Osraige
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Osraige (Old Irish) or Osraighe (Classical Irish), Osraí (Modern Irish), anglicized as Ossory, was a medieval Irish kingdom comprising what is now
County Kilkenny County Kilkenny ( gle, Contae Chill Chainnigh) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the South-East Region. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. Kilkenny County Council is the local authority for the cou ...
and western
County Laois County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...
, corresponding to the
Diocese of Ossory The Bishop of Ossory () is an episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient of Kingdom of Ossory in the Province of Leinster, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been ...
. The home of the Osraige people, it existed from around the first century until 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 ...
in the 12th century. It was ruled by the
Dál Birn ''Dál Birn'' (''"portion" of Birn'') is a tribal epithet found in Irish sources which refers to the descendants of Loegaire Birn Buadach, the hereditary ruling lineage of the kingdom of Osraige in Ireland. Lineage This illustrious lineage produ ...
dynasty, whose medieval descendants assumed the surname Mac Giolla Phádraig. According to tradition, Osraige was founded by
Óengus Osrithe Óengus Osrithe son of Criomthann Mór (son of Iar mac Sétnai) and his wife Cindnit, daughter of Dáire mac Degad and Morand, was the semi-legendary first king and eponymous ancestor of the Osraige people of Ireland. His supposed floruit lies ...
in the 1st century and was originally within the province of
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 ...
. In the 5th century, the
Corcu Loígde The Corcu Loígde (Corcu Lóegde, Corco Luigde, Corca Laoighdhe, Laidhe), meaning Gens of the Calf Goddess, also called the Síl Lugdach meic Itha, were a kingdom centred in West County Cork who descended from the proto-historical rulers of Mun ...
of
Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...
displaced the Dál Birn and brought Osraige under Munster's direct control. The Dál Birn returned to power in the 7th century, though Osraige remained nominally part of Munster until 859, when it achieved formal independence under the powerful king
Cerball mac Dúnlainge Cerball mac Dúnlainge (patronymic sometimes spelled ''Dúngaile'', ) (died 888) was king of Ossory in south-east Ireland. The kingdom of Ossory (''Osraige'') occupied roughly the area of modern County Kilkenny and western County Laois and lay b ...
. Osraige's rulers remained major players in Irish politics for the next three centuries, though they never vied for the High Kingship. In the early 12th century, dynastic infighting fragmented the kingdom, and it was re-adjoined to Leinster. The Normans under Strongbow invaded Ireland beginning in 1169, and most of Osraige collapsed under pressure from Norman leader
William Marshal William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1146 or 1147 – 14 May 1219), also called William the Marshal (Norman French: ', French: '), was an Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman. He served five English kings— Henry II, his sons the "Young King" ...
. The northern part of the kingdom, eventually known as
Upper Ossory Upper Ossory () was an administrative barony in the south and west of Queen's County (now County Laois) in Ireland. In late Gaelic Ireland it was the túath of the Mac Giolla Phádraig ( Fitzpatrick) family and a surviving remnant of the once l ...
, survived intact under the hereditary lordship until the reign of King
Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
, when it was formally incorporated as a barony of the same name.


Geography

The ancient Osraige inhabited the fertile land around the
River Nore The River Nore ( ga, An Fheoir ) is one of the principal rivers (along with the River Suir and River Barrow) in the South-East Region of Ireland. The river drains approximately of Leinster and Munster, that encompasses parts of three counti ...
valley, occupying nearly all of what is modern
County Kilkenny County Kilkenny ( gle, Contae Chill Chainnigh) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the South-East Region. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. Kilkenny County Council is the local authority for the cou ...
and the western half of neighbouring
County Laois County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...
. To the west and south, Osraige was bounded by the
River Suir The River Suir ( ; ga, an tSiúr or ''Abhainn na Siúire'' ) is a river in Ireland that flows into the Atlantic Ocean through Waterford after a distance of . The catchment area of the Suir is 3,610 km2.
and what is now
Waterford Harbour Waterford Harbour ( gle, Loch Dá Chaoch / Cuan Phort Láirge) is a natural harbour at the mouth of the Three Sisters; the River Nore, the River Suir and the River Barrow in Ireland. It is navigable for shipping to both Waterford and New Ross ...
; to the east, the watershed of the
River Barrow The Barrow ( ga, An Bhearú) is a river in Ireland. It is one of The Three Sisters; the other two being the River Suir and the River Nore. The Barrow is the longest of the three rivers, and at 192 km (120 mi), the second-longest ri ...
marked the boundary with Leinster (including
Gowran Gowran (; ) is a town located on the eastern side of County Kilkenny, Ireland. The historic St. Mary's Collegiate Church is located in the centre of Gowran close to Gowran Castle. Gowran Park race course and Golf Course is located one km from t ...
); to the north, it extended into and beyond the
Slieve Bloom Mountains The Slieve Bloom Mountains ( ga, Sliabh Bladhma; la, Bladinae montes) is a mountain range in Ireland. They rise from the central plain of Ireland to a height of 527 metres. While not very high, they are extensive by local standards. The high ...
. These three principal rivers- the Nore, the Barrow, and the Suir, which unite just north of
Waterford City "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...
, were collectively known as the "Three Sisters" ( ga, Cumar na dTrí Uisce). Like many other Irish kingdoms, the tribal name of ''Osraighe'' also came to be applied to the territory they occupied; thus, wherever the Osraige dwelt became known as Osraige. The kingdom's most significant neighbours were the
Loígis Loígis () is the name of an Irish tribe, as it is called by contemporary scholars. Formerly, scholars generally called the tribe ''Laoighis'' or ''Laeighis'' in Irish, ''Lagisia'' in Latin, and ''Leix'' in English. Loígis is also the name of the ...
,
Uí Ceinnselaig The Uí Ceinnselaig (also Uí Cheinnselaig, Anglicized as Kinsella), from the Old Irish "grandsons of Cennsalach", are an Irish dynasty of Leinster who trace their descent from Énnae Cennsalach, a supposed contemporary of Niall of the Nine Ho ...
and
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 ...
of Leinster to the north and east and the
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 ...
,
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 ...
and
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 kin ...
of Munster to the south and west. Some of the highest points of land are
Brandon Hill Brandon Hill () is the highest mountain in County Kilkenny, Ireland, with an elevation of and prominence at . The South Leinster Way, a long-distance trail, meandering through the Barrow Valley and traverses Brandon Hill. The village of ...
(County Kilkenny) and
Arderin Arderin () is a mountain on the border between Laois and Offaly in Ireland. With a height of 527 metres (1,729 ft) it is the highest point in the Slieve Bloom Mountains, and is the highest point in both County Laois and County Offaly. An ...
(on the Laois-Offaly border). The ancient Slige Dala
road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...
ran southwest through northern Osraige from 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 Iri ...
towards
Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...
; which later gave its name to the medieval Ballaghmore Castle. Another ancient road, the Slighe Cualann cut into southeast Osraige west of present-day Ross, before turning south to present-day Waterford city. File:Nore River Map.jpg, Topography of Osraige; note location of the " Three Sisters". File:Young River Barrow - geograph.org.uk - 1227156.jpg, The source of the
River Barrow The Barrow ( ga, An Bhearú) is a river in Ireland. It is one of The Three Sisters; the other two being the River Suir and the River Nore. The Barrow is the longest of the three rivers, and at 192 km (120 mi), the second-longest ri ...
in the
Slieve Bloom Mountains The Slieve Bloom Mountains ( ga, Sliabh Bladhma; la, Bladinae montes) is a mountain range in Ireland. They rise from the central plain of Ireland to a height of 527 metres. While not very high, they are extensive by local standards. The high ...
File:River Nore - geograph.org.uk - 514252.jpg, The
River Nore The River Nore ( ga, An Fheoir ) is one of the principal rivers (along with the River Suir and River Barrow) in the South-East Region of Ireland. The river drains approximately of Leinster and Munster, that encompasses parts of three counti ...
File:River Suir, Drumdowney, Co. Kilkenny - geograph.org.uk - 1317661.jpg, The
River Suir The River Suir ( ; ga, an tSiúr or ''Abhainn na Siúire'' ) is a river in Ireland that flows into the Atlantic Ocean through Waterford after a distance of . The catchment area of the Suir is 3,610 km2.
File:SlieveBloomMountains.jpg, The Slieve Blooms File:BrandonHill91.jpg, Cnoc Bhréanail, aka
Brandon Hill Brandon Hill () is the highest mountain in County Kilkenny, Ireland, with an elevation of and prominence at . The South Leinster Way, a long-distance trail, meandering through the Barrow Valley and traverses Brandon Hill. The village of ...
, the highest elevation in Kilkenny


