The Eóganachta or Eoghanachta () were an Irish dynasty centred on
Cashel which dominated southern
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
(namely the
Kingdom of Munster
The Kingdom of Munster ( ga, Ríocht Mhumhain) was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland which existed in the south-west of the island from at least the 1st century BC until 1118. According to traditional Irish history found in the ''Annals of the Four M ...
) from the 6/7th to the 10th centuries, and following that, in a restricted form, the
Kingdom of Desmond
The Kingdom of Desmond () was a historic kingdom in southwestern Ireland. It was founded in 1118 by Tadhg Mac Cárthaigh, King of Munster when the Treaty of Glanmire formally divided the Kingdom of Munster into Desmond and Thomond (, "Nor ...
, and its offshoot
Carbery Carbery or Carbury may refer to:
;People:
* Brian Carbury (1918–1961), New Zealand fighter ace
* Douglas Carbery (1894–1959), British soldier and airman
* Ethna Carbery (1864–1902), Irish writer
* James Joseph Carbery (1823–1887), Irish ...
, to the late 16th century. By tradition the dynasty was founded by
Conall Corc
Corc mac Luigthig (340-379),Genealogy of the House of Mac-Carthy formerly Sovereign of the Two Momonies or Southern Ireland, P. Louis Lainé, pg. 26, https://celt.ucc.ie/published/F830000-001.html also called Conall Corc, Corc of Cashel, and Corc ...
but named after his ancestor
Éogan, the firstborn son of the semi-mythological 3rd-century king
Ailill Aulom
Ailill Ollamh (or Oilill Olum) in Irish traditional history was the son of Mug Nuadat and was a king of the southern half of Ireland, placed in the 3rd century by early modern Irish genealogy. Sadb ingen Chuinn, daughter of Conn of the Hundred Ba ...
. This dynastic clan-name, for it was never in any sense a 'surname,' should more accurately be restricted to those branches of the royal house which descended from Conall Corc, who established Cashel as his royal seat in the late 5th century.
High Kingship issue
Although the Eóganachta were powerful in Munster, they never provided Ireland with a
High King. Serious challenges to 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 ...
were however presented by
Cathal mac Finguine
Cathal mac Finguine (died 742) was an Irish King of Munster or Cashel, and effectively High King of Ireland as well. He belonged to the Eóganacht Glendamnach sept of the dominant Eóganachta kin-group whose members dominated Munster from the ...
and
Feidlimid mac Cremthanin
Fedelmid mac Crimthainn was the King of Munster between 820 and 846. He was numbered as a member of the Céli Dé, an abbot of Cork Abbey and Clonfert Abbey, and possibly a bishop. After his death, he was later considered a saint in some mart ...
. They were not widely recognized as High Kings or
Kings of Tara, as they did not belong to the Uí Néill, but they controlled territories as large or larger than those of the other dynasty. The kings of the
Hill of Tara
The Hill of Tara ( ga, Teamhair or ) is a hill and ancient ceremonial and burial site near Skryne in County Meath, Ireland. Tradition identifies the hill as the inauguration place and seat of the High Kings of Ireland; it also appears in I ...
were sometimes called High Kings but were not recognized as kings of all Ireland in the historical period.
[Byrne 2001] However, this is to put the supposed position of "High King of Ireland" on a platform that it probably never enjoyed. The social structure of Gaelic Ireland was extremely complex, hierarchically oriented and aristocratic in concept. At the summit of society stood the king of a province, variously styled in the law texts as "King of great kings" ( ga, rí ruirech), "Chief of kings" ( ga, ollam ríg) and "The ultimate king of every individual" ( ga, rí bunaid cach cinn).
[''Kelly, Fergus'', A Guide to Early Irish Law, Dublin, 1988, pp. 17-18.] From his justice there was no appeal, nor did the
Brehon Law
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 Norma ...
acknowledge the existence of the High Kingship of Ireland.
The ''ri ruirech'' had no legal superior. In Munster this legal theory was explicitly adhered to by the annalists who styled the provincial kings as "High King" ( ga, ard rí), thereby stressing his absolute sovereignty. As the concept of the High Kingship of Ireland was developed from the 9th century onwards by the Uí Néill clan, the kings of Munster counterbalanced that historically inaccurate doctrine by stressing their alternative right to that title, or instead the enjoyment of full sovereignty in
Leth Mogha
Leath Cuinn (Conn's Half) and Leath Moga (Mugh's half) are legendary ancient divisions of Ireland.
Leath Cuinn was the island north of the Esker Riada (east-west drumlin belt from Dublin to Galway Bay). Conn Cétchathach, for whom this division ...
, that part of Ireland south of a line from Dublin to Galway.
The Eóganacht king Fíngen mac Áedo Duib (Fingin son of Hugh Dubh) ruled as King of Munster (died 618) and is the direct male line ancestor of the O'Sullivans. His son Seachnasagh was too young to assume the throne and was therefore followed by Eóganacht king of Munster
Faílbe Flann mac Áedo Duib
Faílbe Flann mac Áedo Duib (died 639) was a King of Munster from the Eóganacht Chaisil branch of the Eoganachta. He succeeded Cathal mac Áedo Flaind Chathrach of the Glendamnach branch in 628. He was the younger brother of a previous king ...
, direct male line ancestor of the later MacCarthy kings. In the Roll of "The Kings of Munster", under the heading "Provincial Kings", we find that Fingin, son of Hugh Dubh, is No.14 on the Roll, while his brother Failbhe is No.16. Long, an anglicized version of the name Ó Longaidh, belongs to one of the oldest branches of the Eóghanchta royal dynasty of Ireland's Munster Province. Prince Longaidh, patriarch of the sept living in about 640, was a descendant of Oengus Mac Nad Fróich, the first Christian king of Munster in the 5th century who was said to have been baptized by Ss. Patrick and Ailbe on the Rock of Cashel. Early genealogical heritage survives in a poem attributed to the 7th century entitled Duan Cathain, preserved in An Leabhar Muimhneach. By the time of the Norman invasion in 1066, this Catholic clan was well established in its present territory in the Barony of Muskerry, County Cork, parishes of Canovee, Moviddy, Kilbonane, Kilmurry, and Dunisky straddling the River Lee.
The MacCarthys owed the prominent position they held in Desmond at that period of the English invasion of Ireland, not to primogeniture, but to the disturbed state and chaos of Munster during the Danish wars, in which their immediate ancestors took a prominent and praiseworthy part.
Gentle rulers
The rule of the Eóganachta in Munster is widely regarded as gentle and more sophisticated in comparison with the other provincial dynasties of Ireland. Not only was Munster the wealthiest of the provinces, but the Eóganachta were willing to concede other previously powerful kingdoms whom they had politically marginalized, such as the
Corcu Loígde, considerable status and freedom from tribute, based on their former status as rulers of the province.
Ancient origins
![RockOfCashelSummer1986](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/RockOfCashelSummer1986.jpg)
Their origins, possibly
Gaulish
Gaulish was an ancient Celtic languages, Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium ...
, are very obscure.
[O'Rahilly 1946] According to one of their own origin legends
Laud 610, they were descendants of Heber, eldest son of King Milesius from the north of Spain (modern-day Galicia). The proto-Eóganachta, from the time of
to the time of Crimthann mac Fidaig and Conall Corc, are sometimes referred to as the
Deirgtine
The Deirgtine (Deirgthine, Dergtine, Dergthine), Clanna Dergthened or "Descendants of Dego Dergthened" were the proto-historical ancestors of the historical Eóganachta dynasties of Munster. Their origins are unclear but they may have been of fai ...
in early sources.
The earliest evidence for the proto-Eóganachta, the Deirgthine or Deirgtine, is in the form of
ogham
Ogham ( Modern Irish: ; mga, ogum, ogom, later mga, ogam, label=none ) is an Early Medieval alphabet used primarily to write the early Irish language (in the "orthodox" inscriptions, 4th to 6th centuries AD), and later the Old Irish langu ...
inscriptions.
They appear to have initially been subjects of the
Dáirine, a warlike people with frequently mentioned connections to
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 King ...
, who were possibly cousins of the
Ulaid
Ulaid (Old Irish, ) or Ulaidh ( Modern Irish, ) was a Gaelic over-kingdom in north-eastern Ireland during the Middle Ages made up of a confederation of dynastic groups. Alternative names include Ulidia, which is the Latin form of Ulaid, and i ...
