Domnall mac Lorcáin (died 984), called Dómnall Claen or Domnall Clóen (Domnall the Squinting), was king of Leinster, the south-eastern province of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. Domnall was a son of Lorcán mac Fáelán and belonged to the Uí Dúnchada branch of the Uí Dúnlainge dynasty which dominated

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 ...

from the 8th to the early 11th century. Domnall became king in 978 following the death of Úgaire mac Túathail of the Uí Muiredaig branch of the dynasty in battle at Belan, in modern

County Kildare County Kildare ( ga, Contae Chill Dara) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county, ...

, fighting against the Norse-Gaels of

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. Domnall had earlier come to the attention of the

Irish annals A number of Irish annals, of which the earliest was the Chronicle of Ireland, were compiled up to and shortly after the end of the 17th century. Annals were originally a means by which monks determined the yearly chronology of feast days. Over t ...

when, in 972, he had murdered the then-king of Leinster,

Murchad mac Finn Murchadh is masculine given name in the Irish language, Irish and Scottish Gaelic languages. Etymology ''A Dictionary of First Names'', published by Oxford University Press, defines the Irish name as being derived from the Gaelic languages, Gael ...

of the third, Uí Fháeláin, branch of Uí Dúnlainge. The killing had been done "deceitfully" according to the ''

Annals of Ulster The ''Annals of Ulster'' ( ga, Annála Uladh) are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years from 431 AD to 1540 AD. The entries up to 1489 AD were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, ...

''. In 979, Domnall was captured in unknown circumstances by the Dubliners. Hudson suggests that this may have been in the nature of a personal vendetta by the Dublin king,

Amlaíb Cuarán Amlaíb mac Sitric (d. 980; non, Óláfr Sigtryggsson ), commonly called Amlaíb Cuarán (O.N.: ), was a 10th-century Norse-Gael who was King of Northumbria and Dublin. His byname, ''cuarán'', is usually translated as "sandal". His name appe ...

, son-in-law of that Murchad mac Finn killed by Domnall in 972. He was freed in 980 following the defeat of the Dubliners by Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill, the

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 ...

. Three years later Domnall was allied with Ivar of Waterford against Máel Sechnaill and the new king of Dublin, Máel Sechnaill's half-brother

Glúniairn Glúniairn (died 989), in Old Norse Járnkné (, "Iron-knee"), was a Norse-Gael king of Dublin of the Uí Ímair kindred which ruled over much of the Scandinavianised and Norse-Gael parts of Great Britain and Ireland in the tenth century. Glúni ...

. Domnall and Ivar were routed in battle and Máel Sechnaill ravaged Leinster. The following year, 984, Domnall was killed by the Uí Cheinnselaig of southern Leinster, Uí Dúnlainge's chief rivals within the province. The '' Annals of Tigernach'' add that Áed son of Echtigern was responsible. Domnall was succeeded as king of Leinster by a son, Donnchad.Byrne, ''Irish Kings'', p. 289, table 9; ''Annals of Ulster'', AU 984.3; ''Annals of Tigernach'', AT 984.1. Uí Cheinnselaig replaced Uí Dúnlainge as the ruling dynasty in Leinster during the 11th century; Byrne, ''Irish Kings'', pp. 271–272. Domnall's killer came to a violent end. Áed mac Echitgern was killed by a rival, Donnchad Máel na mBó, inside the church at Ferns, County Wexford; ''Annals of Tigernach'', AT 1003.4.

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* * * * * * 10th-century births 10th-century deaths 984 deaths 10th-century kings of Leinster {{Ireland-royal-stub