the officer of the fortress, and Ua Faelain, lord of the Deisi, and his son, and they killed seven hundred persons there. By the beginning of the thirteenth century, most of the territory of the Déisi was absorbed into the Anglo-Norman colony. The surname Whelan remains common in County Waterford and in the adjoining part of Co. Kilkenny, particularly in the barony of Iverk. The earliest anglicised forms of the Ó Faoláin name were Felan, Faelan, Hyland, with many other similar variants, including Whelan and Phelan in Cos Waterford and Kilkenny. Whelan and Whalen are the most prevalent forms in modern times, and combined are placed seventy-ninth in the list of the hundred most common surnames in Ireland. With Phelan added, the name takes forty-fourth place. Another meaning for Whelan was originated from the earliest version of Irish, the meaning was "clan of the wolf". Whelans Aileen Whelan – English footballer Anto Whelan – Irish footballer Arleen Whelan – American actress Bill Whelan – composer of Riverdance Brian Whelan – painter, author and filmmaker; paintings in public/private collections worldwide; 3 books published and one film in the UK National Gallery of Art Charles Wheelan – American author Charlie Whelan – served as a special advisor in Her Majesty's Treasury under Gordon Brown Chris Whelan – Middlesex cricketer Christine Whelan – American author, journalist and commentator Ciara Whelan - Irish television presenter Ciarán Whelan – Irish Gaelic footballer Dave Whelan – Former professional footballer with Blackburn Rovers and the current owner of Wigan Athletic David Whelan – English golf instructor and former golfer Dutee A. Whelan, American politician Edward Whelan – Canadian politician Edward Whelan – A member of the O'Shea and Whelan family Elizabeth Whelan – American author, epidemiologist, and consumer advocate Emily Whelan – Irish footballer Eugene Whelan – Canadian politician Fern Whelan – English footballer Gary Whelan – actor (played Brendan Kearney in Ballykissangel amongst other things) Gavan Whelan – drummer for the band James Gemma Whelan – English actress and comedian George J. Whelan – former mayor of San Francisco Glenn Whelan – Republic of Ireland international footballer Gloria Whelan – American author, winner of the National Book Award for Children's Literature (2000) Hannah Whelan – British gymnast, competed at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics Heather Whelan - Irish cricketer James R. Whelan - journalist and educator Jill Whelan – American actress Jim Whelan (1948–2017) - American