. The Dáirine were represented in historical times most clearly by the Corcu Loígde, over whom the Deirgtine finally achieved supremacy during the 7th century, following the loss by the former of their centuries-long hold on the
Kingdom of Osraige
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 ...
, apparently with some outside help from 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 ...
.
The Eóganachta achieved their status primarily through political and economic sophistication and not military conquest. Ireland was dominated by several hostile powers whom they were never in any position to challenge militarily on their own, in the early centuries, but there also existed a number of subject tribes whom the Deirgtine successfully convinced to adopt them as their overlords. The effect was to separate the Dáirine, by now mainly the Corcu Loígde, from their cousin kingdoms and prominent subjects. The Eóganachta progressively surrounded themselves with favoured vassals such as the
Múscraige
The Múscraighe (older spelling: Músgraige) were an important Érainn people of Munster, descending from Cairpre Músc, son of Conaire Cóem, a High King of Ireland. Closely related were the Corcu Duibne, Corcu Baiscind, both of Munster, and ...
, who would become the main source of their income as well as defense against the other kingdoms.
The later famous
Déisi Tuisceart
The ''Déisi'' were a socially powerful class of peoples from Ireland that settled in Wales and western England between the ancient and early medieval period. The various peoples listed under the heading ''déis'' shared the same status in Gaeli ...
, who would produce
Brian Bóruma, were among these vassal peoples. The
Déisi Muman
The ''Déisi'' were a socially powerful class of peoples from Ireland that settled in Wales and western England between the ancient and early medieval period. The various peoples listed under the heading ''déis'' shared the same status in Gaeli ...
of
County Waterford may have shared Gaulish origins with the Eóganachta themselves.
Another powerful people of early Munster were the
Mairtine The Mairtine (Martini, Marthene, Muirtine, Maidirdine, Mhairtine) were an important people of late prehistoric Munster, Ireland who by early historical times appear to have completely vanished from the Irish political landscape. They are notable for ...
, who had their capital at
Emly
Emly or Emlybeg () is a village in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is a civil parish in the historical barony of Clanwilliam. It is also an Ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly.
It is situated on the R515 ...
or Imlech Ibair, first known as Medón Mairtine. It became the head church of the Eóganachta.
Mythology
See
*
Aimend
In Irish mythology and genealogy, Aimend is the daughter of Óengus Bolg, king of the Dáirine or Corcu Loígde. She marries Conall Corc, founder of the Eóganachta dynasties, and through him is an ancestor of the "inner circle" septs of Eógana ...
*
Áine
Áine () is an Irish goddess of summer, wealth and sovereignty. She is associated with midsummer and the sun,MacKillop, James (1998) ''Dictionary of Celtic Mythology'' Oxford: Oxford University Press pp.10, 16, 128 and is sometimes represente ...
*
Battle of Mag Mucrama
*
Leath Mogha
*
Lugaid mac Con
Lugaid Mac Con, often known simply as Mac Con, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. He belonged to the Corcu Loígde, and thus to the Dáirine. His father was Macnia mac Lugdach, and his mothe ...
*
Mór Muman
Mór Muman or Mór Mumain (modern spelling: Mór Mhumhan) is a figure from early Irish literature who is said to have been a queen of Munster and daughter of king Áed Bennán. Her name means "the Great Mother" and the province of Munster (''An ...
*
Mug Ruith
Mug Ruith (or Mogh Roith, "slave of the wheel") is a figure in Irish mythology, a powerful blind druid of Munster who lived on Valentia Island, County Kerry. He could grow to enormous size, and his breath caused storms and turned men to stone. He ...
*
Nia Segamain
Nia Segamain, son of Adamair, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. He took power after killing his predecessor, Conall Collamrach. Geoffrey Keating says his mother was the presumed woodland god ...
*
Óengus Bolg
Óengus Bolg, son of Lugaid, son of Mac Nia, son of Mac Con, son (or descendant) of Lugaid Loígde, son of Dáire Doimthech,O'Brien, p. 262O'Donovan was a king of the Corcu Loígde, and an ancestor of the Eóganachta "inner circle" through his dau ...
*
Senchas Fagbála Caisil
Royal houses, Septs and surnames
Early figures
A number of the figures below may be listed under the wrong septs. The quality of Eóganachta genealogical and historical writing greatly improves in the 2nd millennium under the MacCarthy overlords but some problems remain. The earliest historical rulers from the Eóganachta, descendants of
Conall Corc
Corc mac Luigthig (340-379),Genealogy of the House of Mac-Carthy formerly Sovereign of the Two Momonies or Southern Ireland, P. Louis Lainé, pg. 26, https://celt.ucc.ie/published/F830000-001.html also called Conall Corc, Corc of Cashel, and Corc ...
, include:
*
(
Deirgtine
The Deirgtine (Deirgthine, Dergtine, Dergthine), Clanna Dergthened or "Descendants of Dego Dergthened" were the proto-historical ancestors of the historical Eóganachta dynasties of Munster. Their origins are unclear but they may have been of fai ...
)
*
Ailill Aulomm
*
Éogan Mór
In Irish traditional history Eógan (or Eoghan Mór—a name also used by his grandfather, Mug Nuadat), eldest son of Ailill Ollamh, was a 2nd or 3rd century AD king of Munster. He is credited with founding or at least giving his name to the ...
*
Fiachu Muillethan
Fiachu Muillethan (broad crown) or Fiachu Fer Da Liach (of the two sorrows), son of Éogan Mór, was a legendary king belonging to the Deirgtine, the proto-historical ancestors of the Eóganachta dynasties of Munster. He is known primarily from th ...
*
Ailill Flann Bec
Ailill Flann Bec, son of Fiachu Muillethan, was an Irish dynast belonging to the Deirgtine, the proto-historical ancestors of the historical Eóganachta dynasties of Munster. He was the father of Luigthech, also known as Lugaid, and thus the gra ...
*
Luigthech
* Conall Corc (Eóganachta)
**
Nad Froích mac Cuirc (Inner Circle)
***
Óengus mac Nad Froích
Óengus mac Nad Froích (430-489) was an Eoganachta and the first Christian King of Munster. He was the son of Nad Froich mac Cuirc by Faochan, a British lady (called daughter of the King of Britain). In Geoffrey Keating's ''History of Ireland'' ...
, d. 489
****
Feidlimid mac Óengusa
Feidlimid mac Óengusa (455-500), or Feidlimid Dub, was an Eoganachta King of Munster in the early 6th century. He was the son of Óengus mac Nad Froích, the first Christian king of Munster.
The chronology of the 6th-century kings of Munster in ...
****
Eochaid mac Óengusa
Eochaid mac Óengusa (died 522) was a King of Munster from the ruling Eoganachta dynasty. He was the son of Óengus mac Nad Froích (died 489), the first Christian king of Munster.
The chronology of the 6th century Munster kings is confusing in t ...
, d. 522
***
Ailill mac Nad Froích
**
Coirpre Luachra mac Cuirc
Coirpre Luachra mac Cuirc (flourished mid 5th century) was the ancestor of the Eóganacht Locha Léin branch of the Eoganachta, the ruling dynasty of Munster. This branch was also called the Ui Caipre Luachra, named after him and became the rulers ...
(Uí Choirpri Lúachra)
**
Mac Cass mac Cuirc
Mac or MAC most commonly refers to:
* Mac (computer), a family of personal computers made by Apple Inc.
* Mackintosh, a raincoat made of rubberized cloth
* A variant of the word macaroni, mostly used in the name of the dish mac and cheese
* Ma ...
(Uí Echach Muman)
The princely houses of the Eóganachta may usefully be divided into the inner circle, the outer circle and extinct septs.
Princely houses: inner circle
![Derrynaflan chalice](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Derrynaflan_chalice.jpg)
:*
Eóganacht Chaisil
Eóganacht Chaisil were a branch of the Eóganachta, the ruling dynasty of Munster between the 5th and 10th centuries. They took their name from Cashel (County Tipperary) which was the capital of the early Catholic kingdom of Munster. They were ...
:*
Eóganacht Áine
Eóganacht Áine or Eóganacht Áine Cliach was a princely house of the Eóganachta, dynasty of Munster during the 5th–12th centuries. They took their name from the Hill of Áine ( ga, Cnoc Áine) near the present day village of Knockainy, C ...
