Diarmait Mac Murchada (
Modern Irish
Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was t ...
: Diarmaid Mac Murchadha), anglicised as Dermot MacMurrough, Dermod MacMurrough, or Dermot MacMorrogh (c.
1110
Year 1110 ( MCX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events By date
* May 5: Lunar eclipse, in which the moon became totally dark according to the Peterborough Chronicle, ...
– c. 1 May
1171
Year 1171 ( MCLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* March 12 – Emperor Manuel I (Komnenos) orders the arrest of all Venetia ...
), was a
King of Leinster
The kings of Leinster ( ga, Rí Laighín), ruled from the establishment of Leinster during the Irish Iron Age, until the 17th century Early Modern Ireland. According to Gaelic traditional history, laid out in works such as the ''Book of Invasion ...
in Ireland. In
1167, he was
deposed
Deposition by political means concerns the removal of a politician or monarch.
ORB: The Online Reference for Med ...
by the
High King of Ireland,
Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair
Ruaidrí mac Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair ( Modern Irish: Ruairí Ó Conchúir; anglicized as Rory O'Conor) ( – 2 December 1198) was King of Connacht from 1156 to 1186, and High King of Ireland from 1166 to 1198. He was the last High King o ...
(Rory O'Connor). The grounds for the deposition were that Mac Murchada had, in
1152
Year 1152 ( MCLII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Levant
* Spring – King Baldwin III and his mother, Queen Melisende, are called to intervene ...
, abducted
Derbforgaill
Dearbhfhorghaill (older spelling: Derbforgaill) (1108–1193), anglicised as Derval, was a daughter of Murchad Ua Maeleachlainn, king of Meath, and of his wife Mor (died 1137), daughter of Muirchertach Ua Briain. She is famously known as the "Hele ...
, the wife of the
king of Breifne,
Tiernan O'Rourke ( ga, Tighearnán Ua Ruairc). To recover his kingdom, Mac Murchada solicited help from King
Henry II of England
Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (french: link=no, Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, and as such, was the first Angevin king ...
. His issue unresolved, he gained the military support of the
2nd Earl of Pembroke (Richard de Clare, nicknamed "Strongbow"). At that time, Strongbow was in opposition to Henry II due to his support for
Stephen, King of England
Stephen (1092 or 1096 – 25 October 1154), often referred to as Stephen of Blois, was King of England from 22 December 1135 to his death in 1154. He was Count of Boulogne ''jure uxoris'' from 1125 until 1147 and Duke of Normandy from 1135 unti ...
against Henry's mother in
the Anarchy. In exchange for his aid, Strongbow was promised in marriage to Mac Murchada's daughter
Aoife
Aoife ( , ) is an Irish feminine given name. The name is probably derived from the Irish Gaelic ''aoibh'', which means "beauty" or "radiance".
It has been compared to the Gaulish name ''Esvios'' (Latinized ''Esuvius'', feminine ''Esuvia''), whic ...
with the right to succeed to the Kingship of Leinster. Henry II then mounted a larger
second invasion in 1171 to ensure his control over Strongbow, resulting in the Norman
Lordship of Ireland
The Lordship of Ireland ( ga, Tiarnas na hÉireann), sometimes referred to retroactively as Norman Ireland, was the part of Ireland ruled by the King of England (styled as "Lord of Ireland") and controlled by loyal Anglo-Norman lords between ...
. Mac Murchada was later known as Diarmait na nGall (Irish for "Diarmait of the Foreigners"). He was seen in Irish history as the king that invited the first-ever wave of
English settlers, who were planted by the
Norman conquest
The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Con ...
. The invasion had a great deal of impact on Irish Christianity, increasing the de facto ability of the
Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...
to regulate Christianity in Ireland.
Early life and family
Diarmait was born around 1110, a son of
Donnchadh mac Murchada,
King of Leinster
The kings of Leinster ( ga, Rí Laighín), ruled from the establishment of Leinster during the Irish Iron Age, until the 17th century Early Modern Ireland. According to Gaelic traditional history, laid out in works such as the ''Book of Invasion ...
and
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
. His father's paternal grandmother, Derbforgaill, was a daughter of
Donnchad, King of Munster and thus a granddaughter of
Brian Boru
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 Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill and probably ended Viking invasion/domination of Ireland. Br ...
