful. Please write us again if any part of it has been unclear or if you have other questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Talan Gwynek.
For the Academy,
Arval Benicoeur
References
[1] O/ Corráin, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire, _Irish Names_ (Dublin: The
Lilliput Press, 1990).
[2] Woulfe, Patrick, _Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames_
(Kansas City: Irish Genealogical Foundation).