:*
Eóganacht Glendamnach
Eóganacht Glendamnach were a branch of the Eóganachta, the ruling dynasty of Munster during the 5th-10th centuries. They took their name from Glendamnach (Glanworth, County Cork). They were descended from Óengus mac Nad Froích (died 489), the ...
These three princely houses produced nearly all Kings of Cashel from the 5th to the 10th centuries. Some were strong, others were renowned bishops and scholars, and others were weak. The importance of the Cashel kingship was primarily ceremonial, and rulers were with the occasional exception not militarily aggressive, although they continually strove for political dominance as far as they could with the province's wealth. Strong petty kingdoms regarded as subject would receive large payments called ''rath'' in return for their acknowledgment of the political supremacy of Cashel, and they would sometimes give hostages as well.
The most powerful petty kingdoms exchanged hostages with the King of Cashel, and though subject in some sense (by agreement), they were legally free and capable of terminating the contract.
The Eóganacht Chaisil under the MacCarthys would later form the much more militarily capable but undermanned
Kingdom of Desmond
The Kingdom of Desmond () was a historic kingdom in southwestern Ireland. It was founded in 1118 by Tadhg Mac Cárthaigh, King of Munster when the Treaty of Glanmire formally divided the Kingdom of Munster into Desmond and Thomond (, "Nor ...
. The O'Sullivans, the eldest of the Eóganacht Chaisil, were the most powerful lords under them. The O'Keeffes of Eóganacht Glendamnach would later produce many great soldiers for Irish and Continental armies. The O'Callaghans were a smaller sept who have distinguished themselves in recent times, while the MacAuliffes and MacGillycuddys are, as stated, simply septs of the MacCarthys and O'Sullivans. The O'Kirbys of Eóganacht Áine were ruined by the
Norman Invasion of Ireland
The Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland took place during the late 12th century, when Anglo-Normans gradually conquered and acquired large swathes of land from the Irish, over which the kings of England then claimed sovereignty, all allegedly sanc ...
.
*
Eóganacht Chaisil
Eóganacht Chaisil were a branch of the Eóganachta, the ruling dynasty of Munster between the 5th and 10th centuries. They took their name from Cashel (County Tipperary) which was the capital of the early Catholic kingdom of Munster. They were ...
of
Cashel (
O'Callaghan
O'Callaghan () or simply Callaghan without the prefix (anglicized from '' Ó Ceallacháin'') is an Irish surname.
Origin and meaning Munster
The surname means descendant of Ceallachán who was the Eóganachta King of Munster from AD 935 until ...
,
MacCarthy,
MacGillycuddy,
MacAuliffe,
O'Sullivan
O'Sullivan ( ga, Ó Súilleabháin, Súileabhánach) is an Irish Gaelic clan based most prominently in what is today County Cork and County Kerry. The surname is associated with the southwestern part of Ireland, and was originally found in Count ...
)
**
Carthage the Elder
Saint Carthage the Elder (or Carthach) was an Irish bishop and abbot in the sixth century. His feast day is 5 March.
The saint is mainly known as a disciple and successor of Ciaran of Saighir (''the Elder'') and the tutor and fosterer of his ...
**
Fíngen mac Áedo Duib, d. 618
**
Faílbe Flann mac Áedo Duib
Faílbe Flann mac Áedo Duib (died 639) was a King of Munster from the Eóganacht Chaisil branch of the Eoganachta. He succeeded Cathal mac Áedo Flaind Chathrach of the Glendamnach branch in 628. He was the younger brother of a previous king ...
, d. 639
**
Máenach mac Fíngin
Máenach mac Fíngin (died 661) was a King of Munster from the Eóganacht Chaisil branch of the Eoganachta. He was the son of Fíngen mac Áedo Duib (died 618), a previous king. His mother was Mór Muman (died 636), daughter of Áed Bennán mac ...
, d. 661
**
Colgú mac Faílbe Flaind
Colgú mac Faílbe Flaind (died 678) was a King of Munster from the Eóganacht Chaisil branch of the Eoganachta. He was the son of Faílbe Flann mac Áedo Duib (d. 639),Francis J.Byrne, ''Irish Kings and High-Kings'', Table 12 a previous king. H ...
, d. 678
**
Cormac mac Ailello, d. 712
**
Tnúthgal mac Donngaile, d. 820
**
Feidlimid mac Cremthanin
Fedelmid mac Crimthainn was the King of Munster between 820 and 846. He was numbered as a member of the Céli Dé, an abbot of Cork Abbey and Clonfert Abbey, and possibly a bishop. After his death, he was later considered a saint in some mart ...
, d.
847
__NOTOC__
Year 847 ( DCCCXLVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place Europe
* Danish Vikings land in the Breton March (western part of Gaul). Duke Nominoe ...
**
Áilgenán mac Donngaile
Áilgenán mac Donngaile (died 853) was a King of Munster from the Eóganacht Chaisil
Eóganacht Chaisil were a branch of the Eóganachta, the ruling dynasty of Munster between the 5th and 10th centuries. They took their name from Cashel (Count ...
, d. 853
**
Máel Gualae
Máel mac Donngaile (died 859), known as Máel Gualae, was a King of Munster from the Eóganacht Chaisil branch of the Eoganachta, the ruling dynasty of Munster. He was of the Clann Faílbe sept of this branch and a grandson of Tnúthgal mac Donn ...
, d. 859
**
Cormac mac Cuilennáin
Cormac mac Cuilennáin (died 13 September 908) was an Irish bishop and the king of Munster from 902 until his death at the Battle of Bellaghmoon. He was killed in Leinster.
Cormac was regarded as a saintly figure after his death, and his shri ...
, d.
908
__NOTOC__
Year 908 ( CMVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* May 15 – The three-year-old Constantine VII, the son of Emperor L ...
(see also
Sanas Cormaic
''Sanas Cormaic'' (or ''Sanas Chormaic'', Irish for "Cormac's narrative"), also known as ''Cormac's Glossary'', is an early Irish glossary containing etymologies and explanations of over 1,400 Irish words, many of which are difficult or outdated. ...
, Cormac's Glossary)
**
Cellachán Caisil, d. 954
**
Donnchad mac Cellacháin
Donnchad mac Cellacháin ( fl. 961–963) was a son of Cellachan of Cashel who is alleged to have briefly ruled as King of Cashel and Munster from 961 until 963, when he was murdered by his brother.
Although in some popular accounts he is succe ...
, d. 963
*
Eóganacht Glendamnach
Eóganacht Glendamnach were a branch of the Eóganachta, the ruling dynasty of Munster during the 5th-10th centuries. They took their name from Glendamnach (Glanworth, County Cork). They were descended from Óengus mac Nad Froích (died 489), the ...
(O'Keeffe)
**
Crimthann Srem mac Echado
Crimthann Srem mac Echado (died circa 542), also known as Crimthann Feimin, was a King of Munster from the Eoganachta dynasty in the early 6th century. He was the son of Eochaid mac Óengusa (died 522) and grandson of the first Christian king of ...
, d. c. 542
**
Coirpre Cromm mac Crimthainn
Coirpre Cromm mac Crimthainn (died 577) was a King of Munster from the Eóganacht Glendamnach sept of the ruling Eoganachta dynasty. This branch was centred at Glanworth, County Cork. He was the son of Crimthann Srem mac Echado (died circa 542).
...
, d. 577
**
Cathal mac Áedo
Cathal mac Áedo Flaind Chathrach (died 627) was a King of Cashel in Munster from the Glendamnach sept of the Eoganachta. He was the son of Áed Fland Cathrach and grandson of Coirpre Cromm mac Crimthainn (died 577) a previous king of Cashel. H ...
, d. 627
**
Cathal Cú-cen-máthair
Cathal Cú-cen-máthair mac Cathaíl (died 665), often known as Cú-cen-máthair, was an Irish King of Munster from around 661 until his death. He was a son of Cathal mac Áedo Flaind Chathrach (died c. 628) and belonged to the Glendamnach sept o ...
, d. 665
**
Finguine mac Cathail
Finguine mac Cathail Con-cen-máthair (died 696) was a King of Munster from the Glendamnach branch of the Eoganachta. He was the son of Cathal Cú-cen-máthair mac Cathaíl (d. 665).Francis J.Byrne, ''Irish Kings and High-Kings'', Table 13 He succ ...