. In 1115 his father attacked
Domnall Gerrlámhach
Domnall Gerrlámhach (died 1135), also known as Domnall Gerrlámhach Ua Briain, Domnall mac Muirchertaig, and Domnall Ua Briain, was an obscure twelfth-century Uí Briain dynast and King of Dublin. He was one of two sons of Muirchertach Ua Br ...
, King of Dublin, but died in the ensuing battle. The citizens of Dublin buried him with the carcass of a dog, considered to be a huge insult.
He had two wives (as allowed under the
Brehon laws
Early Irish law, historically referred to as (English: Freeman-ism) or (English: Law of Freemen), also called Brehon law, comprised the statutes which governed everyday life in Early Medieval Ireland. They were partially eclipsed by the Norm ...
), the first of whom, Sadhbh Ní Faeláin, was mother of a daughter named Órlaith who married
Domnall Mór, King of
Munster. His second wife, Mór ingen Muirchertaig, was mother of
Aoife / Eva of Leinster and his youngest son Conchobar Mac Murchada. He also had two other sons,
Domhnall Caomhánach mac Murchada and Énna Cennselach mac Murchada (blinded 1169). Diarmait is buried in the Cathedral graveyard of
Ferns village.
King of Leinster
After the death of his older brother,
Énna Mac Murchada, Diarmait unexpectedly became King of Leinster. This was opposed by the then High King of Ireland,
Toirdelbach Ua Conchobair
Toirdhealbhach Mór Ua Conchobhair (old spelling: Tairrdelbach Mór Ua Conchobair; 1088 – 1156) anglicised Turlough Mór O'Conor, was King of Connacht (1106–1156) and High King of Ireland (ca. 1120–1156).
Family background and early life ...
(Turlough O'Conor) who feared (rightly) that Mac Murchada would become a rival. Toirdelbach sent one of his allied kings,
Tigernán Ua Ruairc
Tighearnán Mór Ua Ruairc (older spelling: Tigernán Mór Ua Ruairc), anglicised as Tiernan O'Rourke (fl. 1124– 1172) ruled the kingdom of Breifne as the 19th king in its Ua Ruairc (later O'Rourke) dynasty (964–1605 CE), a branch of the ...
(Tiernan O'Rourke) to conquer Leinster and oust the young Mac Murchada. Ua Ruairc went on a brutal campaign slaughtering the livestock of Leinster and thereby trying to starve the province's residents. Mac Murchada was ousted from his throne, but was able to regain it with the help of the Leinster clans in 1132. Afterwards followed two decades of uneasy peace between Ua Conchobair and Diarmait. In 1152 he even assisted the High King to raid the land of Ua Ruairc who had by then become a renegade.
Mac Murchada also is said to have abducted Ua Ruairc's wife
Derbforgaill
Dearbhfhorghaill (older spelling: Derbforgaill) (1108–1193), anglicised as Derval, was a daughter of Murchad Ua Maeleachlainn, king of Meath, and of his wife Mor (died 1137), daughter of Muirchertach Ua Briain. She is famously known as the "Hele ...
(English: ''Dervorgilla'') along with all her furniture and goods, with the aid of Derbforgaill's brother, a future pretender to the
kingship of Meath. Other sources say that Derbforgaill was not an unwilling prisoner and that she remained in Ferns with Mac Murchada in comfort for a number of years. Her advanced age indicates that she may have been a refugee or a hostage; in any case, she was under his protection. Whatever the reality, the "abduction" was given as a further reason or excuse for enmity between the two kings.
Church builder
As king of Leinster, in the years 1140–70 Diarmait commissioned the
Irish Romanesque buildings of:
*
Baltinglass Abbey
*
St Saviour's Priory
*
Ferns Abbey
*
Killeshin Church
Killeshin Church is a 12th-century Romanesque church and National Monument located in County Laois, Ireland.
Location
Killeshin Church is located near Killeshin village, on the south bank of the Fushoge River (a tributary of the Barrow), ab ...
He sponsored convents (nunneries) at
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
(St Mary's, 1146), and around 1151 two more at
Aghade,
County Carlow and at
Kilculliheen
Kilculliheen ( ga, Cill Choilchín) is a civil parish, electoral division and barony in Ireland, on the north bank of the River Suir across from the centre of Waterford City. Historically, it has been transferred several times between the coun ...
near
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
, mapsize = 220px
, pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe
, pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe
, pushpin_relief = 1
, coordinates ...
city. The abbey of St. Mary Del Hogge in Dublin was named after the Hoggen Green or Haugr meaning gravesite in old Norse. This site later became 'College Green' after the Reformation and the establishment of Trinity College. It's said that in the late 1600s that Viking graves were still to be seen at Hoggen Green.
