Historically, Fermanagh ( ga, Fir Manach), as opposed to the modern

County Fermanagh County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the six counties of Northern Ireland. The county covers an area of 1,691 km2 (653 sq mi) and has a population of 61,805 ...

, was a kingdom of

Gaelic Ireland Gaelic Ireland ( ga, Éire Ghaelach) was the Gaelic political and social order, and associated culture, that existed in Ireland from the late prehistoric era until the early 17th century. It comprised the whole island before Anglo-Normans c ...

, associated geographically with present-day

. ''Fir Manach'' originally referred to a distinct kin group of alleged

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 Leinsterm ...

origins. The kingdom of Fermanagh was formed in the 10th century, out of the larger kingdom of Uí Chremthainn, which was part of the overkingdom of

Airgíalla Airgíalla ( Modern Irish: Oirialla, English: Oriel, Latin: ''Ergallia'') was a medieval Irish over-kingdom and the collective name for the confederation of tribes that formed it. The confederation consisted of nine minor kingdoms, all independ ...

.MacCotter, Paul. ''Medieval Ireland: territorial, political and economic divisions''. Four Courts Press, 2008, p.243 By the late 11th century it had grown to cover all of what is now County Fermanagh. The kingdom came to be ruled by the

Mag Uidhir The MacGuire ( ) family is an Irish clan based in County Fermanagh. The name derives from the Gaelic , which is "son of Odhar" meaning "dun", "dark one". According to legend, this relates to the eleventh descendant of Colla da Chrich, great-gr ...

(Maguire) clan from the late 13th century onward. They were based at

Lisnaskea Lisnaskea () is the second-biggest settlement in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is situated mainly in the townland of Lisoneill, with some areas in the townland of Castle Balfour Demesne, both in the civil parish of Aghalurcher and th ...

, and their royal inauguration site was nearby Sgiath Gabhra (Skeagoura), now called Cornashee. Under Hugh Maguire, Fermanagh was involved in the

Nine Years' War The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between Kingdom of France, France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by t ...

against English rule. His successor, Cú Chonnacht Óg Mag Uidhir, was one of the Gaelic Irish leaders who fled Ireland during the

Flight of the Earls The Flight of the Earls ( ir, Imeacht na nIarlaí)In Irish, the neutral term ''Imeacht'' is usually used i.e. the ''Departure of the Earls''. The term 'Flight' is translated 'Teitheadh na nIarlaí' and is sometimes seen. took place in Se ...

. Fermanagh was subsequently merged into the

Kingdom of Ireland The Kingdom of Ireland ( ga, label=Classical Irish, an Ríoghacht Éireann; ga, label= Modern Irish, an Ríocht Éireann, ) was a monarchy on the island of Ireland that was a client state of England and then of Great Britain. It existed from ...

as County Fermanagh.

History

Laighin ancient origins

The original ''Fir Manach'' or ''Fear Manach'', that is to say the Manach or Monaigh people in the north of Ireland, claimed descent from the

Laighin 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 ...

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 ...

. They reached upper

Lough Erne Lough Erne ( , ) is the name of two connected lakes in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is the second-biggest lake system in Northern Ireland and Ulster, and the fourth biggest in Ireland. The lakes are widened sections of the River Erne, ...

in ancient times. According to the

Book of Glendalough Oxford, Bodleian Library, Rawlinson B 502 is a medieval Irish manuscript which presently resides in the Bodleian Library, Oxford. It ranks as one of the three major surviving Irish manuscripts to have been produced in pre-Norman Ireland, the tw ...

(also known as the Rawlinson B 502) a genealogy is provided for the early Manach people and they claim descent from Dáire Barrach, the son of

Cathair Mór Cathair Mór ("the great"), son of Feidhlimidh Fiorurghlas, a descendant of Conchobar Abradruad, was, according to Lebor Gabála Érenn, a High King of Ireland. Foras Feasa ar Éirinn, Section 40, page 259, http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100054/ ...

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 an ...

. Dáire Barrach's descendants elsewhere in Ireland are today known as the MacGorman (

Mac Gormáin MacGorman (Irish: ''Mac Gormáin''), also known as McGorman, Gorman, or O'Gorman (Irish: ''Ó Gormáin''), is an Irish Gaelic clan based most prominently in what is today County Clare. The paternal ancestors of the clan are of the Laigin and e ...

) and ruled

Uí Bairrche Uí Bairrche ( Modern Irish: ''Uí Bhairrche'', IPA: �iːˈwaːɾʲɾʲçə was an Irish kin-based group that originally held lands in the south of the ancient province of Leinster (or ''Cóiced Laigen'' "the Fifth of the Laigin"). Another south ...

during the Middle Ages. Cathair Mór himself had ruled Ireland as

King of Tara The term Kingship of Tara () was a title of authority in ancient Ireland - the title is closely associated with the archaeological complex at the Hill of Tara. The position was considered to be of eminent authority in medieval Irish literature ...

in the 2nd century.

Connachta and Three Collas

The geopolitical situation in Ireland changed during the 4th and 5th centuries, owing to the rise of the descendants of

Conn of the Hundred Battles Conn Cétchathach (; "of the Hundred Battles"), son of Fedlimid Rechtmar, was a semi-legendary High King of Ireland and the ancestor of the Connachta, and, through his descendant Niall Noígiallach, the Uí Néill dynasties, which dominated Irel ...