, d. 696
**
Ailill mac Cathail
Ailill mac Cathail Con-cen-máthair (died 701) was a King of Munster from the Glendamnach branch of the Eóganachta. He was the son of Cathal Cú-cen-máthair mac Cathail (d. 665) and brother of his predecessor Finguine mac Cathail Con-cen-máthai ...
, d. 701
**
Cathal mac Finguine
Cathal mac Finguine (died 742) was an Irish King of Munster or Cashel, and effectively High King of Ireland as well. He belonged to the Eóganacht Glendamnach sept of the dominant Eóganachta kin-group whose members dominated Munster from the ...
, d. 742
**
Artrí mac Cathail
Artrí mac Cathail (died 821) was a King of Munster from the Glendamnach branch of the Eóganachta. He was the son of Cathal mac Finguine (died 742), a previous king. He reigned from 793 to 820.
The kingship of Munster had rotated among the inner ...
, d. 821
*
Eóganacht Áine
Eóganacht Áine or Eóganacht Áine Cliach was a princely house of the Eóganachta, dynasty of Munster during the 5th–12th centuries. They took their name from the Hill of Áine ( ga, Cnoc Áine) near the present day village of Knockainy, C ...
(O'Kirby, O'Kirwick/Kerwick)
**
Garbán mac Éndai
**
Amalgaid mac Éndai
Amalgaid mac Éndai (died 601) was a King of Munster from the Eóganacht Áine branch of the Eoganachta and appears as the first king from this branch.
The chronology of the Munster kings from this period is confusing. The ''Annals of Tigernach ...
, d. 601
**
Cúán mac Amalgado
Cúán mac Amalgado (died 641) was a King of Munster from the Eóganacht Áine branch of the Eóganachta. He was the son of a previous king Amalgaid mac Éndai (d. 601). He succeeded Faílbe Flann mac Áedo Duib in 639.
No events are recorded ...
, d. 641
**
Eterscél mac Máele Umai
Eterscél mac Máele Umai (d. 721) was a king of Munster from the Eóganacht Áine branch of the Eóganachta. He was the grandson of Cúán mac Amalgado (d. 641), a previous king.
There is confusion in the sources between his reign and that of Ai ...
, d. 721
**
Cathussach mac Eterscélai, d. c. 769
**
Ólchobar mac Duib-Indrecht
Ólchobar mac Duib-Indrecht (died 805) was a supposed King of Munster from the Eóganacht Áine branch of the Eóganachta. His last paternal ancestor to hold the throne was Cúán mac Amalgado (died 641), five generations previous. His great-grand ...
, d. 805
**
Ólchobar mac Cináeda
Ólchobar mac Cináeda (died 851) was King of Munster from 847 until his death. He may be the "king of the Irish" who sent an embassy to Frankish Emperor Charles the Bald announcing a series of victories over Vikings in Ireland in 848.
Origins
...
, d. 851
**
Cenn Fáelad hua Mugthigirn, d. 872
Princely houses: outer circle
![Ross Castle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Ross_Castle.jpg)
:* Eóganacht Locha Léin
:* Eóganacht Raithlind
The two "outer" princely houses of the dynasty dwelt to the west and south of the central dynasties. Though descended from Conall Corc and thus theoretically entitled to hold the kingship, in effect these dynasties were excluded from Cashel politics, a situation which may or may not have been based on geographical realities.
[Charles-Edwards 2000] Powerful kings could become ''de facto'' Kings of Munster, but in general the central dynasties refused to recognize them as such, and this resulted in particular antagonism between Cashel and Eóganacht Locha Léin, the power of which was eventually broken.
Eóganacht Raithlind was not as aggressive and so survived under O'Mahony rule well into the 2nd millennium. The O'Donoghues, originally from Eóganacht Raithlind, would move in to become the new princes of Eóganacht Locha Léin, and are still represented among the Irish nobles today by the Lord of Glenflesk (see below).
Oddly enough, the Eóganacht Raithlind, the Eóganacht Locha Léin, and the Uí Fidgenti-Liatháin (below), are all together referred to as the Three Eóganachta of Munster in early medieval story known as ''
The Expulsion of the Déisi
''The Expulsion of the Déisi'' is a medieval Irish narrative of the Cycles of the Kings. It dates approximately to the 8th century, but survives only in manuscripts of a much later date. It describes the fictional history of the Déisi, a group ...
''.
This is strange in part because the first two were supposedly descended from Conall Corc and not Dáire Cerbba, but this grouping may be simply meant to illustrate that these were all free tribes in comparison with the rent-paying
Déisi
The ''Déisi'' were a socially powerful class of peoples from Ireland that settled in Wales and western England between the ancient and early medieval period. The various peoples listed under the heading ''déis'' shared the same status in Gaeli ...
. Ongoing DNA analysis of the O'Connells of Kerry would seem to confirm an Eóghanacht origin, most closely related to the O'Donoghues (Eóghanacht Locha Léin), though they are in some sources assigned to the Uí Fidgenti-Liatháin. The Eóganacht Locha Léin were themselves often viewed by the "inner circle" with surprisingly vicious hostility, and this somehow involved a connection to the
Picts
The Picts were a group of peoples who lived in what is now northern and eastern Scotland (north of the Firth of Forth) during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Where they lived and what their culture was like can be inferred from ea ...
of
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
.
The occasional misguided attempts to "rank" these powerful septs "below" those of the inner circle, or even to exclude them from the Eóganachta entirely, can be rejected. See also
Iarmuman
Iarmhumhain (older spellings: Iarmuman, Iarmumu or Iarluachair) was a Kingdom in the early Christian period of Ireland in west Munster. Its ruling dynasty was related to the main ruling dynasty of Munster known as the Eóganachta. Its ruling branc ...
.
*
Eóganacht Locha Léin
__NOTOC__
Eóganacht Locha Léin or Uí Cairpre Luachra were a branch of the ruling Eóganachta of Munster. Their territory was in Iarmuman or West Munster. Luachair (Lúachra) is the old name of a large district on the borders of Co Cork, Kerry a ...
(O'Moriarity, and others, later O'Donoghue)
**
Dauí Iarlaithe mac Maithni
Dauí Iarlaithe mac Maithni (flourished circa 500) was a King of Iarmuman (west Munster) from the Eóganacht Locha Léin branch of the Eoganachta, the ruling dynasty of Munster. He was the grandson of the founder of this branch of the dynasty, ...
**
Áed Bennán mac Crimthainn
Áed Bennán mac Crimthainn (died 618) was a possible King of Munster from the Eóganacht Locha Léin branch of the Eoganachta. He was definitely king of West Munster or Iarmuman. He was the great grandson of Dauí Iarlaithe mac Maithni also ...
, d. 618
**
Máel Dúin mac Áedo Bennán
Máel Dúin mac Áedo Bennán (died 661) was a King of Iarmuman (west Munster) from the Eóganacht Locha Léin branch of the Eoganachta. He was the son of Áed Bennán mac Crimthainn (died 618), who may have been King of all Munster. His uncle ...
, d. 661
**
Congal mac Máele Dúin
Congal mac Máele Dúin (died 690) was a King of Iarmuman (west Munster) from the Eóganacht Locha Léin branch of the Eoganachta, the ruling dynasty of Munster. He was the son of Máel Dúin mac Áedo Bennán
Máel Dúin mac Áedo Bennán (die ...
, d. 690
**
Máel Dúin mac Áedo
Máel Dúin mac Áedo (died 786) was a possible King of Munster from the Eóganacht Locha Léin branch of the Eóganachta. He was the son of Áed Bennán mac Conaing (died 733), a king of Iarmuman or West Munster and great great grandson of ...
, d. 786
*
Eóganacht Raithlind
Eóganacht Raithlind or Uí Echach Muman are a branch of the Eóganachta, the ruling dynasty of Munster in southwest Ireland during the 5th-10th centuries. They took their name from Raithlinn or Raithleann described around the area of Bandon, i ...
(O'Mahony, O'Donoghue, O'Long, and many others)
**
Feidlimid mac Tigernaig
Feidlimid mac Tigernaig (died 588) was a King of Munster from the Raithlind branch of the Eoganachta. This branch of the family only rarely provided a king in Munster. He succeeded Fergus Scandal mac Crimthainn as king in 582.