History


Origins and prehistory

The tribal name ''Osraige'' means "people of the deer", and is traditionally claimed to be taken from the name of the ruling dynasty's semi-legendary pre-Christian founder,
Óengus Osrithe Óengus Osrithe son of Criomthann Mór (son of Iar mac Sétnai) and his wife Cindnit, daughter of Dáire mac Degad and Morand, was the semi-legendary first king and eponymous ancestor of the Osraige people of Ireland. His supposed floruit lies ...
. The Osraige were probably either a southern branch 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 in ...
or
Dál Fiatach Dál Fiatach was a Gaelic Ireland, Gaelic dynastic-grouping and the name of their territory in the north-east of Ireland during the Middle Ages. It was part of the over-kingdom of Ulaid, and they were its main ruling dynasty for most of Ulaid's ...
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 King ...
, or close kin to their former
Corcu Loígde The Corcu Loígde (Corcu Lóegde, Corco Luigde, Corca Laoighdhe, Laidhe), meaning Gens of the Calf Goddess, also called the Síl Lugdach meic Itha, were a kingdom centred in West County Cork who descended from the proto-historical rulers of Mun ...
allies. In either case it would appear they should properly be counted among the
Érainn The Iverni (, ') were a people of early Ireland first mentioned in Ptolemy's 2nd century ''Geography'' as living in the extreme south-west of the island. He also locates a "city" called Ivernis (, ') in their territory, and observes that this se ...
. Authoritative scholars, such as
T. F. O'Rahilly Thomas Francis O'Rahilly ( ga, Tomás Ó Rathile; 11 November 1882 – 16 November 1953)Ó Sé, Diarmuid.O'Rahilly, Thomas Francis (‘T. F.’). ''Dictionary of Irish Biography''. (ed.) James McGuire, James Quinn. Cambridge, United Kingdom: C ...
believed that the Lagin pedigree of the Osraige is a fabrication, invented to help them achieve their goals in Leinster.
Francis John Byrne Francis John Byrne (1934 – 30 December 2017) was an Irish historian. Born in Shanghai where his father, a Dundalk man, captained a ship on the Yellow River, Byrne was evacuated with his mother to Australia on the outbreak of World War II. Af ...
suggests that it may date from the time of Cerball mac Dúnlainge. The Osraighe themselves claimed to be descended from the
Érainn The Iverni (, ') were a people of early Ireland first mentioned in Ptolemy's 2nd century ''Geography'' as living in the extreme south-west of the island. He also locates a "city" called Ivernis (, ') in their territory, and observes that this se ...
people, although scholars propose that the Ivernic groups included the Osraige. Prior to the coming of Christianity to Ireland, the Osraige and their relatives the Corcu Loígde appear to have been the dominant political groups in Munster, before the rise of the
Eóganachta The Eóganachta or Eoghanachta () were an Irish dynasty centred on Cashel which dominated southern Ireland (namely the Kingdom of Munster) from the 6/7th to the 10th centuries, and following that, in a restricted form, the Kingdom of Desmond, an ...
marginalized them both.
Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...
's 2nd-century map of Ireland places a tribe he called the "Usdaie" roughly in the same area that the Osraige occupied. The territory indicated by Ptolemy likely included the major late
Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
hill-fort at Freestone Hill and a 1st-century Roman burial site at Stonyford, both in County Kilkenny. Due to inland water access via the Nore, Barrow and Suir rivers, the Osraige may have experienced greater intercourse with Britain and the continent, and there appears to have been some heightened Roman trading activity in and around the region. Such contact with the Roman world may have precipitated wider exposure and later conversion to
Early Christianity Early Christianity (up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325) spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and beyond. Originally, this progression was closely connected to already established Jewish centers in the Holy Land and the Jewish ...
. From the fifth century, the name ''
Dál Birn ''Dál Birn'' (''"portion" of Birn'') is a tribal epithet found in Irish sources which refers to the descendants of Loegaire Birn Buadach, the hereditary ruling lineage of the kingdom of Osraige in Ireland. Lineage This illustrious lineage produ ...
'' ("''the people of Birn''"; sometimes spelt ''dál mBirn'') appears to have emerged as the name for the ruling lineage of Osraige, and this name remained in use through to the twelfth century. From this period, Osraige was originally within the sphere of the province of Leinster. Yet,
T. F. O'Rahilly Thomas Francis O'Rahilly ( ga, Tomás Ó Rathile; 11 November 1882 – 16 November 1953)Ó Sé, Diarmuid.O'Rahilly, Thomas Francis (‘T. F.’). ''Dictionary of Irish Biography''. (ed.) James McGuire, James Quinn. Cambridge, United Kingdom: C ...
considered Loegaire Bern Buadach, the mythical ancestor Dál Birn, was the 'same personage as the Loegaire Buadach of the Ulidian tradition' and, therefore, were not Laigin.


Déisi, Corcu Loígde usurpation and Christianization (c.450–625)

Several
sources Source may refer to: Research * Historical document * Historical source * Source (intelligence) or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence * Source (journalism), a person, publication, publishing institute o ...
indicate that towards the end of the fifth century the Osraige ceded a swath of southern territory to the displaced and incoming
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 ...
sometime before 489. The traditional accounts states that the landless, wandering Déisi tribe were seeking a home in
Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...
, through the marriage of their princess Ethne the Dread to
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'' ...
, king of Munster. As part of her dowry, Ethne asked for the Osraige to be cleared off their land but were repulsed several times by the Osraige in open battle before finally overcoming them through magic, trickery and guile. The account mentions that at this defeat, the Ossorians fled like wild deer ("''ossa''" in Irish), a pun on their tribal name. It appears that soon thereafter following this defeat, the hereditary Dál Birn kings were displaced for a period by the Corcu Loígde of south Munster. The Dál Birn remained in control of their northern territory while Corcu Loígde kings ruled the greater portion of southern Osraige around the fertile Nore valley until the latter part of the sixth century and the rise of
Eóganachta The Eóganachta or Eoghanachta () were an Irish dynasty centred on Cashel which dominated southern Ireland (namely the Kingdom of Munster) from the 6/7th to the 10th centuries, and following that, in a restricted form, the Kingdom of Desmond, an ...
dominating Munster. The new political configuration, probably the result of an
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 the ...
-Eóganachta alliance against the Corcu Loígde, caused a reduction in Osraige's relative status. In 582, Fergus Scandal mac Crimthainn, the king of Munster, was slain by Leinstermen and Osraige was therefore ceded from Leinster as blood-fine payment and attached the kingdom to the province of Munster. Around that time (in either 581 or 583) the Ossorians (also referred to in the Fragmentary Annals as ''Clann Connla'') had slain one of the last usurping Corcu Loígde kings Feradach Finn mac Duach and reclaimed most of their old patrimony. The Dál Birn returned to full power by the first quarter of the seventh century. Throughout this period, Ireland and Irish culture was thoroughly
Christianized Christianization ( or Christianisation) is to make Christian; to imbue with Christian principles; to become Christian. It can apply to the conversion of an individual, a practice, a place or a whole society. It began in the Roman Empire, conti ...
by the arrival of missionaries from Britain and the continent. Osraige appears to have seen a flourish of early Christian activity. Surviving hagiographic works, especially those relating to St. Ciarán of Saighir, attest that Osraige was the first Irish kingdom to receive a Christian
episcopacy A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
even before the arrival of St. Patrick; however, some modern scholars dispute this. St. Patrick is believed to have traversed through Osraige, preaching and establishing Christianity there on his way to Munster. An early Irish church was founded in Osraige, perhaps in connection with St. Patrick's arrival in the territory, known as "''Domhnach Mór''" ("''great church''", located at what is now St. Patrick's graveyard in Kilkenny). St.
Cainnech of Aghaboe Cainnech of Aghaboe (515/16–600), also known as Saint Canice in Ireland, Saint Kenneth in Scotland, Saint Kenny and in Latin Sanctus Canicus, was an Irish abbot, monastic founder, priest and missionary during the early medieval period. Cainn ...
founded two churches in Osraige which later grew in importance:
Aghaboe Aghaboe () is a small village in County Laois, Ireland. It is located on the R434 regional road in the rural hinterland west of the town of Abbeyleix. It contains the ruins of the Abbey of Aghaboe which was founded by St. Canice in the Osso ...
and Kilkenny, each of which successively held the episcopal see after Saighir. Additionally, a host of other early monastics and clerics laboured for the
gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...
in Osraige, making a lasting impact on the region which still exists down to the present.


Dál Birn Resurgence (c.625–795)

There is confusion among scholars as to the correct enumeration of the Corcu Loígde kings over Osraige, but by the reign of Scandlán Mór (d. 643 ca.) the Dál Birn dynasts regained control of their own territory, but not without intermittent dynastic competition. The late seventh century witnessed an increase in hostilities between the men of Osraige and their neighbors to the south-east in
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 ...
, especially with the
Uí Ceinnselaig The Uí Ceinnselaig (also Uí Cheinnselaig, Anglicized as Kinsella), from the Old Irish "grandsons of Cennsalach", are an Irish dynasty of Leinster who trace their descent from Énnae Cennsalach, a supposed contemporary of Niall of the Nine Ho ...
. In the middle years of the eighth century,
Anmchad mac Con Cherca Anmchad mac Con Cherca (died 760s) was king of Osraige, a kingdom largely situated in modern County Kilkenny and western County Laois and forming part of the kingdom and province of Munster in south and south-west Ireland. Anmchad was an active ...
was the most militarily active king in Munster, and was the first Ossorian king to gain island-wide notice by the chroniclers. Upon his death in 761, Osraige witnessed civil war over the throne and
Tóim Snáma mac Flainn Tóim Snáma mac Flainn (died 770) was a King of Osraige in modern County Kilkenny. He ruled from circa 761 to 770. His exact year of accession is unknown, 761 was the last year his predecessor Anmchad mac Con Cherca was named in the annals. Th ...
, a scion from a different lineage emerged as king. Tóim Snáma was opposed by the sons of
Cellach mac Fáelchair Cellach mac Fáelchair (died 735) or Cellach Raigni was a King of Osraige in modern County Kilkenny. He was the son of Fáelchar Ua Máele Ódrain (died 693), a previous king. The dynasty that ruled over Osraige in the early Christian period w ...
(died 735), and presumably
Dúngal mac Cellaig Dúngal mac Cellaig (died 772) was a King of Osraige in modern County Kilkenny. He ruled from 770 to 772. He was of the dynasty known as the Dál Birn that ruled over Osraige in the early Christian period and was the son of Cellach mac Fáelchai ...
(died 772). In 769, he was successful in the battle versus them and they were put to flight. In 770, he was slain, presumably by Dúngal his successor. During this time the churches of Osraige witnessed a flourish of growth and activity, with notable clerics from Osraige being recorded in the annals and at least one, St. Fergal, gaining international fame as an early astronomer and was ordained bishop of
Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...
in modern-day
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
. However, it is noteworthy that bishop Laidcnén son of Doinennach, abbot of
Saighir Saighir (''Seir Kieran''; also named ''Seirkieran'', in Irish ''Saighir Chiaráin''), is a monastic site in Clareen, County Offaly, founded by Ciarán of Saigir. History According to his hagiographers, Ciarán was born in pagan Ireland and ...
was slain in 744.


Osraige in the Viking Age (795–1014)