He also sponsored the successful career of churchman St Lawrence O'Toole (
Lorcán Ua Tuathail
Lorcán Ua Tuathail, known in English as Laurence O'Toole and in French as Laurent d'Eu (1128 – 14 November 1180), was Archbishop of Dublin at the time of the Norman invasion of Ireland. Lorcán played a prominent role in the Irish Church ...
). He married O'Toole's half-sister Mor in 1153 and presided at the
synod of
Clane
Clane (; ) is a town in County Kildare, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, from Dublin. Its population of 7,280 makes it the eighth largest town in Kildare and the List of towns in the Republic of Ireland by population, 66th largest in Ireland. It ...
in 1161 when O'Toole was installed as
archbishop of
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
.
Exile and return
In 1166, Ireland's High King and Mac Murchada's main ally
Muirchertach Ua Lochlainn had fallen, and a large coalition led by
Tigernán Ua Ruairc
Tighearnán Mór Ua Ruairc (older spelling: Tigernán Mór Ua Ruairc), anglicised as Tiernan O'Rourke (fl. 1124– 1172) ruled the kingdom of Breifne as the 19th king in its Ua Ruairc (later O'Rourke) dynasty (964–1605 CE), a branch of the ...
(Mac Murchada's arch enemy) marched on
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 ...
. The new
High King Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair
Ruaidrí mac Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair ( Modern Irish: Ruairí Ó Conchúir; anglicized as Rory O'Conor) ( – 2 December 1198) was King of Connacht from 1156 to 1186, and High King of Ireland from 1166 to 1198. He was the last High King o ...
deposed Mac Murchada from the throne of Leinster. Mac Murchada fled to Wales and from there to England and France seeking the support of
Henry II of England
Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (french: link=no, Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, and as such, was the first Angevin king ...
in the recruitment of soldiers to reclaim his kingship. Henry authorised Diarmait to seek help from the soldiers and mercenaries in his kingdom. Those who agreed to help included
Richard de Clare and half-brothers
Robert FitzStephen
Robert FitzStephen (died 1183) was a Cambro-Norman soldier, one of the leaders of the Norman invasion of Ireland, for which he was granted extensive lands in Ireland. He was a son of the famous Nest, daughter of Rhys ap Tewdwr, the last king of Deh ...
and
Maurice FitzGerald. Robert was accompanied by his half-nephew
Robert de Barry. Strongbow was offered Diarmait's daughter
Aoife
Aoife ( , ) is an Irish feminine given name. The name is probably derived from the Irish Gaelic ''aoibh'', which means "beauty" or "radiance".
It has been compared to the Gaulish name ''Esvios'' (Latinized ''Esuvius'', feminine ''Esuvia''), whic ...
in marriage and promised the kingship of Leinster on Diarmait's death. Robert and Maurice were promised lands in Wexford and elsewhere for their services.
On returning to Wales, Robert FitzStephen helped him organise a mercenary army of English and Welsh soldiers. Landing at
Bannow
Bannow () is a village and civil parish lying east of Bannow Bay on the south-west coast of County Wexford, Ireland. In modern times the main settlement is the village of Carrig-on-Bannow (or ''Carrig''). In Norman times there was a borough ca ...
Bay, they laid
siege to Wexford which fell in May 1169. After a period of inactivity, they went on to raid the
Kingdom of Ossory
Osraige (Old Irish) or Osraighe (Classical Irish), Osraí (Modern Irish), anglicized as Ossory, was a medieval Irish kingdom comprising what is now County Kilkenny and western County Laois, corresponding to the Diocese of Ossory. The home of t ...
. They then launched raids in the territories of the Uí Tuathail, the Uí Broin, and Uí Conchobhair Failghe. Mac Murchada gambled that King Ruaidrí would not hurt the Leinster hostages which he had, which included Mac Murchada's son, Conchobar Mac Murchada. However, Ua Ruairc forced his hand and they were all killed. Although he had been distracted by disturbances elsewhere in the kingdom, King Ruaidrí could no longer ignore this powerful force.