A proverb stated t ...
, d. 588
**
Máel Muad mac Brain
Máel Muad mac Brain (died 978), commonly anglicised Molloy, was King of Munster, first possibly from 959 Green, p. 362 or alternatively 963 to around 970, when he may have been deposed (usurped) by Mathgamain mac Cennétig of the Dál gCais, and ...
, d. 978 (see also
Mathgamain mac Cennétig
Mathgamain mac Cennétig (also known as Mahon) was King of Munster from around 970 to his death in 976. He was the elder brother of Brian Bóruma.
Mathgamain was the son of Cennétig mac Lorcáin of the Dál gCais. His father died in 951 and ...
)
Extinct septs
There are several extinct and/or unconfirmed septs:
*
Eóganacht Airthir Cliach (extinct)
**
Fergus Scandal mac Crimthainn, d. 582
*
Eóganacht Ninussa
*
Éoganacht Ua Cathbach
Surnames and clan names
Eóganachta dynastic surnames include
O'Callaghan
O'Callaghan () or simply Callaghan without the prefix (anglicized from '' Ó Ceallacháin'') is an Irish surname.
Origin and meaning Munster
The surname means descendant of Ceallachán who was the Eóganachta King of Munster from AD 935 until ...
,
MacCarthy,
O'Donoghue
Donoghue or O'Donoghue is an anglicized form of the Irish language surname Ó Donnchadha or Ó Donnchú.
Etymology
The name means "descendant of Donnchadh", a personal name composed of the elements ''donn'' "brown-haired an and ''cath'' "battle" ...
,
MacGillycuddy,
O'Keeffe
O'Keeffe ( ga, Ó Caoimh), also O'Keefe, Keef, Keefe, Keeffe, Keifer or Keever is the name of an Irish Gaelic clan based most prominently in what is today County Cork, particularly around Fermoy and Duhallow. The name comes from ''caomh'', m ...
,
O'Moriarity,
O'Sullivan
O'Sullivan ( ga, Ó Súilleabháin, Súileabhánach) is an Irish Gaelic clan based most prominently in what is today County Cork and County Kerry. The surname is associated with the southwestern part of Ireland, and was originally found in Count ...
, among others, many of them of contested origin.
MacAuliffe is typically a MacCarthy (Cremin) sept.
MacGillycuddy is an O'Sullivan (Mor) sept.
O'Long is classed as Eóganacht (Raithlind).
O'Driscoll
O'Driscoll (and its derivative Driscoll) is an Irish surname stemming from the Gaelic ''Ó hEidirsceoil'' clan. The O'Driscolls were rulers of the Dáirine sept of the Corcu Loígde until the early modern period. Their ancestors were Kings o ...
is Corcu Loígde (Dáirine) but the family are related to the Eóganachta through early and late marriages and so qualify as natural kin.
O'Leary
History Ancient
The Uí Laoghaire clan, today associated with the Uibh Laoghaire parish in County Cork, is considered by scholars to have originated in the early Middle Ages on the south-west coast, in the area of Ros Ó gCairbre (Rosscarbery), ...
can be either Corcu Loígde or Uí Fidgenti or Eóganacht depending on the sept.
O'Carroll
O'Carroll ( ga, Ó Cearbhaill), also known as simply Carroll, Carrol or Carrell, is a Gaelic Irish clan which is the most prominent sept of the Ciannachta (also known as Clan Cian). Their genealogies claim that they are kindred with the Eógan ...
of
Éile
Éile (; sga, Éle, ), commonly anglicised as Ely, was a medieval petty kingdom in the southern part of the modern county of Offaly and parts of North Tipperary in Ireland. The historic barony of Eliogarty was once a significant portion of the ki ...
may or may not be distantly related to the Eóganachta.
Scannell Scannell is an Irish surname.
People
Notable people with the surname include:
Acting
* Brendan Scannell (born 1990), American actor and comedian
* Susan Scannell (born 1958), American actress
* Tony Scannell
Thomas Anthony Scannell (14 Augu ...
was also a sept of some significance and it is recorded that in 1014, Eocha, son of Dunadbach, Chief of Clann Scannail, and Scannail son of Cathal, Lord of
Eóganacht Locha Léin
__NOTOC__
Eóganacht Locha Léin or Uí Cairpre Luachra were a branch of the ruling Eóganachta of Munster. Their territory was in Iarmuman or West Munster. Luachair (Lúachra) is the old name of a large district on the borders of Co Cork, Kerry a ...
, were killed at 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 for ...
.
Out of the approximately 150 surviving Irish surnames of princely or
comital
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
origins, the Eóganachta and their allies account for approximately 30, or about one fifth. Unfortunately their pedigrees are often hopelessly disorganized and confused and so it is difficult or impossible to tell in many cases which people belong to which septs,
or in fact if they even belong to the Eóganachta at all. There is also great evidence in the pedigrees and regnal lists of repeated modification, outright fabrication, and unceremonious deletion, at least for the early period (all concerned sources), with some criticisms quite severe, although this is also a problem with
Connachta and
Laigin
The Laigin, modern spelling Laighin (), were a Gaelic population group of early Ireland. They gave their name to the Kingdom of Leinster, which in the medieval era was known in Irish as ''Cóiced Laigen'', meaning "Fifth/province of the Leinster ...
material.
Eóganachta Kings of Munster
Other kingdoms
In Ireland
![Ardagh chalice](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Ardagh_chalice.jpg)
Sometimes also included are the
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 ...
(
O'Donovan
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 ...
,
O'Collins O'Collins is a common anglicized surname of two ancient families of Irish origin: O'Cuilleain and O'Coilean.
Origin of O'Cuilleain
O'Cuilleain or Cuilliaéan is an extremely ancient Irish name from Gaelic ''cuileann'' and primitive Gaelic '' ...
,
O'Flannery,
Lyons, among others.) and the related
Uí Liatháin
The Uí Liatháin (IPA: iːˈlʲiəhaːnʲ were an early kingdom of Munster in southern Ireland. They belonged the same kindred as the Uí Fidgenti, and the two are considered together in the earliest sources, for example '' The Expulsion of th ...
(
Lyons,
Gleeson, others), ancient allies of the Eóganachta who may have originally belonged to the
Dáirine, although it is also possible they were earlier or peripheral branches of the descendants of Ailill Flann Bec, or of Ailill Aulomm, not involved in the innovative Cashel politics of the descendants of Conall Corc, actual founder of the Eóganachta dynasties. In this way, the children of Fidach, the early monarch Crimthand Mór mac Fidaig and his sister
Mongfind
Mongfind (or Mongfhionn in modern Irish)—meaning "fair hair" or "white hair"—is a figure from Irish legend. She is said to have been the wife, of apparent Munster origins, of the legendary High King Eochaid Mugmedón and mother of his eldes ...
, also belong to the peripheral Eóganachta. But only the descendants of Conall Corc, son of Luigdech or Lugaid, son of Ailill Flann Bec, could claim Cashel, whereas all three of these more distantly related aristocracies appear to descend from
Dáire Cerbba
Dáire Cerbba (or Cerba, Cearba, Cearb; meaning "Silver Dáire" or "Dáire the Sharp/Cutting") was a 4th-century Irish dynast who was evidently a king of late prehistoric central northern Munster, called Medón Mairtíne at the time. A frequent ...
and/or Maine Munchaín, so-called brother(s) of Lugaid. In any case, both the Uí Fidgenti and Uí Liatháin were apparently fading, for whatever reasons, while the Eóganachta were in their prime. They paid no obvious tribute but were little involved in the political scene after a period, the terms of the alliance being only that they were expected to support the Eóganachta militarily on "honour related" expeditions outside Munster or in the defence of it.
The Uí Fidgenti did exchange hostages with the King of Cashel, just like the Eóganacht Raithlind and Eóganacht Locha Léin were honoured, and so they appear to have been viewed as kin from an early period, even if they may have been Dáirine to begin with or included very substantial elements.
In the earliest genealogies, mostly found i
Rawlinson B 502 they are in some way kin to the Eóganachta, even if only through marriage at first as suggested by some later interpreters.
According to Rawlinson B 502, Dáire Cerbba was born in
Brega,
County Meath
County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the sou ...