Because Osraige is bounded by major rivers, this period witnessed the establishment of several significant
Viking 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 ...
bases on and around the kingdom's borders in the ninth and early tenth centuries; with the Nore, Barrow and Suir watershed systems providing deep access into Osraige's interior. Vikings came into conflict with the Irish on the River Suir as early as 812 and a large fleet sailed up the Barrow and Nore rivers, inflicting a devastating rout on the Osraige in 825. A Norse longphort was planted by Rodolf son of
Harald Klak Harald 'Klak' Halfdansson (c. 785 – c. 852) was a king in Jutland (and possibly other parts of Denmark) around 812–814 and again from 819–827."Carolingian Chronicles: Royal Frankish Annals and Nithard's Histories" (1970), translation by Bernh ...
at Dunrally between 850–62 on the border with the neighbouring kingdom of Laois. Other longphort settlements emerged at
Woodstown Woodstown ( ga, Baile na Coille, IPA: bˠalʲəˈnˠaˈkɛl̪ʲə is home to a historic settlement measuring 1.5 km by 0.5 km, located on the southern bank of the River Suir, about 5.5 km west of Waterford City in the southeast ...
(c.830–860) and
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 ...
in 914. Consequently, Osraige endured much tumult and warfare but subsequently emerged politically dominant, becoming a major force in southern Ireland and even the one of the most militarily active kingdoms on the island by the middle of the ninth century. Originally granted semi-independent status within the province of Munster, the war-like and victorious rule of king
Cerball mac Dúnlainge Cerball mac Dúnlainge (patronymic sometimes spelled ''Dúngaile'', ) (died 888) was king of Ossory in south-east Ireland. The kingdom of Ossory (''Osraige'') occupied roughly the area of modern County Kilkenny and western County Laois and lay b ...
birthed a dramatic rise in Osraige's power and prestige, despite a heavy influx of Viking marauders to Ireland's shores. Under the long reign of
Cerball mac Dúnlainge Cerball mac Dúnlainge (patronymic sometimes spelled ''Dúngaile'', ) (died 888) was king of Ossory in south-east Ireland. The kingdom of Ossory (''Osraige'') occupied roughly the area of modern County Kilkenny and western County Laois and lay b ...
between 843/4 to 888, Osraige was transformed from a relatively unimportant kingdom into one of Ireland's most powerful overlordships, which surpassed that of both Munster and Leinster and even threatened
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 the ...
hegemony over southern Ireland. There is circumstantial evidence which indicates that early in his reign, Cerball may have even sent emissaries to establish international diplomacy with the
Carolingian Empire The Carolingian Empire (800–888) was a large Frankish-dominated empire in western and central Europe during the Early Middle Ages. It was ruled by the Carolingian dynasty, which had ruled as kings of the Franks since 751 and as kings of the Lom ...
's western-third under
Charles the Bald Charles the Bald (french: Charles le Chauve; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as Charles II, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), king of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a ser ...
who was also dealing with Viking threats. He established dual marriage alliances with the High King
Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid Máel Sechnaill mac Máel Ruanaida (Modern Irish: ''Maolsheachlann Mac Maolruanaidh''), also known as Máel Sechnaill I, anglicised as Malachy MacMulrooney (died 27 November 862) was High King of Ireland. The Annals of Ulster use the Old Irish ...
and successfully forced
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 ...
, king of Munster to recognize Osraige's formal independence from Munster in 859. The later Icelandic
Landnámabók (, "Book of Settlements"), often shortened to , is a medieval Icelandic written work which describes in considerable detail the settlement () of Iceland by the Norse in the 9th and 10th centuries CE. is divided into five parts and over ...
uniquely names Cerball as king of Dublin and the
Orkney Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...
islands during his reign, yet scholars regard this as an interpolation borrowed from the influential narrative found in the
Fragmentary Annals of Ireland The ''Fragmentary Annals of Ireland'' or ''Three Fragments'' are a Middle Irish combination of chronicles from various Irish annals and narrative history. They were compiled in the kingdom of Osraige, probably in the lifetime of Donnchad mac Gil ...
, likely composed by Cerball's eleventh century descendant
Donnchad mac Gilla Pátraic Donnchad mac Gilla Pátraic (Donagh MacGillapatrick) (died 1039), was King of Osraige and King of Leinster. Life & Reign His father was Gilla Pátraic mac Donnchada. He took the throne of Osraige prior to 1027 and was active militarily. He ...
. Cerball's descendant king
Gilla Pátraic mac Donnchada Gilla Pátraic mac Donnchada (died 996) was king of Osraige and the progenitor from whom all Mac Giolla Phádraigs (Fitzpatricks) of Ossory took their hereditary surname. Gilla Pátraic succeeded his father Donnchad mac Cellaig in 976. Donn ...
(r. 976–996) proved an able ruler, and by the late 10th century the hereditary ruling descendants of Osraige had adopted the surname '' Mac Giolla Phádraig'' as their patronymic. By the late tenth century, Osraige was brought into conflict with the ambitious Dalcassian king Brian Boruma, who gained supremacy over all Ireland before being killed in 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 forc ...
in 1014, in which the Ossorians did not partake. The
Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib ''Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib'' ("The War of the Irish with the Foreigners") is a medieval Irish text that tells of the depredations of the Vikings and Uí Ímair dynasty in Ireland and the Irish king Brian Boru's great war against them, beginnin ...
relates a story that victorious but wounded Dalcassian troops were challenged to battle by the Ossorians as they were returning home through Osraige after the battle of Clontarf, but some authors doubt the validity of this story, as the source is widely considered later Dalcassian propaganda.


Osraige during the First Irish Revival (c. 1015 – 1165)

During the period after the decline of Viking threats, many of Ireland's smaller kingdoms became dominated by larger ones, in a natural yet bloody evolution towards centralized monarchy. Various families contended for the high-kingship. Allegiance with Osraige could make or break a king's bid for the high-kingship, although the kings of Osraige never attempted the position themselves. King Donnchadh mac Gilla Pátraic, arguably Osraige's most powerful ruler who brought the kingdom to the zenith of its power, plundered Dublin, Meath and successfully conquered neighbouring
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 ...
in 1033, held the Óenach Carmán and ruled both kingdoms until his death in 1039. In 1085 and 1114, the city of
Kilkenny Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512. Kilken ...
was burned. Additionally, major changes to the structure and practices of the Irish Church brought it away from its historic orthodox practices and more in line with the massive
Gregorian Reform The Gregorian Reforms were a series of reforms initiated by Pope Gregory VII and the circle he formed in the papal curia, c. 1050–80, which dealt with the moral integrity and independence of the clergy. The reforms are considered to be na ...
movement which was already taking place on the continent. Significantly, the Synod of Rath Breasail was part of this movement, likely held in the northernmost territory of Osraige in 1111. By the early-12th century, fighting had erupted within the dynasty and split the kingdom into three territories. In 1103, Gilla Pátraic Ruadh, king of Osraige and many of the Ossorian royal family were killed on campaign in the north of Ireland. Two new claimants to the throne then emerged, both scions of the Mac Giolla Phádraig clan. Domnall Ruadh Mac Gilla Pátraic was the king of greater Osraige, often called ''Tuaisceart Osraige'' ("North Osraige") or ''Leath Osraige'' ("Half-Osraige"); and Cearbhall mac Domnall mac Gilla Pátraic in ''Desceart Osraige'' ("South Osraige"), a smaller portion of the southernmost part of Osraige bordering Waterford. Additionally, the Ua Caellaighe clan of Mag Lacha and Ua Foircheallain in the extreme north Osraige declared their independence from Mac Giolla Phádraig rule under Fionn Ua Caellaighe. Thus the north and south fringes of the kingdom broke apart from the centre, each with subsequent competing dynasts until the arrival of the Normans. While the north and south extremities of the kingdom were broken away, the majority of central Osraige around the fertile Nore valley maintained greater stability and is most often referred to simply as "Osraige" in most annals for the period. Despite its fracturing, Osraige was still powerful enough to oppose and inflict defeats upon Leinster. As retribution in 1156–7, the high king
Muirchertach Mac Lochlainn Muircheartach Mac Lochlainn (old spelling: Muirchertach mac Lochlainn, IPA: mˠɪɾʲəçəɾˠt̪ˠəxmˠəkˈlɔxlən̪ʲ was king of Tír Eoghain, and High King of Ireland from around 1156 until his death in 1166. He succeeded Toirdheal ...
led a massive campaign of destruction deep into Osraige, laying waste to it from end to end, and officially subjected it to Leinster.


Decline during the Norman Invasion (1165–1194)

Much of the background drama and initial action of the Norman advance played out on the battlefields and highways of Osraige. The kingdoms of Osraige and
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 ...
had also witnessed increased mutual hostility prior to the Normans. Significantly,
Diarmaid Mac Murchadha Diarmait Mac Murchada ( Modern Irish: Diarmaid Mac Murchadha), anglicised as Dermot MacMurrough, Dermod MacMurrough, or Dermot MacMorrogh (c. 1110 – c. 1 May 1171), was a King of Leinster in Ireland. In 1167, he was deposed by the High K ...
, the man who would one day become king of Leinster and invite the Normans into Ireland, was himself fostered as a youth in north Osraige, in the territory of the Ua Caellaighes of Dairmag Ua nDuach who sought to undermine their Mac Giolla Phádraig overlords. In the 1150s, high king
Muirchertach Mac Lochlainn Muircheartach Mac Lochlainn (old spelling: Muirchertach mac Lochlainn, IPA: mˠɪɾʲəçəɾˠt̪ˠəxmˠəkˈlɔxlən̪ʲ was king of Tír Eoghain, and High King of Ireland from around 1156 until his death in 1166. He succeeded Toirdheal ...
made a devastating punitive campaign on the divided Osraige, burning and pillaging the whole kingdom and subjected it to Leinster overlordship. Thus, Diarmaid Mac Murchadha came to intervene several times in the disputes of Ossorian succession. After Mac Murchadha's exile and return in 1167, tension was heightened between Osraige and Leinster by the blinding of Mac Murchadha's son and heir, Éanna mac Diarmat by the prince of greater Osraige, king Donnchad Mac Giolla Phádraig. Mac Murchadha's initial mercenary force under
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 De ...
landed close to the border of Osraige 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 ...
, took
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 N ...
and immediately turned west to invade Osraige, acquiring hostages as a nominal token of submission. Later still, another auxiliary force under
Raymond FitzGerald 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 ...
(le Gros) landed just opposite Osraige's border at
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 ...
, and won a skirmish with its inhabitants. By 1169,
Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (of the first creation), Lord of Leinster, Justiciar of Ireland (113020 April 1176), also known as Richard FitzGilbert, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman notable for his leading role in the Anglo-Norman invasion ...
(Strongbow) had also landed with a major force outside of Waterford, married Mac Murchadha'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 ...
and sacked the city. Later that year, a major conflict was fought in the woods of Osraige near Freshford when Mac Murchadha and his
Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...
allies under
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 De ...
,
Meiler FitzHenry Meiler FitzHenry (sometimes spelled Meilyr; died 1220) was a Cambro-Norman nobleman and Lord Chief Justice of Ireland during the Lordship of Ireland. Background and early life Meilyr FitzHenry was the son of Henry FitzHenry, an illegitimate son ...
,
Maurice de Prendergast Maurice de Prendergast was a Norman knight, fl. 1169–1174. Maurice was from Prendergast, now in Haverfordwest, Wales, and was hired in 1169 by the ruler of the Irish kingdom of Osraige, Domnall Mac Gilla Pátraic, to resist the Leinster king, ...
, Miles FitzDavid, and Hervey de Clare (Montmaurice) defeated a numerically superior force under Domnall Mac Giolla Phádraig, king of greater-Osraige, at the pass of Achadh Úr following a
feigned retreat A feigned retreat is a military tactic, a type of feint, whereby a military force pretends to withdraw or to have been routed, in order to lure an enemy into a position of vulnerability. A feigned retreat is one of the more difficult tactics fo ...
in a three-day battle. Shortly thereafter, de Prendergast and his contingent of
Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...
soldiers defected from Mac Murchada's camp and joined king Domnall's forces in Osraige before quitting Ireland for a time. In 1170, MacMurchada died, leaving Strongbow as the de facto king of Leinster, which in his understanding, included Osraige. At Threecastles, Strongbow and Mac Giolla Phádraig agreed to the Treaty of Odogh (Ui Duach) in 1170, in which de Prendergast saved the life of the prince of Osraige from a treacherous assassination. Osraige was afterwards invaded by Strongbow's troops and an Ua Briain force from Thommond. In 1171, 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 ...
landed in nearby
Waterford Harbour Waterford Harbour ( gle, Loch Dá Chaoch / Cuan Phort Láirge) is a natural harbour at the mouth of the Three Sisters; the River Nore, the River Suir and the River Barrow in Ireland. It is navigable for shipping to both Waterford and New Ross ...
with one of the largest injections of English military strength into Ireland. On the banks of the
Suir The River Suir ( ; ga, an tSiúr or ''Abhainn na Siúire'' ) is a river in Ireland that flows into the Atlantic Ocean through Waterford after a distance of . The catchment area of the Suir is 3,610 km2.
, Henry secured the submission of many of the kings and chiefs of southern Ireland; including Tuaisceart Osraige's king, Domnall Mac Giolla Phádraig. In 1172, the Norman adventurer Adam de Hereford was granted land by Strongbow in Aghaboe, north Osraige. After Henry was recalled from Ireland to deal with the aftermath of
Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), was an English nobleman who served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then ...
's murder and the
Revolt of 1173–74 Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
, Osraige continued to be a theatre of conflict. Raymond FitzGerald plundered Offaly and travelled through Osraige to win a naval engagement at Waterford. Later, a force from Dublin inflicted a defeat on Hervey de Clare in Osraige. In 1175, the prince of Osraige assisted a force under Raymond FitzGerald to relieve the city of Limerick which had been besieged by the forces of
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 ...
. Later,
Gerald of Wales Gerald of Wales ( la, Giraldus Cambrensis; cy, Gerallt Gymro; french: Gerald de Barri; ) was a Cambro-Norman priest and English historians in the Middle Ages, historian. As a royal clerk to the king and two archbishops, he travelled widely and w ...
relates a defeat of the men of Kilkenny and their prince by a Norman force from Meath. The noted adventurer
Robert le Poer Robert le Poer (died c.1346) was an Irish judge and Crown official who held the offices of Lord High Treasurer of Ireland and Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer. Family Francis Elrington Ball, in his definitive study of the pre-1921 Irish judi ...
won lands in Osraige, but was later killed there against the natives. In 1185, Prince John, then Lord of Ireland and future King of England, travelled from England to Ireland to consolidate the Anglo-Norman colonisation of Ireland, landing at Waterford near the border of Osraige. He secured the allegiance of the Irish princes and travelled through Osraige to Dublin, ordering several castles to be constructed in the region. The last recorded king of central Osraige was Maelseachaill Mac Gilla Patráic, who died in either 1193 or 1194. However, the kingdom and a continuous succession of rulers remained intact in the north, subsequently called "
Upper Ossory Upper Ossory () was an administrative barony in the south and west of Queen's County (now County Laois) in Ireland. In late Gaelic Ireland it was the túath of the Mac Giolla Phádraig ( Fitzpatrick) family and a surviving remnant of the once l ...
" into the mid-sixteenth century.