He marched his forces into Leinster and, with the mediation of the Church, the commanders of the two armies began negotiations at
Ferns
A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except th ...
, Diarmait's political base. An agreement was reached, whereby Diarmait was allowed to remain King of Leinster with Diarmait for his part recognising Ua Conchobair as High King. Some historians maintain that the treaty with Ua Conchobair included a secret agreement whereby Diarmait undertook to bring in no more foreign mercenaries and to send away Robert FitzStephen and his men as soon as Leinster was subdued. It's possible that Mac Murchada's hand may have been forced by the arrival at
Wexford
Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 ...
in May 1170 of
Maurice FitzGerald, Lord of Llanstephan and his force of 10 knights, thirty men-at-arms and a hundred archers and foot soldiers. Mac Murchada and FitzGerald marched on the Ostman
Norse–Gaelic city of
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
which surrendered. Within a short time, all Leinster was again in Mac Murchada's control. Emboldened by these victories, he sent Robert FitzStephen to the assistance of his son-in-law,
Domnall Mór Ua Briain
Domnall Mór Ua Briain, or Domnall Mór mac Toirrdelbaig Uí Briain, was King of Thomond in Ireland from 1168 to 1194 and a claimant to the title King of Munster. He was also styled King of Limerick, a title belonging to the O'Brien dynas ...
, the
King of Thomond
The kings of Thomond ( ga, Rí Tuamhain) ruled from the establishment of Thomond during the High Middle Ages, until the Early modern period. Thomond represented the legacy of Brian Bóruma and the High Kings of Ireland of his line who could n ...
.
In the opinion of some historians, Mac Murchada's plans may have been limited to the recovery of his throne; only later when the superiority of the mercenary arms had overawed the
Gaelic nobility of Ireland did he consider tilting at the high kingship itself. According to the contemporary,
Gerald of Wales
Gerald of Wales ( la, Giraldus Cambrensis; cy, Gerallt Gymro; french: Gerald de Barri; ) was a Cambro-Norman priest and historian. As a royal clerk to the king and two archbishops, he travelled widely and wrote extensively. He studied and taugh ...
, he was advised by Robert FitzStephen and Maurice FitzGerald to write to Strongbow requesting assistance. Strongbow sent an advance party under
Raymond le Gros
Raymond (or Redmond) Fitz William Fitz Gerald (died 1185–1198), nicknamed ''Le Gros'' ("the Large"), was a Cambro-Norman commander during the Norman invasion of Ireland. Raymond was among the first of a small band of Norman knights who l ...
, arriving himself in 1170 at the Ostman
Norse–Gaelic settlement of
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
, mapsize = 220px
, pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe
, pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe
, pushpin_relief = 1
, coordinates ...
. Following the fall of Waterford, the promised marriage of Aoife and Strongbow took place. As a result, Richard FitzGilbert, count of Strigoil, became lord of Leinster. The marriage was imagined and painted in the
Romantic style in 1854 by
Daniel Maclise.
Mac Murchada was devastated after the death of his youngest son, Conchobar, retreated to
Ferns
A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except th ...
and died a few months later.
Later reputation
The scholar
Áed Ua Crimthainn
Áed Ua Crimthainn (''fl.'' 12th century), also called Áed mac Crimthainn, was abbot and coarb of Terryglass (), near Lough Derg (Shannon), Lough Derg in County Tipperary, Ireland. He was the principal scribe of the Book of Leinster ( mga, Leba ...
was probably Diarmait's court historian. In his ''
Book of Leinster
The Book of Leinster ( mga, Lebor Laignech , LL) is a medieval Irish manuscript compiled c. 1160 and now kept in Trinity College, Dublin, under the shelfmark MS H 2.18 (cat. 1339). It was formerly known as the ''Lebor na Nuachongbála'' "Book ...
'', Áed seems to be the first to set out the concept of the ''rí Érenn co fressabra'', the "king of Ireland with opposition", later more widely adopted. This described Diarmait's ambitions and the achievements of his great-grandfather
Diarmait mac Maíl na mBó.
[ at pp. 869–870.]
In Irish history books written after 1800, Diarmait Mac Murchada was often seen as a traitor, but his intention was not to aid an English invasion of Ireland, but rather to use Henry's assistance to become the
High King of Ireland himself. The imperialism of the English, and later British, empire must not be placed anachronistically on the events of 1166. The adventurers who answered Diarmait's call for help were reacting to the opportunity for land and wealth. Henry II did not wish to invade Ireland, he was forced to react to earl Richard's aggrandisement. The counts of Strigoil had been supporters of King Stephen, and Henry II did not forget easily.