, but no explanation is given. This might mean his family were even later arrivals to Munster than the Eóganachta and help explain their lack of centralization and well known colonies in
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
. The Uí Fidgenti (NW) and Uí Liatháin (SE) were in opposing corners of Munster with the Eóganacht Áine and Eóganacht Glendamnach more or less in between, as well as the Fir Mag Fene. Brega bordered on the territory of the
Laigin
The Laigin, modern spelling Laighin (), were a Gaelic population group of early Ireland. They gave their name to the Kingdom of Leinster, which in the medieval era was known in Irish as ''Cóiced Laigen'', meaning "Fifth/province of the Leinster ...
, and was originally a part of it.
Against this is the fact that the Uí Fidgenti had their own capital at Dún Eochair in Munster, constructed by the Dáirine several centuries before the rise of Cashel, as described by
Geoffrey Keating
Geoffrey Keating ( ga, Seathrún Céitinn; c. 1569 – c. 1644) was a 17th-century historian. He was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, and is buried in Tubrid Graveyard in the parish of Ballylooby-Duhill. He became an Irish Catholic priest and a ...
.
In Scotland
It has been suggested that the
Kings of the Picts
The list of kings of the Picts is based on the Pictish Chronicle king lists. These are late documents and do not record the dates when the kings reigned. The various surviving lists disagree in places as to the names of kings, and the lengths of ...
were derived from a sept of the Eóganachta. If so, then the Eóganacht Locha Léin, and thus the ancestors of the O'Moriartys and others, are the most obvious candidates. Not only were they at one point expansive as the powerful
Kingdom of Iarmuman, but they were also frustrated by their exclusion and forced isolation by the inner circle. The inner circle exhibited peculiar attitudes from time to time and so this could have been the real story.
*
Eóganacht Maige Geirginn. The plain of Circinn is thought to be the area of
Angus
Angus may refer to:
Media
* ''Angus'' (film), a 1995 film
* ''Angus Og'' (comics), in the ''Daily Record''
Places Australia
* Angus, New South Wales
Canada
* Angus, Ontario, a community in Essa, Ontario
* East Angus, Quebec
Scotland
* An ...
and the
Mearns in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
.
**
Óengus I of the Picts
In Irish mythology, Aengus or Óengus is one of the Tuatha Dé Danann and probably originally a god associated with youth, love,Ó hÓgáin, Dáithí. ''Myth, Legend & Romance: An encyclopedia of the Irish folk tradition''. Prentice-Hall Press, ...
, d. 761
**
Bridei V of the Picts
Bridei V ( Gaelic: ''Bruide mac Fergusa'') was king of Fortriu from 761 until 763. He was the brother of Óengus. His death is recorded by the '' Annals of Ulster'' and the ''Annals of Tigernach
The ''Annals of Tigernach'' (abbr. AT, ga, ...
**
Talorgan II of the Picts
Talorgan (Scottish Gaelic: ''Talorgen mac Óengusa'') was a king of the Picts. The Annals of Ulster report the death of ''Dub Tholargg'' (Black Talorcen) ''king of the Picts on this side of the Mounth'' in 782. He is presumed to have been the son ...
, d. 782
**
Drest VIII of the Picts
Drest son of Talorcan (Scottish Gaelic: ''Drest mac Talorgan''), was king of the Picts from 782 until 783, succeeding his father Talorgan.
See also
* House of Óengus
The House of Óengus is a proposed dynasty that may have ruled as Kings of t ...
**
Constantín mac Fergusa, d. 820
**
Óengus II of the Picts
In Irish mythology, Aengus or Óengus is one of the Tuatha Dé Danann and probably originally a god associated with youth, love,Ó hÓgáin, Dáithí. ''Myth, Legend & Romance: An encyclopedia of the Irish folk tradition''. Prentice-Hall Press, ...
, d. 834
**
Drest IX of the Picts
Drest was king of the Picts, in modern Scotland, from about 834 until 837. He was the son of King Caustantín and succeeded his uncle, Óengus, to the throne.
The length of his reign is based on the various Pictish king lists, where he is asso ...
, d. 836 or 837
**
Eóganan mac Óengusa
Uuen (Wen) or Eogán mac Óengusa in Gaelic (commonly referred to by the hypocoristic ''Eóganán'') was king of the Picts between AD 837–839.
Life
Uuen was a son of Onuist II on ofUurguist rguist(in Gaelic: Óengus II mac Fergusa, died 834) ...
, d. 839
History
Competition with the Uí Néill
See Byrne (2001),
Cathal mac Finguine
Cathal mac Finguine (died 742) was an Irish King of Munster or Cashel, and effectively High King of Ireland as well. He belonged to the Eóganacht Glendamnach sept of the dominant Eóganachta kin-group whose members dominated Munster from the ...
,
Feidlimid mac Cremthanin
Fedelmid mac Crimthainn was the King of Munster between 820 and 846. He was numbered as a member of the Céli Dé, an abbot of Cork Abbey and Clonfert Abbey, and possibly a bishop. After his death, he was later considered a saint in some mart ...
,
Synod of Birr.
Competition with the Dál gCais
In some later traditions of
Thomond
Thomond (Classical Irish: ; Modern Irish: ), also known as the kingdom of Limerick, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Clare and County Limerick, as well as parts of County Tipperary around Nena ...
,
Eógan had a younger brother,
Cas, who is said to have originated the rival
Dál gCais
The Dalcassians ( ga, Dál gCais ) are a Gaelic Irish clan, generally accepted by contemporary scholarship as being a branch of the Déisi Muman, that became very powerful in Ireland during the 10th century. Their genealogies claimed descent fr ...
dynasty of Ireland. The smaller Dál gCais kingdom proved to have surprising military might, and displaced the increasingly beset Eóganachta, who were suffering also from attacks by the
Vikings
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
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 ...
, on the Munster throne during the course of the 10th century. From this the Eóganachta and their allies would never fully recover, but they did continue, largely in the form of the
MacCarthys and
O'Sullivan
O'Sullivan ( ga, Ó Súilleabháin, Súileabhánach) is an Irish Gaelic clan based most prominently in what is today County Cork and County Kerry. The surname is associated with the southwestern part of Ireland, and was originally found in Count ...
s, to assert their authority and rule large parts of Desmond for the next six centuries. They would badly rout the
FitzGerald
The FitzGerald/FitzMaurice Dynasty is a noble and aristocratic dynasty of Cambro-Norman, Anglo-Norman and later Hiberno-Norman origin. They have been peers of Ireland since at least the 13th century, and are described in the Annals of the ...
s at the
Battle of Callann
The Battle of Callann was fought in August 1261 between the Hiberno-Normans, under John FitzGerald, and three Gaelic clans: MacCarthy, who held the Kingdom of Desmond, under Fínghin Mac Carthaigh, King of Desmond, ancestor of the MacCar ...
, halting the advance of the
Normans
The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Fran ...
into Desmond, and win back many territories briefly held by them.
See Byrne (2001), Todd (1867),
Brian Bóruma,
Mathgamain mac Cennétig
Mathgamain mac Cennétig (also known as Mahon) was King of Munster from around 970 to his death in 976. He was the elder brother of Brian Bóruma.
Mathgamain was the son of Cennétig mac Lorcáin of the Dál gCais. His father died in 951 and ...
,
Cennétig mac Lorcáin,
Kings of Munster
The kings of Munster ( ga, Rí Mumhan), ruled from the establishment of Munster during the Irish Iron Age, until the High Middle Ages. According to Gaelic traditional history, laid out in works such as the ''Book of Invasions'', the earliest k ...
,
Kings of Desmond
The following is a list of monarchs of the Kingdom of Desmond. Most were of the MacCarthy Mór ("great MacCarthy"), the senior branch of the MacCarthy dynasty.
12th century MacCarthy
MacCarthy claimants
O'Brien claimants
MacCarthy
13th ce ...
,
Thomond
Thomond (Classical Irish: ; Modern Irish: ), also known as the kingdom of Limerick, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Clare and County Limerick, as well as parts of County Tipperary around Nena ...
,
County Clare
County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...
,
Déisi
The ''Déisi'' were a socially powerful class of peoples from Ireland that settled in Wales and western England between the ancient and early medieval period. The various peoples listed under the heading ''déis'' shared the same status in Gaeli ...