Upper Ossory and Kilkenny (1192–1541)

After the initial
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 ...
, the famous and formidable
William Marshal William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1146 or 1147 – 14 May 1219), also called William the Marshal (Norman French: ', French: '), was an Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman. He served five English kings— Henry II, his sons the "Young King" ...
arrived in Osraige by 1192 and acquired claims to the land through his marriage to Isabel de Clare, daughter of Strongbow and Aoife Mac Murchada, daughter of Diarmait Mac Murchada. Marshal began stone construction on the large fortification at
Kilkenny Castle Kilkenny Castle ( ga, Caisleán Chill Chainnigh, IPA: kaʃlʲaːnˠˈçiːl̪ʲˈxan̪ʲiː is a castle in Kilkenny, Ireland built in 1195 to control a fording-point of the River Nore and the junction of several routeways. It was a symbol o ...
which was completed by 1195 and was largely responsible for forcing the Mac Giolla Phádraigs from their southern power base around the
River Nore The River Nore ( ga, An Fheoir ) is one of the principal rivers (along with the River Suir and River Barrow) in the South-East Region of Ireland. The river drains approximately of Leinster and Munster, that encompasses parts of three counti ...
; their ancient rights revoked and a decree of expulsion pronounced on the entire clan. The northern districts of Mag Lacha and Ui Foircheallain (henceforth called
Upper Ossory Upper Ossory () was an administrative barony in the south and west of Queen's County (now County Laois) in Ireland. In late Gaelic Ireland it was the túath of the Mac Giolla Phádraig ( Fitzpatrick) family and a surviving remnant of the once l ...
) which had formerly broken away from Osraige under Ua Caellaighe/Ua Faeláin and Ua Dubhsláine rule since 1103, and which had subsequently seen English settlement from the Normans, thus became targeted by the expelled Mac Giolla Phádraigs and their Ossorian followers for resettlement. This caused a land war in Upper Ossory between those clans already residing there, the new English settlers, and the incoming clans from south and central Osraige driven out by Earl Marshal, which lasted more than a century and a half before the Mac Giolla Phádraigs established full supremacy over the region. Subsequently, the chaos of this poorly recorded conflict caused the then bishop of Ossory,
Felix Ua Duib Sláin Felix Ua Duib Sláin (; – 24 January 1202), often anglicised as Felix O'Dullany (''O'Dulaney'', ''O'Dullaney'', ''O'Dulany'' etc.) was a medieval Irish bishop. Biography Felix had a Latin first name meaning "fortunate"; his surname literal ...
, to permanently remove the episcopal see from Aghaboe and initiate construction of the cathedral in Kilkenny. Upper Ossory thus remained an independent Gaelic lordship until the mid-sixteenth century, with its Mac Giolla Phádraig rulers retaining claims to the kingship of all Osraige and being recorded as such, or sometimes "King of the Slieve Blooms". The majority of Osriage was divided up and partitioned amongst various Norman adventurers, especially those within the household of William Marshal who arrived to take charge of lands which were claimed by his wife's inheritance. Likely arriving under Marshal was Sir Thomas FitzAnthony who was granted extensive lands in lower Ossory and elsewhere (
Thomastown Thomastown (), historically known as Grennan, is a town in County Kilkenny in the province of Leinster in the south-east of Ireland. It is a market town along a stretch of the River Nore which is known for its salmon and trout, with a number of ...
, Co. Kilkenny is named after him) and was an important and successful administrator for the Crown; being made
seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...
of all Leinster from 1215 to at least 1223. Upper Ossory was formally incorporated into the
Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
's Lordship of Ireland by the submission of
Barnaby Fitzpatrick, 1st Baron Upper Ossory Barnaby Fitzpatrick (born ga, Brían Mac Giolla Phádraig) (c.1478–1575) was the last person to have claim to the kingship of Osraige; forfeiting his ancestral title in favour of being created the first Lord Baron Upper Ossory by King Henry ...
under the policy of
surrender and regrant During the Tudor conquest of Ireland (c.1540–1603), "surrender and regrant" was the legal mechanism by which Irish clans were to be converted from a power structure rooted in clan and kin loyalties, to a late-feudal system under the English l ...
in 1537. This ironically had the effect of preserving Gaelic culture in Upper Ossory long into the future, since the Crown no longer dealt harshly with the territory. In 1541, The Mac Giolla Phádraig was ennobled as Baron Upper Ossory. Other members of the family were later created
Earl of Upper Ossory Earl of Upper Ossory was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 5 October 1751 for John FitzPatrick, 2nd Baron Gowran, who later represented Bedfordshire in the House of Commons. He was the son of Richard FitzPatrick, who had been c ...
and
Baron Castletown Baron Castletown, of Upper Ossory in the Queen's County, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 10 December 1869 for John FitzPatrick, the former Liberal Member of Parliament for Queen's County. He was the illeg ...
, the last of whom,
Bernard FitzPatrick, 2nd Baron Castletown Bernard Edward Barnaby FitzPatrick, 2nd Baron Castletown, Order of St Patrick, KP, Order of St Michael and St George, CMG, Privy Council of Ireland, PC (I) (29 July 1848 – 29 May 1937) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Conservative Party (UK), C ...
, died in 1927. Because they clung to the last fragments of the kingdom, that Ossorian lineage is marked as one of the oldest known or most continuously settled dynasties in
Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...
. By the late fourteenth century, members of the
Butler dynasty Butler ( ga, de Buitléir) is the name of a noble family whose members were, for several centuries, prominent in the administration of the Lordship of Ireland and the Kingdom of Ireland. They rose to their highest prominence as Dukes of Ormonde ...
purchased or inherited most of southern Osraige, purchased Kilkenny Castle and used it as an administration centre as part of the Earldom of Ormond (and later Earldom of Ossory), from which
County Kilkenny County Kilkenny ( gle, Contae Chill Chainnigh) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the South-East Region. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. Kilkenny County Council is the local authority for the cou ...
was shired. During this period, Kilkenny ranked very close behind
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 ...
as the main seat of English power in Ireland, with Parliament meeting there as early as 1293 and recurring many times until 1536. The Bruce Invasion of Ireland saw
Edward Bruce Edward Bruce, Earl of Carrick ( Norman French: ; mga, Edubard a Briuis; Modern Scottish Gaelic: gd, Eideard or ; – 14 October 1318), was a younger brother of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots. He supported his brother in the 1306–1314 st ...
temporarily seize
Gowran Gowran (; ) is a town located on the eastern side of County Kilkenny, Ireland. The historic St. Mary's Collegiate Church is located in the centre of Gowran close to Gowran Castle. Gowran Park race course and Golf Course is located one km from t ...
, once a seat of the kings of Osraige. By 1352, the unified formation of modern
County Kilkenny County Kilkenny ( gle, Contae Chill Chainnigh) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the South-East Region. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. Kilkenny County Council is the local authority for the cou ...
had taken shape. In 1367, the
Statutes of Kilkenny The Statutes of Kilkenny were a series of thirty-five acts enacted by the Parliament of Ireland at Kilkenny in 1366, aiming to curb the decline of the Hiberno-Norman Lordship of Ireland. Background to the Statutes By the middle decades of the ...
were enacted attempting to quell intermarriage and commerce between the English and Irish, but to little effect.