Gerald of Wales
Gerald of Wales ( la, Giraldus Cambrensis; cy, Gerallt Gymro; french: Gerald de Barri; ) was a Cambro-Norman priest and historian. As a royal clerk to the king and two archbishops, he travelled widely and wrote extensively. He studied and taugh ...
, a Cambro-English cleric who visited Ireland in 1185 and whose uncles and cousins were prominent soldiers in the army of Strongbow, repeated their opinions of Mac Murchada:
Death and descendants
![Gravestone at Ferns Cathedral - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Gravestone_at_Ferns_Cathedral_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1543820.jpg)
After
Strongbow's successful invasion,
Henry II mounted a second and larger invasion in 1171 to ensure his control over his subjects, which succeeded. He then accepted the submission of the
Irish kings
This page serves as an index of lists of kings of the Gaelic kingdoms of Ireland of the Early Medieval period.
*List of High Kings of Ireland
*Kings of Ailech
*Kings of Airgíalla
*Kings of Brega
* Kings of Breifne
*Kings of Connacht
*Kings of D ...
in Dublin in November 1171. He also ensured that his moral claim to Ireland, granted by the supposed 1155
papal bull ''
Laudabiliter
''Laudabiliter'' was a bull issued in 1155 by Pope Adrian IV, the only Englishman to have served in that office. Existence of the bull has been disputed by scholars over the centuries; no copy is extant but scholars cite the many references to ...
'', was reconfirmed in 1172 by
Pope Alexander III, and also by a synod of all the Irish bishops at the
Synod of Cashel
The Synod of Cashel of 1172, also known as the Second Synod of Cashel,The first being the Synod held at Cashel in 1101 was assembled at Cashel at the request of Henry II of England shortly after his arrival in Ireland in October 1171. The Synod ...
. He added
"Lord of Ireland" to his many other titles. Before he could consolidate his new Lordship he had to go to France to deal with his
sons' rebellion in 1173.
Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair
Ruaidrí mac Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair ( Modern Irish: Ruairí Ó Conchúir; anglicized as Rory O'Conor) ( – 2 December 1198) was King of Connacht from 1156 to 1186, and High King of Ireland from 1166 to 1198. He was the last High King o ...
was soon ousted, first as King of Ireland and eventually as King of Connacht. The Lordship directly controlled a small territory in Ireland surrounding the cities of Dublin and Waterford, while the rest of Ireland was divided between English lords and court ''curiales''. The 1175
Treaty of Windsor, brokered by
St Lawrence O'Toole with Henry II, formalised the submission of the Gaelic
clans that remained in local control, like the
Uí Conchobair who retained
Connacht
Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms ( Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Del ...
and the
Uí Néill
The Uí Néill (Irish pronunciation: ; meaning "descendants of Niall") are Irish dynasties who claim descent from Niall Noígíallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages), a historical King of Tara who died c. 405. They are generally divided into t ...
who retained most of
Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...
.
Diarmait's male-line descendants included
Art Óg mac Murchadha Caomhánach __NOTOC__
Art Óg Mac Murchadha Caomhánach (anglicized Art MacMurrough-Kavanagh and Art MacMorrough; 1357 December 1417) was an Irish king who is generally regarded as the most formidable of the later List of kings of Leinster, kings of Lein ...
(d. 1417), who revived the kingship of Leinster, and
Cahir mac Art Kavanagh
Cahir mac Art Kavanagh, "The MacMurrough" and King of Leinster, also Lord of St. Molyns, and baron of Ballyann (died 1554), was an Irish magnate of the Tudor period.
Biography
Cahir was the eldest son of Art Kavanagh of St. Molyns (Teach Molyns), ...
(died 1554) who continued to rule parts of Leinster independently of the English until the
Tudor conquest of Ireland
The Tudor conquest (or reconquest) of Ireland took place under the Tudor dynasty, which held the Kingdom of England during the 16th century. Following a failed rebellion against the crown by Silken Thomas, the Earl of Kildare, in the 1530s, ...
in the 16th century. The last proclaimed King of Leinster,
Domhnall Spáinneach Mac Murchadha Caomhánach, died in 1632. Later senior descendants who retained the position among the Irish upper-classes included
Arthur MacMorrough Kavanagh (1831–1889) and his son,
Walter MacMurrough Kavanagh
The Rt. Hon. Walter MacMurrough Kavanagh, PC (14 January 1856 – 18 July 1922), was a Member of Parliament (MP) who represented County Carlow from 1908 to 1910.
