The Irish identifiers like O' and Mc were dropped for concerns of employment, learning, living.
Irish Central is one of many sources that speaks to this (and a few other fun facts about Irish names).
As the English took hold of property and rule over Ireland, dropping the O' was believed to have been done to avoid further discrimination.
I have seen this as I have researched my ancestors. I have seen this with religion too, particularly with my Irish Catholic branches in the North. Best I can surmise is that the switch to Protestantism was often based on employment as well.
a few additional links about the O' and names in Irish:
A comprehensive list of Irish surnames
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