. Most significantly for the Fir Manach, the kingdoms of

(under the descendants of the

Three Collas The Three Collas (Modern Irish: Trí Cholla) were, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, the fourth-century sons of Eochaid Doimlén, son of Cairbre Lifechair. Their names were: Cairell Colla Uais; Muiredach Colla Fo Chrí ( ...

), the kingdom of Ailech (under 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 ...

) and the kingdom of

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 ...

(under the

Uí Briúin The Uí Briúin were a royal dynasty of Connacht. Their eponymous apical ancestor was Brión, son of Eochaid Mugmedon and Mongfind, and an elder half brother of Niall of the Nine Hostages. They formed part of the Connachta, along with the U ...

) arose. According to

Peadar Livingstone Fr. Peadar Livingstone (1932 – 8 December 1987) was a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Clogher, Ireland. Early life and education Peadar Livingstone was born in 1932 and raised in Castleblayney, County Monaghan. His father was a jewe ...

, the territory of Fermanagh became disputed between these groups and the previously ruling Fir Manach people.

11th century onwards

By the end of the 11th century, Fermanagh had decisively re-emerged as a sovereign kingdom in the region. The rulers of this kingdom were drawn from the Airgíalla. Early on the territory drew kings from three branches of Clann Lugainn; the Ó hEignigh (O'Heany), Maolruanaidh (Mulrooney) and Ó Dubhdara (Darragh). These families claimed descent from the Three Collas, in the person of Colla Fochríth and were thus kinsmen of the MacMahon

kings of Airgíalla Between the sixth and sixteenth centuries, the Kingdom of Airgíalla (Anglicized as Oriel) was one of the three major kingdoms that formed what is now the province of Ulster. The others were In Tuisceairt to the north and west, and Ulaid to the e ...

. Towards the end of the 13th century, the

(Maguire) arose to the kingship of Fermanagh and with the exception of some challenges from the

Ó Domhnaill The O'Donnell dynasty ( ga, Ó Dónaill or ''Ó Domhnaill,'' ''Ó Doṁnaill'' ''or Ua Domaill;'' meaning "descendant of Dónal") were the dominant Irish clan of the kingdom of Tyrconnell, Ulster, in medieval Ireland. Naming conventions Or ...

Tyrconnell Tyrconnell (), also spelled Tirconnell, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Donegal, which has sometimes been called ''County Tyrconnell''. At times it also included parts of County Fermanagh, Cou ...

, this would remain the situation until the end of the kingdom in 1607 with the

Kings of Fermanagh

The ''

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 medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Deluge, dated as 2,24 ...

'' mention the following as Kings of Fermanagh ( ga, Fir Manach). *Cathal Ó Dubhdara (died 1009) *Niall Ó hÉicnigh (died 1053) *Domhnall Ó Mael Ruanaidh (died 1057) *Giolla Críst Ó Dubhdara (died 1076) *Ó hÉicnigh (died 1095) *Laidhgnén Ó Dubhdara (died 1118) *Ó Mael Ruanaidh (1126) *Gilla Críost Ó hÉicnigh (died 1127), also over-king of

. *Faelán Ó Dubhdara (died 1128) *Ó Mael Ruanaidh (died 1160) *Mac an Oíche Ó Mael Ruanaidh (1189) *Aonghus Mac Giolla Fhinnéin (died 1234) *Domhnall Mór Ó Domnhaill (died 1241), also king of

(). *Flaithbertach Ó Daimin (died 1275) *Donn Mág Uidhir (died 1298) *Mac Craith Mág Uidhir (died 1306) *Flaithbertach Mág Uidhir (died 1324) *Aodh Ó Domhnaill (died 1333), also king of Tyrconnell. *Ruaidhri Mág Uidhir (died 1338) *Aodh Ruadh Mág Uidhir (1360) *Pilib Mág Uidhir (died 1366) *Brian Mág Uidhir (died 1373) *Pilib 'na Tuagh' Mág Uidhir (died 1394) *Tomás Mág Uidhir (died 1419) *Tomás Mór Mag Uidhir - the son of Pilib na Tuagh Mág Uidhir - (died 1430) *Tomás Óg Mág Uidhir (abdicated 1471; died 1480) *Éamonn Mág Uidhir (or, 'Éamonn mac Tomás Óg Mág Uidhir') deposed 1488 (died 1488, later that year) *Tomás Óg mac Tomás Óg Mág Uidhir (died 1501) *Seaán Mág Uidhir (died 1503) *Conchobhar Mór Mág Uidhir (died 1527) *Cú Chonnacht Óg ‘an Comharba’ Mág Uidhir (died 1537) *Giolla Pádraig Bán Mág Uidhir (died 1540) *Seán Mág Uidhir (died 1566) *Cú Chonnacht Óg Mág Uidhir (died 1589) * Aodh Mág Uidhir (or, 'Hugh Maguire') (died 1601) *Cú Chonnacht Óg Mág Uidhir (fled 1607 in the

; died 1608)

References

Bibliography

External links

Irish Chiefs and Clans in Fermanagh
at Library Ireland

at Ireland's History in Maps {{Kingdom of Ireland Kingdoms of ancient Ireland Kingdoms of medieval Ireland States and territories disestablished in 1607 Former kingdoms in Ireland