Cathal mac Donnubáin is the second known son of

Donnubán mac Cathail Donnubán ('donuva:n), Donndubán ('donðuva:n), or Donnabán mac Cathail, anglicised Donovan, son of Cahall (died 980), was a tenth-century ruler of the Irish regional kingdom of Uí Fidgenti, and possibly also of the smaller overkingdom of Uí C ...

, king of

Uí Fidgenti The Uí Fidgenti, Fidgeinti, Fidgheinte, Fidugeinte, Fidgente, or Fidgeinte ( or ;In the pronunciation, the -d- is silent, and the -g- becomes a glide, producing what might be anglicized ''Feeyenti'' or ''Feeyenta''. "descendants of, or of the ...

and an ancestor of the medieval and modern

O'Donovan family The O'Donovans are an Irish family. Their patronymic surname derives from Irish ''Ó Donnabháin'', meaning the grandsons or descendants of Donnubán, referring to the 10th century ruler of the Uí Fidgenti, Donnubán mac Cathail. During the 1 ...

. He may have succeeded his brother Uainide mac Donnubáin as King of Uí Chairpre Áebda (Cairbre Eva) at his death in 982, no ruler(s) being known after that until 1014. However, this is confused by two notices of the death of

Cairpre mac Cléirchín Cairbre (Cairpre, Coirpre) is a popular medieval Irish name borne by several historical and mythological figures, including: * Cairbre, son of Ogma, poet and satirist of the Tuatha Dé Danann * Cairbre Nia Fer, legendary king of Tara * Cairbre Cua ...

in 1013 or 1014, wherein one he is styled king of Uí Chairpre and in the other of Uí Fidgenti, leaving it uncertain which Cathal might actually have been if either. The rivalry between the two families is unknown but cannot be ruled out.

Clontarf

Cathal led the forces and is styled king of the Uí Chairpre in the

Battle of Clontarf The Battle of Clontarf ( ga, Cath Chluain Tarbh) took place on 23 April 1014 at Clontarf, near Dublin, on the east coast of Ireland. It pitted an army led by Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, against a Norse-Irish alliance comprising the forc ...

in 1014, in the account of the ''

Leabhar Oiris Leabhar Oiris () is a Gaelic-Irish manuscript and chronicle. ''An Leabhar Oiris'' was created by one, or more, author or authors, who drew on material in the Irish annals relating to the years 976 to 1028. It is believed to have been written in ...

'', which is believed to be based at least in part on contemporary documents. There it is said he fought on the side of

Brian Bóruma Brian Boru ( mga, Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig; modern ga, Brian Bóramha; 23 April 1014) was an Irish king who ended the domination of the High King of Ireland, High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill and probably ended Viking invasion/domi ...

High King of Ireland High King of Ireland ( ga, Ardrí na hÉireann ) was a royal title in Gaelic Ireland held by those who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over all of Ireland. The title was held by historical kings and later sometimes assigned ana ...

in the great central division commanded by

Cian mac Máelmuaid Cían mac Máelmuaid was a son of Máel Muad mac Brain, who was twice King of Munster. Cían's father had been killed by Brian Boru at the Battle of Belach Lechta. He was a member of Uí Echach Muman or Eóganacht Raithlind. Cían became a close ...

, standing against the forces of

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...

commanded by

Máel Mórda mac Murchada Malachy MacMurrough ( mga, Mael Mórda mac Murchada; modern ga, Máel Mórda mac Murchada; died 23 April 1014 AD) was King of Leinster, Ireland in the late 10th and early 11th century. Son of King Murchad mac Finn and brother of Gormflaith, he ...

King of Leinster The kings of Leinster ( ga, Rí Laighín), ruled from the establishment of Kingdom of Leinster, Leinster during the Irish Iron Age, until the 17th century Early Modern Ireland. According to Gaelic traditional history, laid out in works such as th ...