Ossorian clans

In '' The Book of Rights'', the Osraige are labeled as Síl mBresail Bric ("the seed of Bresail Bric") after Bressail Bricc, a remote ancestor of the Ossorians. Bressail Bricc had two sons; Lughaidh, ancestor of the Laigan, and
Connla Connla or Conlaoch is a character in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, the son of the Ulster champion Cú Chulainn and the Scottish warrior woman Aífe. He was raised alone by his mother in Scotland. He appears in the story '' Aided Óenfhi ...
, from whom the Ossorians sprang, through
Óengus Osrithe Óengus Osrithe son of Criomthann Mór (son of Iar mac Sétnai) and his wife Cindnit, daughter of Dáire mac Degad and Morand, was the semi-legendary first king and eponymous ancestor of the Osraige people of Ireland. His supposed floruit lies ...
. Thus, the people of Osraige were also sometimes collectively referred to as Clann Connla. Over time as lineages multiplied, surnames were eventually adopted. The following clans were the native land-holders before the arrival of the Normans: * Mac Giolla Phádraig (Fitzpatrick, Gilpatrick, McIllpatrick, MacSeartha) hereditary Dál Birn
kings of Osraige The kings of Osraige (alternately spelled ''Osraighe'' and Anglicised as ''Ossory'') reigned over the medieval Irish kingdom of Osraige from the first or second century AD until the late twelfth century. Osraige was a semi-provincial kingdom in s ...
through king Cerball's son Cellach * Ua Dubhsláine ( O'Delany) of Coill Uachtarach (
Upper Woods Upper Woods or Upperwoods () is a barony in County Laois (formerly called ''Queen's County'' or ''County Leix''), Republic of Ireland. Etymology Upper Woods barony is named after the forests of the Slieve Bloom Mountains. Geography Upper Wood ...
) * Ua hÚrachán (O'Horahan) of Uí Fairchelláin (Offerlane) * Ua Bruaideadha (O'Brody, Brooder, Brother, Broderick) of Ráth Tamhnaige * Ua Caellaighe (O'Kealy, O'Kelly) of Dairmag Ua nDuach ( Durrow-in-Ossory), who as asserted by
Carrigan Carrigan is a townland in the Parish of Tomregan, Barony of Loughtee Lower, County Cavan, Ireland. Etymology The townland name is an anglicisation of the Gaelic placename ''Cairrig-ín'' which means 'A little rock or a rocky surface'. The olde ...
, changed their name to Ua Faeláin (O'Phelan, Whelan) below * Ua Faeláin ( O'Phelan, Whelan) of Magh Lacha (Clarmallagh) (formerly Ua Caellaighe, above) * Ua Bróithe ( O'Brophy) of Mag Sédna * Ua Caibhdheanaigh (O'Coveney, MacKeveny) of Mag Airbh * Ua Glóiairn (O'Gloherny, Glory, O'Gloran, Cloran, Glorney) of Callann * Ua Donnachadha (Dunphy, O'Donochowe, O'Dunaghy, O'Donoghue, Donohoe, Donagh) of Mag Máil * Ua Cearbhaill (
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 ...
, O'Carrowill, MacCarroll) of Mag Cearbhail * Ua Braonáin ( O'Brennan) of Uí Duach (Idough). However, the high authority Dubhaltach Mac Fhirbhisigh states they belong to the Ui Dhuinn (O’Dunn) and, therefore, would be an Uí Failghi tribe according to his transcription.This is echoed by the modern scholar, Bart Jaski. * Ua Caollaidhe (O'Kealy, O'Coely,
Quealy Quealy or Quealey is a surname in the English language. It is derived from one of several names in Irish: '' Ó Cadhla'' which is a transcription of: and ''Ua Caollaidhe'' of Uí Bercháin (Ibercon) in Osraige. Notable people with the surname ...
) of Uí Bercháin (Ibercon) * Mac Braoin (MacBreen, Breen) of Na Clanna * Ua Bruadair (O'Broder, Broderick) of Uí nEirc (Iverk) * Ua nDeaghaidh (O'Dea) of Uí Dheaghaidh (Ida)


Notable nobility

An important Ossorian genealogy for Domnall mac Donnchada mac Gilla Patric is preserved in the
Bodleian Library, MS Rawlinson B 502 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 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 ...
, tracing the medieval Mac Giolla Phádraig dynasty back to
Óengus Osrithe Óengus Osrithe son of Criomthann Mór (son of Iar mac Sétnai) and his wife Cindnit, daughter of Dáire mac Degad and Morand, was the semi-legendary first king and eponymous ancestor of the Osraige people of Ireland. His supposed floruit lies ...
, who supposedly flourished in the first or second century. *
Óengus Osrithe Óengus Osrithe son of Criomthann Mór (son of Iar mac Sétnai) and his wife Cindnit, daughter of Dáire mac Degad and Morand, was the semi-legendary first king and eponymous ancestor of the Osraige people of Ireland. His supposed floruit lies ...
the first recorded king and namesake of the kingdom is the semi-legendary Óengus Osrithe, who lived in either the first or second century (circa 100 A.D.). * Loegaire Birn Buadach gave his early epithet to the ruling lineage amongst the Ossorian people, the "''
Dál Birn ''Dál Birn'' (''"portion" of Birn'') is a tribal epithet found in Irish sources which refers to the descendants of Loegaire Birn Buadach, the hereditary ruling lineage of the kingdom of Osraige in Ireland. Lineage This illustrious lineage produ ...
''" (lit. "''the portion of Birn''"). *
Cerball mac Dúnlainge Cerball mac Dúnlainge (patronymic sometimes spelled ''Dúngaile'', ) (died 888) was king of Ossory in south-east Ireland. The kingdom of Ossory (''Osraige'') occupied roughly the area of modern County Kilkenny and western County Laois and lay b ...
(King of Osraige from 846 to 888; King 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 ...
from 872 to 887;Landnámabók Earl of
Orkney Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...
prior to 888) A celebrated king of Osraige (and likely Osraige's most famous monarch) was Cerball mac Dúnlainge, who ruled Osraige vigorously from c. 846 to his death in 888 and was the direct male progenitor of the later medieval Mac Giolla Phádraig dynasts. The Icelandic
Landnámabók (, "Book of Settlements"), often shortened to , is a medieval Icelandic written work which describes in considerable detail the settlement () of Iceland by the Norse in the 9th and 10th centuries CE. is divided into five parts and over ...
describes Cerball (Carroll) (''Kjarvalur'') as ruler 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 ...
and Earl of
Orkney Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...
and opens with a list of the most prominent rulers in Viking-age
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
, listing this Ossorian king alongside
Popes The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
Adrian II Pope Adrian II ( la, Adrianus II; also Hadrian II; 79214 December 872) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 867 to his death. He continued the policy of his predecessor, Nicholas I. Despite seeking good relations with Louis ...
and John VIII;
Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
Emperors
Leo VI the Wise Leo VI, called the Wise ( gr, Λέων ὁ Σοφός, Léōn ho Sophós, 19 September 866 – 11 May 912), was Byzantine Emperor from 886 to 912. The second ruler of the Macedonian dynasty (although his parentage is unclear), he was very well r ...
and his son
Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
;
Harald Fairhair Harald Fairhair no, Harald hårfagre Modern Icelandic: ( – ) was a Norwegian king. According to traditions current in Norway and Iceland in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, he reigned from  872 to 930 and was the first King of Nor ...
, king of
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
;
Eric Anundsson Eric Anundsson or Eymundsson was a semi-legendary Swedish king who supposedly ruled during the 9th century. The Norse sagas describe him as successful in extending his realm over the Baltic Sea, but unsuccessful in his attempts of westward expansi ...
and his son Björn Eriksson rulers of Sweden;
Gorm the Old Gorm the Old ( da, Gorm den Gamle; non, Gormr gamli; la, Gormus Senex), also called Gorm the Languid ( da, Gorm Løge, Gorm den Dvaske), was ruler of Denmark, reigning from to his death or a few years later.Lund, N. (2020), p. 147
, king of Denmark; and
Alfred the Great Alfred the Great (alt. Ælfred 848/849 – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who bot ...
, king of
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. Cerball features prominently in the annals and other historical texts, especially in The Fragmentary Annals of Ireland as an archetype of a Christian king who consistently vanquishes his enemies, especially
pagan Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. ...
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 ...
. In this chronicle, Cerball is recorded allying with rival bands of Vikings to defeat them during his early career as king. He was also close enough to the
Norse–Gaels The Norse–Gaels ( sga, Gall-Goídil; ga, Gall-Ghaeil; gd, Gall-Ghàidheil, 'foreigner-Gaels') were a people of mixed Gaelic and Norse ancestry and culture. They emerged in the Viking Age, when Vikings who settled in Ireland and in Scotlan ...
that he features under the name "''Kjarvalr Írakonungr''" in several medieval Icelandic pedigrees through his daughters. Cerball was likely the most powerful king of his day in Ireland, even plundering the lands of his brother-in-law the high king, which resulted in the kingdom of Osraige being officially dis-joined from the province of Munster. During his lifetime he is recorded to have even ruled over
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 ...
(from 872 to 888) and as far as the
Orkneys Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...
due to his interconnections with his Viking neighbours. *
Land ingen Dúngaile Land ingen Dúngaile (died 890 AD) (sometimes spelled ''Lann'' or ''Flann''; her patronymic sometimes ''Dúnlainge'') was a Dál Birn princess of Osraige who was a noteworthy figure in Irish politics during a critical time in Viking-age Ireland ...
(Princess of Osraige; daughter of king
Dúngal mac Cellaig Dúngal mac Cellaig (died 772) was a King of Osraige in modern County Kilkenny. He ruled from 770 to 772. He was of the dynasty known as the Dál Birn that ruled over Osraige in the early Christian period and was the son of Cellach mac Fáelchai ...
) Princess Land (sometimes spelt ''Lann'') was a noteworthy figure in Irish politics during a critical time in Osraige's history, witnessing its dramatic rise to power under the rule of her brother
Cerball mac Dúnlainge Cerball mac Dúnlainge (patronymic sometimes spelled ''Dúngaile'', ) (died 888) was king of Ossory in south-east Ireland. The kingdom of Ossory (''Osraige'') occupied roughly the area of modern County Kilkenny and western County Laois and lay b ...
, in which she had a hand. She was married to the famous High King of all Ireland,
Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid Máel Sechnaill mac Máel Ruanaida (Modern Irish: ''Maolsheachlann Mac Maolruanaidh''), also known as Máel Sechnaill I, anglicised as Malachy MacMulrooney (died 27 November 862) was High King of Ireland. The Annals of Ulster use the Old Irish ...
(who reigned from 846 to 862) and gave birth to his formidable son
Flann Sinna Flann Sinna ( lit. ''Flann of the Shannon''; Irish: ''Flann na Sionainne''; 84725 May 916), also known as Flann mac Máel Sechnaill, was the son of Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid of Clann Cholmáin, a branch of the Southern Uí Néill. He was ...
who was also High King from 879 to 916. (She is thus also the grandmother of High King Donnchadh Donn mac Flainn.) *
Gilla Pátraic mac Donnchada Gilla Pátraic mac Donnchada (died 996) was king of Osraige and the progenitor from whom all Mac Giolla Phádraigs (Fitzpatricks) of Ossory took their hereditary surname. Gilla Pátraic succeeded his father Donnchad mac Cellaig in 976. Donn ...
(King of Ossory from 976 to 996) King Cearbhall's descendant, Gilla Pátraic mac Donnchada, was king of Osraige from 976 to 996, and was the source of the patronymic ''Mac Giolla Phádraig''. His wife was Máel Muire ingen Arailt, likely an
Uí Ímair The Uí Ímair (; meaning ‘''scions of Ivar’''), also known as the Ivar Dynasty or Ivarids was a royal Norse-Gael dynasty which ruled much of the Irish Sea region, the Kingdom of Dublin, the western coast of Scotland, including the Hebrides ...
bride. He was an implacable opponent of Brian Boruma in his expansion over southern Ireland, being captured by him in 983 and released the following year. Later in his reign, he devastated
Mide Meath (; Old Irish: ''Mide'' ; spelt ''Mí'' in Modern Irish) was a kingdom in Ireland from the 1st to the 12th century AD. Its name means "middle," denoting its location in the middle of the island. At its greatest extent, it included all of ...
, and was killed in battle against Donnduban mac Imair, prince of Limerick, and Domnall mac Fáelán, king of Déisi. *
Donnchad mac Gilla Pátraic Donnchad mac Gilla Pátraic (Donagh MacGillapatrick) (died 1039), was King of Osraige and King of Leinster. Life & Reign His father was Gilla Pátraic mac Donnchada. He took the throne of Osraige prior to 1027 and was active militarily. He ...
(King of Osraige from 1003 to 1039; king of
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 1033 to 1039) In 1003, he killed his cousin, King Cellach. In 1016, he killed Donn Cuan mac Dúnlaing, king of Leinster, and Tadc ua Riain, king of Uí Drona. In 1022, he killed Sitriuc mac Ímair, king of Port Lairge (
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 ...
). In 1026, Donnchad spent Easter with the coarb of Patrick and Donnchad mac Briain. In 1027, he blinded his relative Tadc mac Gilla Pátraic. In 1033, Donnchad also took the kingship of Leinster and held the Fair of Carman to celebrate his over-kingship. In 1039, he led a hosting as far as Knowth and Drogheda., and he died the same year. Gofraid mac Arailt,
King of the Isles The Kingdom of the Isles consisted of the Isle of Man, the Hebrides and the islands of the Firth of Clyde from the 9th to the 13th centuries AD. The islands were known to the Norse as the , or "Southern Isles" as distinct from the or Nort ...
, through his daughter Mael Muire, appears to have been the maternal grandfather of Donnchad mac Gilla Pátraic, the Osraige
king of Leinster The kings of Leinster ( ga, Rí Laighín), ruled from the establishment of Kingdom of Leinster, Leinster during the Irish Iron Age, until the 17th century Early Modern Ireland. According to Gaelic traditional history, laid out in works such as th ...
. Thus the Mac Giolla Phádraigs or Fitzpatricks of Ossory are probably matrilineal descendants of the
Uí Ímair The Uí Ímair (; meaning ‘''scions of Ivar’''), also known as the Ivar Dynasty or Ivarids was a royal Norse-Gael dynasty which ruled much of the Irish Sea region, the Kingdom of Dublin, the western coast of Scotland, including the Hebrides ...
. King Cerball was an ally of their (probable) founder Ívar the Boneless, the
Viking 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 ...
king 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 ...
. It is also possible that Donnchad's father, Gilla Pátraic mac Donnchada, was somehow a relation of Ívar the Boneless, who had a son named Gilla Pátraic. * Derbforgaill ingen Tadhg Mac Giolla Pádraig (Princess of Osraige, died 1098) Derbforgaill, daughter of Tadhg Mac Giolla Pádraig was married to
Toirdelbach Ua Briain Toirdhealbhach Ua Briain (old spelling: Toirdelbach Ua Briain), anglicised ''Turlough O'Brien'' (100914 July 1086), was King of Munster and effectively High King of Ireland. A grandson of Brian Bóruma, Toirdelbach was the son of Tadc mac Briain ...
, king of Munster and ''de facto'' high king of Ireland. From him, she bore two sons: Tadhg and
Muirchertach Ua Briain Muircheartach Ua Briain (old spelling: Muirchertach Ua Briain) (also known as Murtaugh O'Brien) (c. 1050 – c. 10 March 1119), son of Toirdelbach Ua Briain and great-grandson of Brian Boru, was King of Munster and later self-declared High King ...
, who also later became high king. She reposed in 1098 in Glendalough.