.
The Cambro-Normans and England
See
FitzGerald
The FitzGerald/FitzMaurice Dynasty is a noble and aristocratic dynasty of Cambro-Norman, Anglo-Norman and later Hiberno-Norman origin. They have been peers of Ireland since at least the 13th century, and are described in the Annals of the ...
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Battle of Callann
The Battle of Callann was fought in August 1261 between the Hiberno-Normans, under John FitzGerald, and three Gaelic clans: MacCarthy, who held the Kingdom of Desmond, under Fínghin Mac Carthaigh, King of Desmond, ancestor of the MacCar ...
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Earl of Desmond
Earl of Desmond is a title in the peerage of Ireland () created four times. When the powerful Earl of Desmond took arms against Queen Elizabeth Tudor, around 1578, along with the King of Spain and the Pope, he was confiscated from his estates ...
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Desmond Rebellions
The Desmond Rebellions occurred in 1569–1573 and 1579–1583 in the Irish province of Munster.
They were rebellions by the Earl of Desmond, the head of the Fitzmaurice/FitzGerald Dynasty in Munster, and his followers, the Geraldines an ...
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Second Desmond Rebellion
The Second Desmond Rebellion (1579–1583) was the more widespread and bloody of the two Desmond Rebellions in Ireland launched by the FitzGerald Dynasty of Desmond in Munster against English rule. The second rebellion began in July 1579 whe ...
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Florence MacCarthy,
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, ...
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Dónall Cam Ó Súilleabháin Béirre
Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare, Prince of Beare, 1st Count of Berehaven ( ga, Domhnall Cam Ó Súileabháin Bhéara) (1561–1618), was an Irish nobleman and soldier who was the last independent Chief of the Name of the O'Sullivan clan. He was th ...
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Siege of Dunboy
The siege of Dunboy took place at Dunboy Castle between 5 June and 18 June 1602, during the Nine Years' War in Ireland. It was one of the last battles of the war. An English army of up to 5,000 under Sir George Carew besieged the castle, wh ...
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Plantations of Ireland,
Irish Confederate Wars
The Irish Confederate Wars, also called the Eleven Years' War (from ga, Cogadh na hAon-déag mBliana), took place in Ireland between 1641 and 1653. It was the Irish theatre of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, a series of civil wars in the kin ...
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Donagh MacCarthy, Viscount Muskerry
Sir Donough MacCarty, 1st Earl of Clancarty (1594–1665), was an Irish magnate, soldier, and politician. He succeeded as 2nd Viscount Muskerry in 1641. He rebelled against the government, demanding religious freedom as a Catholic and defendin ...
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Earl of Clancarty
Earl of Clancarty is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland.
History
The title was created for the first time in 1658 in favour of Donough MacCarty, 2nd Viscount Muskerry, of the MacCarthy of Muskerry dynasty. He had ...
.
Ecclesiastical relations with Germany
See Byrne (2001).
Marriages and pedigrees
See O'Hart (1892), Cronnelly (1864), Burke (1976), D'Alton (1861), O'Donovan (1856), O'Keeffe (1703), Byrne (2001).
Later figures
*
Charles MacCarthy (Irish soldier)
*
Robert MacCarty, Viscount Muskerry
Robert MacCarty, Viscount Muskerry (1698 – 19 September 1769) was an Irish officer of the Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. He belonged to the MacCarthy of Muskerry dynasty.
Muskerry was the son of Donough MacCarty, 4th Earl of Clanca ...
*
Charles MacCarthy (governor)
Other notable people are:
*
Thaddeus MacCarthy,
*
Nicholas Tuite MacCarthy
*
Eoghan Rua Ó Súilleabháin
Eoghan Rua Ó Súilleabháin (174829 June 1784), anglicized as Owen Roe O'Sullivan ("Red Owen"), was an Irish poet. He is known as one of the last great Gaelic poets. A recent anthology of Irish-language poetry speaks of his "extremely musical" p ...
![Michael Collins](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Michael_Collins.jpg)
For the 20th century, the long hidden Ó Coileáins of Uí Conaill Gabhra, once the most dominant sept of the Uí Fidgenti, produced the famous
Mícheál Ó Coileáin. His sept were driven out of
County Limerick
"Remember Limerick"
, image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Limerick.svg
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Ireland
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 = Munster
, subdivision ...
in the 13th century by the FitzGeralds, but still regarded themselves as dispossessed aristocracy. The Ó Coileáins had joined their cousins the O'Donovans in
County Cork
County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...
, who themselves had been assisted by their friends the O'Mahonys. The
MacCarthy Reagh
The Mac Cárthaigh Riabhach (anglicised ''MacCarthy Reagh'') dynasty are a branch of the MacCarthy dynasty, Kings of Desmond, deriving from the Eóganacht Chaisil sept.
History
The Mac Cárthaigh Riabhach seated themselves as kings of Carbery in ...
s would soon follow to become the princes of the area, or
Barony of Carbery
Carbery, or the Barony of Carbery, was once the largest barony in Ireland, and essentially a small, semi-independent kingdom on the southwestern coast of Munster, in what is now County Cork, from its founding in the 1230s by Donal Gott MacCarthy ...
, and later both they and the O'Mahonys would send septs to be accepted among the aristocracy in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.
[O'Hart 1892] See also
Counts of Toulouse
The count of Toulouse ( oc, comte de Tolosa, french: comte de Toulouse) was the ruler of Toulouse during the 8th to 13th centuries. Originating as vassals of the Frankish kings,
the hereditary counts ruled the city of Toulouse and its surroundin ...
. Of the four, only the O'Donovans, keeping a low profile, remained Gaelic lords after a time.
The
MacCarthy of Muskerry
The MacCarthy dynasty of Muskerry is a tacksman branch of the MacCarthy Mor dynasty, the Kings of Desmond.
Origins and advancement
The MacCarthy of Muskerry are a cadet branch of the MacCarthy Mor, ...
dynasty are of great importance and there are several surviving septs.
Daniel "The Liberator" O'Connell has been said to have belonged to a small sept of the Uí Fidgenti who found themselves in County Kerry.
Another lively figure was
Pierce Charles de Lacy O'Mahony
Pierce Charles de Lacy O'Mahony (9 June 1850 – 31 October 1930), known up to 1901 as Pierce Mahony, and from 1912 also as The O'Mahony of Kerry, was an Irish Protestant nationalist politician and philanthropist, who practised as a barrister fro ...
.
;Modern Eóganacht
Curley
[Curley 2004] gives profiles of some twenty current Irish lords, several of them Eóganacht or allied, enjoying varying levels of recognition.
*
O'Donoghue of the Glens (Eóganacht Locha Léin, first Eóganacht Raithlind)
*
McGillycuddy of the Reeks
The McGillycuddy of the Reeks ( ga, Mac Giolla Mochuda) is the hereditary Chief of the Name of McGillycuddy, a family originating around MacGillycuddy's Reeks, a range of mountains (reeks) in County Kerry in Ireland.
Origins of the title
T ...
(O'Sullivan Mor: Eóganacht Chaisil)
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O'Callaghan of Duhallow (Eóganacht Chaisil)
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O'Donovan of Clancahill (Uí Fidgenti)
The scandal created by
Terence Francis MacCarthy
Terence Francis MacCarthy (born 21 January 1957), formerly self-styled Tadhg V, The MacCarthy Mór, Prince of Desmond and Lord of Kerslawny, is a genealogist, historian, and writer, best known for being a pretender to the Irish chiefly title of ...
has left their futures uncertain. He inserted himself into the pedigree of the
Sliocht Cormaic of Dunguile
The Sliocht Cormaic of Dunguile, otherwise known as the MacCarthys of Srugrena Abbey, or the Srugrena sept, as well as the Trant McCarthys, are a sept of the MacCarthy dynasty, MacCarthy Mór dynasty, the Kings of Desmond. They are descendants of ...
, the senior surviving sept of the MacCarthy dynasty, who still await recognition from the Irish government following the scandal.
See also
![IMGRockCashel 4756w](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/IMGRockCashel_4756w.jpg)
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Kingdoms of Ireland
This article lists some of the attested Gaelic kingdoms of Early Medieval Ireland prior to the Norman invasion of 1169-72.
For much of this period, the island was divided into numerous clan territories and kingdoms (known as ''túatha''). The ...