. He is not listed among the slain there. That he participated in the battle is also an O'Donovan tradition. Cathal's mention in the ''Leabhar Oiris'' is the only one found anywhere outside of an O'Donovan pedigree in all surviving sources. Not anywhere in the annals is he mentioned. What is unknown is how early Cathal was listed in or before the ''Leabhar Oiris'', because what has survived is a later compilation of earlier sources where the spelling has been changed to

Early Modern Irish Early Modern Irish ( ga, Gaeilge Chlasaiceach, , Classical Irish) represented a transition between Middle Irish and Modern Irish. Its literary form, Classical Gaelic, was used in Ireland and Scotland from the 13th to the 18th century. External ...

. He is listed as ''Cathal mac Donnabháin rí Ó g-Cairbre'', whereas ''Cathal mac Donnubáin, rí h-Ua Cairpre'' would be contemporary.

Family

It is possible that Cathal was as much as three-quarters Norse in ancestry. His maternal grandfather was probably

Ivar of Limerick Ivar of Limerick ( ga, Ímar Luimnich, rí Gall; Ímar ua Ímair; Ímar Ua hÍmair, Ard Rí Gall Muman ocus Gáedel; Íomhar Mór; non, Ívarr ; died 977), was the last Norse king of the city-state of Limerick, and penultimate ''King of the For ...

, the last Norse king of Limerick and an ally of his father. Donnubán himself has also been argued to have had a Norse mother, a daughter of one ''Amlaíb,

rí Rí, or commonly ríg (genitive), is an ancient Gaelic word meaning 'king'. It is used in historical texts referring to the Irish and Scottish kings, and those of similar rank. While the Modern Irish word is exactly the same, in modern Scottish ...

Gall Muman'' or Olaf, king of the Norse of

Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...

, possibly referring to

Amlaíb Cenncairech Amlaíb Cenncairech was a Norse ruler and presumably King of Limerick notable for his military activities in Ireland in the 930s, especially in the province of Connacht and apparently even in Ulster and Leinster. This period, the 920s and 930s, ...

. It was also assumed by John O'Donovan that Cathal married a Norse woman himself, because he's only known issue is Amlaíb ua Donnubáin. A now lost source of uncertain date makes the entirely plausible claim that his son fought at Clontarf under Cian, although this is possibly a mistake for Cathal himself, or both may have. Cathal's pedigree can be tentatively reconstructed as follows below, assuming he actually existed. If not then it could be the O'Donovan family actually descend from Uainide mac Donnubáin, who is mentioned dying in 982 in the

Annals of Inisfallen Annals ( la, annāles, from , "year") are a concise historical record in which events are arranged chronologically, year by year, although the term is also used loosely for any historical record. Scope The nature of the distinction between ann ...

. But notably, both appear to be

namesake A namesake is a person, geographic location, or other entity bearing the name of another. History The word is first attested around 1635, and probably comes from the phrase "for one's name's sake", which originates in English Bible translations ...

s of earlier generations, at least in the received tradition, and in fact one Uainide mac Cathail appears as a mid-10th-century king of Uí Chairpre in the 12th-century propaganda tract ''

Caithréim Chellacháin Chaisil ''Caithréim Chellacháin Chaisil'' ("The Victorious Career of Cellachán of Cashel")Donnchadh Ó Corráin writes that this title "was first given it by Eugene O'Curry in his transcript of the text. It has no title in the earliest copy, that in th ...

''.

Donnchadh Ó Corráin Donnchadh Ó Corráin (28 February 1942 – 25 October 2017) was an Irish historian and Professor Emeritus of Medieval History at University College Cork. He earned his BA in history and Irish from that institution, graduating in 1964. He was a ...