Saints with Ossory connections

The monastic settlements of
Saighir Saighir (''Seir Kieran''; also named ''Seirkieran'', in Irish ''Saighir Chiaráin''), is a monastic site in Clareen, County Offaly, founded by Ciarán of Saigir. History According to his hagiographers, Ciarán was born in pagan Ireland and ...
,
Aghaboe Aghaboe () is a small village in County Laois, Ireland. It is located on the R434 regional road in the rural hinterland west of the town of Abbeyleix. It contains the ruins of the Abbey of Aghaboe which was founded by St. Canice in the Osso ...
and Kilkenny were planted by
Christian saints In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...
. The activity of Christian religious leaders under the patronage of the kings did much to increase the learning, literacy and culture within the kingdom. According to his vitae,
Saint Patrick Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints be ...
traversed Osraige on his route to
Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...
, preaching, converting, founding churches and leaving behind holy relics and a disciple named Martin. A number of other saints had connections to Ossory, working both within Ireland and abroad in Great Britain, Britain and
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
: * St. Ciarán of Saighir "The Elder", himself a scion of the Ossorian ruling Dál Birn lineage is reputed to have evangelized the kingdom before the arrival of St Patrick who also preached there. He founded the church of Saighir from which he evangelized the kingdom. It eventually became the episcopal see of Ossory, and the burial place of its Christian kings. St Ciarán was succeeded by his disciple, St Carthage the Elder. St Ciarán's feastday is 5 March, along with St. Carthage and St. Piran. St. Kieran's College in Kilkenny (Ireland's oldest Roman Catholic secondary school) is named after him. (In Cornwall St. Ciarán is identified as one and the same person with Saint Piran, the patron saint of tin miners and all Cornwall.) A relief statue of St. Ciarán stands in a high niche atop the Chapter House at St. Mary's in Kilkenny. * St. Carthage the Elder, a son or grandson of
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'' ...
and St. Ciarán's successor at
Saighir Saighir (''Seir Kieran''; also named ''Seirkieran'', in Irish ''Saighir Chiaráin''), is a monastic site in Clareen, County Offaly, founded by Ciarán of Saigir. History According to his hagiographers, Ciarán was born in pagan Ireland and ...
. His feastday is also celebrated with St. Ciarán on 5 March. * St.
Cainnech of Aghaboe Cainnech of Aghaboe (515/16–600), also known as Saint Canice in Ireland, Saint Kenneth in Scotland, Saint Kenny and in Latin Sanctus Canicus, was an Irish abbot, monastic founder, priest and missionary during the early medieval period. Cainn ...
established two monastic centers in Ossory in the 6th century, at
Aghaboe Aghaboe () is a small village in County Laois, Ireland. It is located on the R434 regional road in the rural hinterland west of the town of Abbeyleix. It contains the ruins of the Abbey of Aghaboe which was founded by St. Canice in the Osso ...
and
Kilkenny Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512. Kilken ...
, now named after him. His feast is 11 October. * St. Modomnoc of Ossory traveled there from Wales as a disciple of St. David, and is reputed to have brought Ireland's first colonies of domesticated honeybees. His feast is 13 February. * St. Scuithin, also bearing Welsh connections via St. David, worked his asceticism in south Ossory, in what is now Castlewarren and Freynestown, County Kilkenny, Freynestown. * St. Nem Moccu Birn, successor to St. Enda of Aran is recorded as having been also of the Dál Birn of Ossory and a kinsmen of St. Ciarán of Saighir. His feast is 14 June. * St. Broccán Clóen of Rossturic, was the author of a famous poem in praise of St. Brigid of Kildare (found in the Liber Hymnorum and is mentioned in the Félire Óengusso under 17 September. * Mo Lua of Killaloe who founded the monasteries of Killaloe, County Clare, Killaloe and Clonfert-Mulloe (now Kyle, Co. Laois, Kyle in
County Laois County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...
) in northern Osraige. According to the Martyrology of Donegal St. Molua mac Carthach (also known as St. Lua, or Da Lua) was trained under St. Comgall of Bangor Abbey. His father was Carthach mac Dagri, while his mother was Sochle of the
Dál Birn ''Dál Birn'' (''"portion" of Birn'') is a tribal epithet found in Irish sources which refers to the descendants of Loegaire Birn Buadach, the hereditary ruling lineage of the kingdom of Osraige in Ireland. Lineage This illustrious lineage produ ...
, the ruling tribe of Osraige. William Carrigan speculated his birth around the year 540 AD, and the Annals of the Four Masters records his death in 605 AD. His feast is 4 August. * St. Gobhan, who was also known for his founding an abbacy of the monastery of Oldleighlin, was also active at a later date in Ossory at Killamery. It would appear that sometime before 633 AD he left his monastery at Oldleighlin, and along with numerous monks journeyed west into the kingdom of Ossory and settled at Killamery. Whether he founded Killamery or merely enhanced it, is disputed; however during his abbacy its fame and importance flourished. The 9th-century book ''Félire Óengusso'', (''The Feastology of Oengus''), states about him: "''of Gobban of Cell Lamraide in Hui Cathrenn in the west of Ossory, a thousand monks it had, as experts say and of them was Gobban.''" * St. Findech of Cell Fhinnche, (Killinny, Kilkenny) described in the Félire Óengusso as a ''martyr'', though this likely refers to ascetic exile. His feast is 2 February. * St. Muicin, bishop and confessor, whose feast is celebrated on 4 March. His name appears under the Irish forms ''Muicin'', ''Muccin'', ''Mucinne'', and, in Latin, as ''Moginus'' and ''Mochinus''. According to his pedigree in the Book of Leinster, he was of the royal race of Ossory, the Mac Giolla Phádraig, Dal Birn; thus: "Muccin, son of Mocha, son of Barind, son of Findchadli, son of Dega, son of Droida, son of Buan, son of Loegaire birn buadhach, son of Aengus Osrithe. Decnait, daughter of Gabrin, [and] sister of Fintan of Cluain-Eidhnech, was Muccin's mother." He was venerated as patron of Mayne, Kylermugh, Kilderry and Sheepstown Church, Sheepstown. He lived in the same period as his uncle, Fintan of Clonenagh, St. Fintan the great founder of Clonenagh, and died in the year 630. He is also commemorated in the Martyrology of Tallaght. * St. Fergal was an abbot of Aghaboe in the 8th century and later traveled to Franconia where he was well received by Pippin the Younger. By invitation of Odilo, Duke of Bavaria, he arrived at Salzburg and was eventually made bishop there, being known ever after as St. Vergilius of Salzburg the geometer. His feast is 27 November. *Óengus of Tallaght, who compiled the ''Félire Óengusso'', was born and raised in northern Ossory at Clúain Édnech (Clonenagh, Co. Laois), and began his monastic vocation there. His feast is 11 March. * The relics of Saint Nicholas are also reputed to have been stolen from Bari by crusading knights, and buried in the south of Osraige near
Thomastown Thomastown (), historically known as Grennan, is a town in County Kilkenny in the province of Leinster in the south-east of Ireland. It is a market town along a stretch of the River Nore which is known for its salmon and trout, with a number of ...
, Co. Kilkenny; a stone slab marks this site. This would date from the period immediately following the disestablishment of southern Osraige as a kingdom, while the northern third still remained. * St. Patrick reputedly passed through Osraige according tradition, and St. Ciarán's vitae relate St. Patrick ordained a man for the Osraige named Martin. A freestanding statue of him erected in honor of the bishop of Ossory stands in Kilkenny, in addition to other local commemorations. The Fitzpatrick (surname), Mac Giolla Phádraig rulers of Osraige adopted their surname in honour of St. Patrick from their 10th-century ancestor, king ''Giolla Phádraig'', and appear to be one of the few Irish dynasties to bear a name of saintly derivation. (Another example includes the Ua Mael Sechlainn (O Melaghlin) dynasts who were List of Kings of Mide, kings of Mide.)