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Kings of Munster
The kings of Munster ( ga, Rí Mumhan), ruled from the establishment of Munster during the Irish Iron Age, until the High Middle Ages. According to Gaelic traditional history, laid out in works such as the ''Book of Invasions'', the earliest k ...
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Kings of Desmond
The following is a list of monarchs of the Kingdom of Desmond. Most were of the MacCarthy Mór ("great MacCarthy"), the senior branch of the MacCarthy dynasty.
12th century MacCarthy
MacCarthy claimants
O'Brien claimants
MacCarthy
13th ce ...
*
Mac Carthaigh's Book
''Mac Carthaigh’s Book'' is a collection of annals of the period AD 1114–1437 inclusive. It was compiled from earlier material by Fínghin Mac Carthaigh Mór (c. 1560–1640) an Irish nobleman who was imprisoned for years in London. He was a ...
*
Counts of Toulouse
The count of Toulouse ( oc, comte de Tolosa, french: comte de Toulouse) was the ruler of Toulouse during the 8th to 13th centuries. Originating as vassals of the Frankish kings,
the hereditary counts ruled the city of Toulouse and its surroundin ...
*
Earl of Clancarty
Earl of Clancarty is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland.
History
The title was created for the first time in 1658 in favour of Donough MacCarty, 2nd Viscount Muskerry, of the MacCarthy of Muskerry dynasty. He had ...
*
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 ...
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Family of Barrau
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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 ...
*
Chief of the Name
*
Terence Francis MacCarthy
Terence Francis MacCarthy (born 21 January 1957), formerly self-styled Tadhg V, The MacCarthy Mór, Prince of Desmond and Lord of Kerslawny, is a genealogist, historian, and writer, best known for being a pretender to the Irish chiefly title of ...
Notes
References
* Bhreathnach, Edel (ed.), ''The Kingship and Landscape of Tara''. Four Courts Press for
The Discovery Programme
The Discovery Programme: Centre for Archaeology and Innovation Ireland is an all-Ireland centre for archaeology and heritage research. It was established by the Irish Government in 1991. It is a company limited by guarantee, funded mainly through ...
. 2005. Pages 249, 250 & Historical Early Éoganachta, Table 9, pages 356, 357.
* Bugge, Alexander (ed. and tr.)
Caithreim Cellachain Caisil: The Victorious Career of Cellachan of CashelChristiania: J. Chr. Gundersens Bogtrykkeri. 1905.
* Burke, Bernard and Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd, ''Burke's Irish Family Records, or Burke's Landed Gentry of Ireland''. London: Burke's Peerage Ltd. 5th edition, 1976.
* Byrne, Francis J., ''Irish Kings and High-Kings''. Four Courts Press. 2nd edition, 2001.
* Cairney, C. Thomas, ''Clans and Families of Ireland and Scotland: An Ethnography of the Gael, A.D. 500-1750''. Willow Bend Books. 1989. (elementary popular work)
* Charles-Edwards, T.M., ''Early Christian Ireland''. Cambridge University Press. 2000.
* Coogan, Tim Pat, ''Michael Collins: The Man Who Made Ireland''. Palgrave Macmillan. 2002. (pgs. 5–6)
* Cronnelly, Richard F.
Irish Family History''Part II: A History of the Clan Eoghan, or Eoghanachts''. Dublin: 1864.
* Curley, Walter J.P., ''Vanishing Kingdoms: The Irish Chiefs and their Families''. Dublin: Lilliput Press. 2004.
*
D'Alton, JohnIllustrations, Historical and Genealogical, of King James's Irish Army List, 16892 vols. London: J.R. Smith. 2nd edition, 1861.
* Dillon, Myles, ''The Cycles of the Kings''. Oxford. 1946. (Four Courts Press. Revised edition, 1995.)
* Dillon, Myles, "The Story of the Finding of Cashel", in ''Ériu 16'' (1952): 63.
* Duffy, Seán (ed.), ''Medieval Ireland: An Encyclopedia''. Routledge. 2005.
* Eoghanact Septs DNA Project (http://eoghanachtsepts.com)
* Foster, Roy (ed.), ''The Oxford Illustrated History of Ireland''. Oxford University Press. 2001.
* Hull, Vernan, "Conall Corc and the Corcu Loígde", in ''Proceedings of the Modern Languages Association of America 62'' (1947): 887–909.
* Hull, Vernan, "The Exile of Conall Corc", in ''Proceedings of the Modern Languages Association of America 56'' (1941): 937–50.
* Koch, John T. (ed.), ''Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia''. 5 volumes or single ebook. ABC-CLIO. 2006.
* Lalor, Brian, ''The Encyclopedia of Ireland''. Yale University Press. 2003.
* MacLysaght, Edward, ''Irish Families: Their Names, Arms and Origins''. Irish Academic Press. 4th edition, 1998.
* Mac Niocaill, Gearóid, ''Ireland before the Vikings''. Dublin: Gill and Macmillan. 1972.
* Meyer, Kuno (ed. and tr.), "The Expulsion of the Dessi", in ''Y Cymmrodor 14''. 1901. pgs. 101–35. (availabl
* Meyer, Kuno (ed.)
in ''Zeitschrift für Celtische Philologie 8''. Halle/Saale, Max Niemeyer. 1912. Pages 291–338.
* O'Connell Surname DNA Project (Results table, particularly the core "Irish Type II" results for SNPs A7659 and A7654: https://www.familytreedna.com/public/oconnelldna?iframe=ycolorized)
* Ó Corráin, Donnchadh, "Corcu Loígde: Land and Families", in ''Cork: History and Society. Interdisciplinary Essays on the History of an Irish County'', edited by Patrick O'Flanagan and Cornelius G. Buttimer. Dublin: Geography Publications. 1993.
* Ó Corráin, Donnchadh (ed.)
University College, Cork: Corpus of Electronic Texts. 1997.
* Ó Corráin, Donnchadh, ''Ireland before the Normans''. Dublin: Gill and Macmillan. 1972.
* Ó Corráin, Donnchadh, "Prehistoric and Early Christian Ireland", in Foster, Roy (ed.), ''The Oxford Illustrated History of Ireland''. Oxford University Press. 2001. pgs. 1-52.
* Ó Cróinín, Dáibhí (ed.), ''A New History of Ireland: Prehistoric and Early Ireland, Vol. 1''. Oxford University Press. 2005.
* O'Donovan, John (ed. and tr.),
Annála Ríoghachta Éireann. Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters, from the Earliest Period to the Year 1616. 7 vols. Royal Irish Academy. Dublin. 1848–51. 2nd edition, 1856.
* O'Hart, John
Irish Pedigrees Dublin. 5th edition, 1892.
* Ó hInnse, Séamus (ed. and tr.) and Florence MacCarthy,
Mac Carthaigh's Book
''Mac Carthaigh’s Book'' is a collection of annals of the period AD 1114–1437 inclusive. It was compiled from earlier material by Fínghin Mac Carthaigh Mór (c. 1560–1640) an Irish nobleman who was imprisoned for years in London. He was a ...
, o
Miscellaneous Irish Annals (A.D. 1114-1437) Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. 1947.
* O'Keeffe, Eugene (ed. and tr.), ''Eoganacht Genealogies from the
Book of Munster''. Cork. 1703. (availabl
here
* O'Rahilly, Thomas F., ''Early Irish History and Mythology''. Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. 1946.
* Richter, Michael, ''Medieval Ireland: The Enduring Tradition''. Palgrave Macmillan. 1996.
* Sproule, David, "Origins of the Éoganachta", in ''Ériu 35'' (1984): pp. 31–37.
* Sproule, David, "Politics and pure narrative in the stories about Corc of Cashel", in ''Ériu 36'' (1985): pp. 11–28.
* Todd, James Henthorn (ed. and tr.)
Cogadh Gaedhel re Gallaibh: The War of the Gaedhil with the GaillLongmans. 1867.
* Welch, Robert (ed.) with Bruce Stewart, ''The Oxford Companion to Irish Literature''. Oxford University Press. 1996.
Further reading
*
External links
(Y-DNA related)
Famille MacCarthy Reaghat GeneaWiki (in French)
Famille O'Mahonyat GeneaWiki (in French)
The MacCarthy Clan Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eoganachta
Kings of Munster
Áine
Gaels