has questioned his historicity but does not doubt he is meant to represent the early O'Donovan kindred. Although Ó Corráin does not say so explicitly this is because no "Uainide mac Cathail" appears in the annals, and thus he could be created out of his own namesakes. The Uí Chairpre are nevertheless mentioned several times in ''CCC'' in different roles, probably indicating the family were still of some prominence in the first decades of the 12th century, even if they are noted for nothing during this period in the annals, which are importantly very incomplete, abbreviated and badly lacunose (suffering from gaps). Uainide mac Donnubáin on of Donnubán mac Cathailbecame King of Uí Chairpre Áebda, from 979 to his death in 982. The second son Cathal mac Donnubháin, succeeded his brother as King of Uí Chairpre Áebda in 982. Cathal Donnubáin married a Norse woman daughter of one Amlaíb, rí Gall Muman or Olaf, king of the Norse of Munsterand they had a son Amlaíb (Olaf) Ua Donnubáin and a second son Ímar (Ivor) Ua Donnubáin. Cathal king of the Uí Chairpre survived the Battle of Clontarf in 1014, which resulted in large losses for both Irish and Norse. Amlaíb (Olaf) Ua Donnubáin succeeded his father, Cathal mac Donnubháin, as King of Uí Chairpre Áebda.

Ivar of Waterford Ivar of Waterford ( ga, Ímar, rí Puirt Láirgi; non, Ívarr ; died 1000) was the Norse king of Waterford from at least 969 until his death in the year 1000, and also reigned as King of Dublin, possibly from 989 to 993, and certainly again fo ...

is believed to have been Cathal/Uainide's brother-in-law, married to an unnamed sister of theirs. One of Waterford's very historical sons he named Donndubán, with certainty after their father. It has in the past been popularly claimed that some modern O'Donovans actually descend from this marriage,
Encyclopædia Britannica
' but this remains unverified.

Notes

References

* Best, R. I. (ed.)

in ''

Ériu In Irish mythology, Ériu (; modern ga, Éire ), daughter of Delbáeth and Ernmas of the Tuatha Dé Danann, was the eponymous matron goddess of Ireland. The English name for Ireland comes from the name Ériu and the Germanic languages, Germani ...

1'' (1904): 74–112. * Bugge, Alexander (ed. & tr.),
Caithreim Cellachain Caisil
'. Christiania: J. Chr. Gundersens Bogtrykkeri. 1905. *Cronnelly, Richard F.,
Irish Family History
Part II: A History of the Clan Eoghan, or Eoghanachts''. Dublin: Goodwin, Son, and Nethercott. 1864. O'Donovan pedigrees, pp. 252–64 *Mac Airt, Seán (ed. & tr.). '' The Annals of Inisfallen (MS. Rawlinson B. 503)''.

Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies The Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) ( ga, Institiúid Ard-Léinn Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a statutory independent research institute in Ireland. It was established in 1940 on the initiative of the Taoiseach, Éamon de Valera, in Dub ...

. 1951
edition
*MacCotter, Paul, ''Medieval Ireland: Territorial, Political and Economic Divisions''. Dublin:

Four Courts Press Four Courts Press is an independent Irish academic publishing house, with its office at Malpas Street, Dublin 8, Ireland. Founded in 1970 by Michael Adams, who died in February 2009, its early publications were primarily theological, notably t ...

. 2008. * Ó Cléirigh, Cú Choigríche,
The O'Clery Book of Genealogies
'. early-mid 17th century. * Ó Corráin, Donnchadh
"Caithréim Chellacháin Chaisil: History or Propaganda?"
in ''

25'' (1974): 1–69. * O'Donovan, John (ed. & tr.), '' Annala Rioghachta Eireann. Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters, from the Earliest Period to the Year 1616''. 7 vols. Dublin:

Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ga, Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned socie ...

. 1848-51. 2nd edition, 1856
Volume II
p. 771 (see als

an

at CELT)
Volume VI
Appendix, Pedigree of O'Donovan, p. 2436–7 * O'Hart, John.
Irish Pedigrees
'. Dublin: James Duffy and Co. 5th edition, 1892. * Todd, James Henthorn (ed. & tr.),
Cogadh Gaedhel re Gallaibh: The War of the Gaedhil with the Gaill
'. London: Longmans. 1867. *Wyndham-Quin, Caroline, and Edwin Wyndham-Quin,
Memoirs of Adare Manor
'. Oxford: Messrs. Parker. 1865. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cathal Mac Donnubain 11th-century Irish monarchs Irish people of Norse descent O'Donovan family People whose existence is disputed