The Gaelic-Irish Lordship of
Kerslawny (ard tiarna-rank) is the noble title that attaches to the head of the MacCarthy Mór sept known as
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 ...
. Kerslawny was created in the 15th century as an
appanage
An appanage, or apanage (; french: apanage ), is the grant of an estate, title, office or other thing of value to a younger child of a sovereign, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture. It was common in much o ...
of the royal house, by then-King of Desmond,
Tadhg na Mainistreach Mac Carthaigh Mór (r. 1390/2 – 1428), for his second son, Cormac (d.1467). Kerslawny is the anglicisation of the Gaelic-Irish "cois leamhna," meaning "beside the (River) Laune." This area, near present-day Killarney, in County Kerry, Ireland, was the original territory of the sept.
Succession to the MacCarthy Mór Chiefship
Sliocht Cormac of Dunguile is believed by genealogists to be the last (most-senior) appanage of the royal line of MacCarthy Mór to remain extant today. Thus, the Chief of the Dunguile sept is entitled to rightfully claim succession to the overlordship title of The MacCarthy Mór.
Chief of the Name
The Chief of the Name, or in older English usage Captain of his Nation, is the recognised head of a family or clan (''fine'' in Irish and Scottish Gaelic). The term has sometimes been used as a title in Ireland and Scotland.
In Ireland
In Eliza ...
is the highest title of nobility in
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 co ...
prior to the 17th-century, and in modern revival. It is followed in rank by a
sept's chiefly title. Depending on the importance of the sept, that title might be Prince (
flaith
{{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022
A flaith (Irish) or flath (Modern Scottish Gaelic), plural flatha, in the Gaelic world, could refer to any member in general of a powerful family enjoying a high degree of sovereignty, and so is also sometimes tra ...
), Paramount Lord (
ard tiarna/count), or Lord (
tiarna/baron).
Notes
References
*
Ellis, Peter Berresford, ''Erin's Blood Royal: The Gaelic Noble Dynasties of Ireland''. Palgrave. Revised edition, 2002.
* MacCarthy, Samuel Trant, ''The MacCarthys of Munster''. 1922.
{{Refend
External links
The MacCarthy Clan FoundationThe Kingdom of Desmond Association- An Association devoted to the study and preservation of the history and legacy of the Kingdom and its rulers.
MacCarthy dynasty