Historic sites

Modern Counties Laois and Kilkenny preserve many of the ancient and medieval site associated with the kingdom of Osraige. A long and well-attested sculptural tradition of stone carving, especially the creation of High cross, Irish high crosses developed under the Dál Birn / Mac Giolla Phádraig kings of Osraige. Nearly all of Ireland's earliest stone high crosses are found within the ancient kingdom of Osraige or close to its borders. Great examples of this tradition include the fine crosses still preserved at Kinnitty Cross, Kinitty, Ahenny and Killamery, amongst other sites. Some historians have asserted that a pre-Norman fortification existed at the site upon which
Kilkenny Castle Kilkenny Castle ( ga, Caisleán Chill Chainnigh, IPA: kaʃlʲaːnˠˈçiːl̪ʲˈxan̪ʲiː is a castle in Kilkenny, Ireland built in 1195 to control a fording-point of the River Nore and the junction of several routeways. It was a symbol o ...
is built; likely the ancient capital of the kingdom. St. Ciarán is said to have founded the influential monastery of Saighir, Seirkieran, in present-day Clareen. Saighir was the first episcopal seat within the kingdom and was the burial site of the Kings of Osraige. There, the ruins of a monastic site, earthworks, a holy well, the ruined base of an Irish round tower, a medieval defensive motte, numerous early Christian cross-slabs, bases and gravestones can be found, next to a 19th-century Church of Ireland parish. St. Canice founded two important churches in the kingdom, at
Aghaboe Aghaboe () is a small village in County Laois, Ireland. It is located on the R434 regional road in the rural hinterland west of the town of Abbeyleix. It contains the ruins of the Abbey of Aghaboe which was founded by St. Canice in the Osso ...
and
Kilkenny Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512. Kilken ...
, each, in turn, becoming the capital of the diocese after Saighir. Abbey of Aghaboe, Aghaboe Abbey served as Osraige's second ecclesiastical seat, before it was again later relocated to Kilkenny sometime in the twelfth century. St Canice's Cathedral in Kilkenny city exhibits a well-preserved ninth-century round tower which can be climbed to the top. In April 2004, a geophysical survey using ground-penetrating radar discovered what were likely the original foundations of the twelfth-century cathedral of the diocese of Ossory and another very large structure which was possibly a royal Mac Giolla Phádraig palace; noting that the site bears a strong resemblance to contemporaneous structures at the Rock of Cashel. Jerpoint Abbey, was founded near present-day
Thomastown Thomastown (), historically known as Grennan, is a town in County Kilkenny in the province of Leinster in the south-east of Ireland. It is a market town along a stretch of the River Nore which is known for its salmon and trout, with a number of ...
in 1160 by king Domnall Mac Goilla Phádraig.Brenda Lynch. Jerpoint Abbey: a historical perspective." ''Old Kilkenny Review'' No. 58 (2004) p. 125-138. Print. There is some debate as to whether Jerpoint was either Benedictine or Cistercian during its first twenty years, however by 1180, king Domnall Mac Goilla Phádraig brought Cistercian monks from nearby Baltinglass Abbey and it remained such thereafter. A well-preserved 30-meter, capless round tower can be seen at Grangefertagh. In 1999, a hoard of 43 silver and bronze items dated to 970 AD was discovered in a rocky cleft deep in Dunmore Cave, containing silver ingots and conical buttons woven from fine silver. The cave was the site of a recorded
Viking 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 ...
massacre in 928. In 1984, a series of commemorative cast stone panels sculpted by Smith sculptors, Joan Smith were installed as a facade on the buttress walls of Ossory Bridge which forms part of the Ring Road over the
River Nore The River Nore ( ga, An Fheoir ) is one of the principal rivers (along with the River Suir and River Barrow) in the South-East Region of Ireland. The river drains approximately of Leinster and Munster, that encompasses parts of three counti ...
connecting the N10 road (Ireland), N10 from Carlow to
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 ...
. The facade symbolically depicts the history of the south Kilkenny area from the time of the mythological figure of Oengus Osrithe to the late twentieth century. File:St. Canices Cathedral (8239526312).jpg, St. Canice's Cathedral, with ninth-century Irish round tower, round tower. Only the tower dates from the pre-Norman period File:Fertagh Round Tower Limerick March 2008.JPG, Ninth-century Irish round tower, round tower at Grange Fertagh File:Aghaboe Priory of St. Canice Choir Altar and East Window 2010 09 02.jpg, Window of Aghaboe, Aghaboe Abbey File:Round tower and ruined church, Tullaherin, Co. KIlkenny - geograph.org.uk - 207642.jpg, Irish round tower, Round tower of Tullaherin File:Aghaviller ruined church and round tower, Newmarket, Co. Kilkenny - geograph.org.uk - 206920.jpg, Aghaviller Irish round tower, round tower File:Seir Kieran Round Tower and Priory Wall 2010 09 09.jpg,
Saighir Saighir (''Seir Kieran''; also named ''Seirkieran'', in Irish ''Saighir Chiaráin''), is a monastic site in Clareen, County Offaly, founded by Ciarán of Saigir. History According to his hagiographers, Ciarán was born in pagan Ireland and ...
Irish round tower, round tower and priory wall File:Kilree High Cross & Round Tower.jpg, Kilree high cross and Irish round tower, round tower File:Ahenny High Crosses, North Cross.jpg, Ahenny high cross, North File:Ahenny High Cross - geograph.org.uk - 475968.jpg, Ahenny high cross File:Killamery High Cross.jpg, Killamery high cross File:Ullard High Cross East Face 1997 08 28.jpg, Ullard Church, Ullard high cross File:Detail Kilkieran High Crosses, Kilkenny.jpg, Kilkieran High Crosses File:Graiguenamanach High Crosses East Side 1997 08 27.jpg, Graiguenamanach high cross, East File:Jerpoint Abbey1.jpg, Jerpoint Abbey, founded in 1160 by Domnall Mac Goilla Phádraig File:The Gowran Ogham Stone.jpg, The St. Mary's Collegiate Church Gowran, Gowran Ogham Stone File:Dunmore cave, County Kilkenny.jpg, Dunmore Cave ("''Dearc Fearna''"), Ballyfoyle, Co. Kilkenny


Overlap with the Diocese of Ossory

The Diocese of Ossory was first established in the fifth century with the mission of St. Ciarán of Saighir, the borders of which were permanently set at the Synod of Ráth Breasail om 1111 AD. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Ossory still to this day provides a very close outline of the kingdom's borders. In the earliest times, the chief church in Osraige was undoubtedly Saighir, Seir Kieran (County Offaly), the chief church of Ciarán of Saigir, St Ciarán, but at some time in history it had been eclipsed by
Aghaboe Aghaboe () is a small village in County Laois, Ireland. It is located on the R434 regional road in the rural hinterland west of the town of Abbeyleix. It contains the ruins of the Abbey of Aghaboe which was founded by St. Canice in the Osso ...
(
County Laois County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...
), chief church of Saint Cainnech of Aghaboe, Cainnech, and later moved to
Kilkenny Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512. Kilken ...
, which was also founded by the same saint. The record of the Irish annals also points to Freshford, County Kilkenny being of some importance, while archaeological evidence suggests that Kilkieran High Crosses, Kilkieran, Killamery and Kilree (all County Kilkenny) and Domnach Mór Roigni (now Donaghmore, County Laois) were also significant early ecclesiastical sites. Ossory is the only region in Ireland known to have two patron saints; St. Ciarán of Saighir and St.
Cainnech of Aghaboe Cainnech of Aghaboe (515/16–600), also known as Saint Canice in Ireland, Saint Kenneth in Scotland, Saint Kenny and in Latin Sanctus Canicus, was an Irish abbot, monastic founder, priest and missionary during the early medieval period. Cainn ...
. Due largely to the scholarly work of canon William Carrigan in researching and compiling his four-volume opus ''The History and Antiquities of the Diocese of Ossory'', the history of the kingdom and its peoples is one of the most complete of any in Ireland. Furthermore, the Database of the Monasticon Hibernicum Project launched by Ailbhe Mac Shamhráin lists all known historic monastic foundations associated with the diocese of Osraige.