He was the son of Mary Frances () and Arthur MacMurrough Kavanagh who also served a ...
1856–1922).
Dermot McMorrough Kavanagh (d. 1958) was recognised as
Chief of the Name of Clann
Caomhánach (Kavanagh) in his lifetime.
Diarmait died about 1 May 1171 and was buried in
Ferns Cathedral, where his grave can be seen in the outside graveyard.
Ancestry
Theatrical representations
In the play ''The Dreaming of the Bones'' by
W. B. Yeats
William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...
, the ghosts of Dermot and
Derbforgaill
Dearbhfhorghaill (older spelling: Derbforgaill) (1108–1193), anglicised as Derval, was a daughter of Murchad Ua Maeleachlainn, king of Meath, and of his wife Mor (died 1137), daughter of Muirchertach Ua Briain. She is famously known as the "Hele ...
rescue an Irish rebel during the Easter Week rebellion, and reveal that they are bound until an Irishman can forgive them for bringing the Normans to Ireland.
''The Dreaming of the Bones'' text file
/ref>
See also
*Irish nobility
The Irish nobility could be described as including persons who do, or historically did, fall into one or more of the following categories of nobility:
* Gaelic nobility of Ireland descendants in the male line of at least one historical grade o ...
*Irish royal families
Irish royal families were the dynasties that once ruled large "overkingdoms" and smaller petty kingdoms on the island of Ireland. Members of some of these families still own land and live in the same broad locations.
Locality
Significant kingdoms ...
*Kings of Leinster
Kings or King's may refer to:
*Monarchs: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations, with the male being kings
*One of several works known as the "Book of Kings":
**The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts
**The ''Shahnameh'' ...
* McMorrow
References
Sources
*''Annals of the Four Masters
The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' ( ga, Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (''Annála na gCeithre Máistrí'') are chronicles of Middle Ages, medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Flood myt ...
'', ed. J. O'Donovan; 1990 edition.
*''Expugnatio Hibernica'', by Giraldus Cambrensis
Gerald of Wales ( la, Giraldus Cambrensis; cy, Gerallt Gymro; french: Gerald de Barri; ) was a Cambro-Norman priest and historian. As a royal clerk to the king and two archbishops, he travelled widely and wrote extensively. He studied and taugh ...
; ed., with transln and historical notes, by A. B. Scott and F. X. Martin. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy, 1978
*Byrne, Francis J. (1973) ''Irish Kings and High Kings''. London: Batsford (Rev. ed. Dublin: Four Courts, 1999)
*Roche, Richard (1995) ''The Norman Invasion of Ireland''. Dublin: Anvil Books (1st ed. ralee Anvil Books, c1970)
*O'Byrne, Emmett (2003) ''War, Politics and the Irish of Leinster 1156-160''. Dublin: Four Courts
*Furlong, Nicholas (1973) ''Dermot, King of Leinster, and the foreigners''. Tralee: Anvil Books
*--do.-- ''Dermait, King of Leinster''. Cork: Mercier Press, 2006
*''Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700''; by Frederick Lewis Weis, Lines: 66–26, 175–6
Sources for genealogy
*Byrne, Francis J. (1973) ''Irish Kings and High-Kings''. London: Batsford (Rev. ed. Dublin: Four Courts, 1999) "Uí Cheinnselaig Kings of Laigin", p. 290
*O'Byrne, Emmett (2003) ''War, Politics and the Irish of Leinster'' Dublin: Four Courts; "The MacMurrough-Kavanagh kings of Leinster; Outline Genealogies I, Ia, Ib", pages 247–249.
*O'Hart, John (1892) ''Irish Pedigrees''; 5th ed. 2 vols. Dublin: James Duffy, pp. 157, 555. (1st ed.: 1878; several later eds.)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diarmait Mac Murchada
1110s births
1171 deaths
Kings of Leinster
Monarchs who abdicated
12th-century Irish monarchs
People from Ferns
MacMorrough Kavanagh dynasty