In literature and culture


Annals, sagas and historical sources

The politics and history of the kingdom are well-attested to in the various Irish Annals in which Osraige is often presented as a major kingdom. The Osraige appear as the final opponents of their southern neighbours the
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 ...
in the cycle The Expulsion of the Déisi. While portrayed as unconquerable in battle, the Osraige are eventually overcome by the Déisi in the end by magic and treachery and thus cede to them the southern territory between the
River Suir The River Suir ( ; ga, an tSiúr or ''Abhainn na Siúire'' ) is a river in Ireland that flows into the Atlantic Ocean through Waterford after a distance of . The catchment area of the Suir is 3,610 km2.
and the sea which the Déisi ever-after occupied. Strongly associated with the eleventh-century rule of Donnchad Mac Giolla Phádraig (who reigned as king over
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 ...
until his death in 1039 AD) are the
Fragmentary Annals of Ireland The ''Fragmentary Annals of Ireland'' or ''Three Fragments'' are a Middle Irish combination of chronicles from various Irish annals and narrative history. They were compiled in the kingdom of Osraige, probably in the lifetime of Donnchad mac Gil ...
which are famous for their heroic portrayal of the ninth-century Ossorian king
Cerball mac Dúnlainge Cerball mac Dúnlainge (patronymic sometimes spelled ''Dúngaile'', ) (died 888) was king of Ossory in south-east Ireland. The kingdom of Ossory (''Osraige'') occupied roughly the area of modern County Kilkenny and western County Laois and lay b ...
in his many victorious struggles against pagan
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 ...
in Ireland. The Fragmentary Annals of Ireland were believed to be commissioned by Donnchad Mac Giolla Phádraig as historical propaganda for Osraige's eleventh-century rise to power, and likely influenced the creation of other later pseudo-chronicles such as
Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib ''Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib'' ("The War of the Irish with the Foreigners") is a medieval Irish text that tells of the depredations of the Vikings and Uí Ímair dynasty in Ireland and the Irish king Brian Boru's great war against them, beginnin ...
.Joan N. Radner (ed. & trans.) Fragmentary Annals of Ireland (Dublin 1978) Within the ''Fragmentary Annals'', editor and translator Joan Radner has detected a strong focus on Ossorian tradition, especially relating to king Cerbhall mac Dunglange, suggesting the hypothetical ''Osraige Chronicle'' as a possible source. The early twelfth-century Irish epic ''
Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib ''Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib'' ("The War of the Irish with the Foreigners") is a medieval Irish text that tells of the depredations of the Vikings and Uí Ímair dynasty in Ireland and the Irish king Brian Boru's great war against them, beginnin ...
'' portrays the Dalcassian struggle against Osraige and its brief subjugation by Brian Boru. It records some early Viking activity in and around Osraige and ends with the embarrassing account of the Ossorians seeking to attack the victorious and wounded Dalcassian troops returning after 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 forc ...
. The Ossorians are recorded as intimidated when they see the wounded Dalcassian troops tying themselves upright to stakes, and withdraw from outright combat, giving harassing pursuit instead. Ironically, Radner suggests this chronicle may have been influenced by the earlier eleventh century ''Osraige Chronicle'' which lionized king Ceabhall mac Dúnlainge and survives with the ''Fragmentary Annals of Ireland''. The kingdom is mentioned in countless surviving poems, songs and other medieval Irish texts. Lebor na gCeart ("''The Book of Rights''") aims to list the stipends paid to and by the kings of Osraige. The work Cóir Anmann ("''The Fitness of Names''") claims to give the etymology of the name ''Osraige'', along with one its kings, Cú Cherca mac Fáeláin. The kingdom of Osraige with some of its noteworthy characteristics and clans gains some mention in the Dindsenchas (literally "place-lore"), a composite collection of prose and metrical verse which aided in the rote memory of the topography and place-named of Ireland- some of it preserving Irish pre-literary oral tradition. Regarding Osraige, the names of its topographic features and roads are explained, as well as a reference to horse fighting. The twelfth-century Banshenchas (literally "women-lore") composed by Gilla Mo Dutu Úa Caiside of Ard Brecáin, recites a number of key Ossorian kings and queens, and others who descend from them. Additionally, Osraige is mentioned in a poem attributed to king Aldfrith of Northumbria during his exile in Ireland, describing the various things he saw there about the year 685. Certain nobility of Osraige are mentioned in The Prophecy of Berchán, which hints ambiguously at the possibility of Ossorian inter-marriage with the Scottish kings. The kingdom is sometimes personified in the character of Mícheál Dubh Mac Giolla Ciaráin (Dark Michael), a fictional prince of Osraige in several poems including ''Ossorie, A Song of Leinster'' by Rev. James B. Dollard and especially ''Welcome to the Prince'', an eighteenth-century Jacobitism, Jacobite poem written in Irish by William Heffernan "Dall" ("the Blind"), and translated into English by James Clarence Mangan. Nordic literary history records several members of the Ossorian ruling lineage in the sagas. King
Cerball mac Dúnlainge Cerball mac Dúnlainge (patronymic sometimes spelled ''Dúngaile'', ) (died 888) was king of Ossory in south-east Ireland. The kingdom of Ossory (''Osraige'') occupied roughly the area of modern County Kilkenny and western County Laois and lay b ...
himself is listed as "Kjarval, king of the Irish" (''Kjarvals Írakonungs'') in the Icelandic genealogies recorded within Njal's Saga, and through his daughters is reckoned as an ancestor of several important Icelandic families. His reign is directly referenced in the Icelandic
Landnámabók (, "Book of Settlements"), often shortened to , is a medieval Icelandic written work which describes in considerable detail the settlement () of Iceland by the Norse in the 9th and 10th centuries CE. is divided into five parts and over ...
where he is listed as one of the principle rulers of Europe. His daughter, Eithne, appears as a type of sorceress in the Orkneyinga saga, as the mother of Earl Sigurd the Stout and the creator of the famed raven banner. This would make Sigurd Hlodvirsson, Earl of Orkney, Earl Sigurd of the Orkneys a possessor of Ossorian maternal lineage. Sigurd also appears briefly in ''Separate Saga of St. Olaf, St Olaf's Saga'' as incorporated into the ''Heimskringla'' and in the ''Eyrbyggja Saga''. There are various tales about his exploits in the more fanciful ''Njal's Saga'' as well as the ''Gunnlaugs saga ormstungu, Saga of Gunnlaugr Serpent-Tongue'', ''Þorsteins saga Síðu-Hallssonar, Thorstein Sidu-Hallsson's Saga'', the ''Vatnsdæla saga, Vatnsdæla Saga'' and in the tale of ''Helgi and Wolf'' in the ''Flateyjarbók''. He also appears in the Irish propagandistic work
Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib ''Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib'' ("The War of the Irish with the Foreigners") is a medieval Irish text that tells of the depredations of the Vikings and Uí Ímair dynasty in Ireland and the Irish king Brian Boru's great war against them, beginnin ...
as an opponent of Brian Boruma 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 forc ...
, and his death there is recorded in the Annals of Ulster. The kingdom of Ossory also features prominently in twelfth-century Norman literature. Two works by Gerald of Wales on Ireland, ''Topographia Hibernica'' and ''Expugnatio Hibernica'' pay special attention to some kings of Ossory, its geography and the Norman battles fought therein. Gerald also writes about a fabulous tale involving the werewolves of Ossory. This legend was repeated in Fynes Moryson's 17th-century writing, ''Description of Ireland'' and in a much later book, ''The Wonders of Ireland'', by P. W. Joyce, published in 1911. In addition, Ossory features prominently as a setting for scenes in the Norman-French Ballad, lay The Song of Dermot and the Earl. The name of the kingdom survives in ''The Red Book of Ossory''; a fourteenth-century register of the Roman Catholic diocese of Ossory, and which is associated with Richard Ledred who was bishop of Ossory, from 1317 to 1360. The book contains copies of documents which would have been important for the administration of the diocese: constitutions, taxations, memoranda relating to rights and privileges, deeds and royal letters, as well as the texts of songs composed by Bishop Ledred. The book now resides at the Church of Ireland RCB Library in Dublin, and has been digitized. Geoffrey Keating also records much information and tradition about Ossory in his major work, ''Foras Feasa ar Éirinn'' (literally "Foundation of Knowledge on Ireland", more usually translated "History of Ireland"). After ''Cogadh Gáedel re Gallaib'', his work is a secondary source for Ossory's opposition to the victorious Dalcassian forces returning from 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 forc ...
in 1014, as well as the only known source for information about the important Synod of Ráth Breasail which may have occurred on the northern borders of Ossory, near present-day Mountrath in 1111. The kingdom of Ossory and some of its primary saints are mentioned by the Wales, Welsh clergyman Meredith Hanmer in his ''Chronicle of Ireland'', which was posthumously published by Sir James Ware in 1633. Hanmer himself was briefly active in the Diocese of Ossory in 1598. In 1905, William Carrigan published his authoritative history of the kingdom in ''The History And Antiquities of the Diocese of Ossory'' in four volumes.


Namesakes

The name of the former kingdom survives in the present-day town names of Borris-in-Ossory and Durrow-in-Ossory, as well as in the now defunct Queen's County Ossory (UK Parliament constituency), Ossory UK Parliament constituency. The name also survives in the title of the annual Ossory Agricultural Show, a livestock, produce and crafts competition founded in 1898 and patronized by
Bernard FitzPatrick, 2nd Baron Castletown Bernard Edward Barnaby FitzPatrick, 2nd Baron Castletown, Order of St Patrick, KP, Order of St Michael and St George, CMG, Privy Council of Ireland, PC (I) (29 July 1848 – 29 May 1937) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Conservative Party (UK), C ...
, and now held in western Coolfin
County Laois County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...
. The famous artist Ronald Ossory Dunlop bore the kingdom's name personally, perhaps in part because his mother's maiden name was Mac Giolla Phádraig, Fitzpatrick. Three ships of the British Royal Navy bore the name HMS Ossory, HMS ''Ossory''. A thoroughbred racehorse named ''Ossory (horse), Ossory'' (1885–1889) was owned by the 1st Duke of Westminster. Several Irish-speaking schools in Kilkenny also use the name ''Osraí'' including Gaelscoil Osraí and Coláiste Pobail Osraí. Ossory Bridge, one of Kilkenny City's main bridges, now has a timber-plank pedestrian bridge running beneath it, which is the longest of its kind in Europe.


Modern Literature

Ossory features prominently in several works of historical fiction and non-fiction novel, non-fictional novels, by various authors. The politics of the kingdom at the time of the Norman Invasion have been written about in ''Diarmait King of Leinster'' (2006) by Nicholas Furlong, as well as by historian and two-time chairman of the Irish Writers' Union, Conor Kostick in ''Strongbow: the Norman Invasion of Ireland'' (2013). Ossory plays a role in some of the Sister Fidelma mysteries, most notably ''Suffer Little Children'' (1995) and ''The Seventh Trumpet'' (2012) written by Peter Tremayne (the pseudonym for Peter Berresford Ellis). Author Morgan Llywelyn, who has written extensively in the genre of medieval Irish historical fiction, often mentions Ossory in her books; especially in ''Lion of Ireland'' (1980), its sequel ''Pride of Lions (novel), Pride of Lions'' (1996), ''Strongbow: The Story of Richard & Aoife'' (1996) and ''1014: Brian Boru & the Battle for Ireland'' (2014). ''Tavia Osraige'' is the name of a fictional character in the novel ''Rainseeker'' (2014) by Jeanette Matern. Osraighe is the main destination for the protagonist in ''Liath Luachra: The Swallowed'' by Brian O'Sullivan. ''Ars Memoriae'', an alternate historical fiction by Beth Bernobich, portrays Queen Áine Lasairíona Devereaux surrounded by courtiers at her court in Osraighe.


Music & Art

Some battles which took place in the kingdom of Ossory during 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 ...
, as well as the arrival of
William Marshal William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1146 or 1147 – 14 May 1219), also called William the Marshal (Norman French: ', French: '), was an Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman. He served five English kings— Henry II, his sons the "Young King" ...
are commemorated in pictorial form in the modern Ros Tapestry Project, Ros Tapestry. In 2018, Lise De La Salle composed piano music for each of the Ros Tapestry panels in her Ros Tapestry Suite, naming one ''Battles in the Kingdom of Ossory''. Heresy Records released ''The Red Book of Ossory'' by the ensemble Anakronos, which blends medieval music, with jazz and contemporary classical. A black metal band from the US has adopted the name ''Osraige''. ''Ossory Rd'' is the name of a single by new age Korean Project.Jinji from the album, "O'Connell". In 2020, Kilkenny-based animation studio Cartoon Saloon released ''Wolfwalkers'', a movie based upon the old folklore of the werewolves of Ossory. In the film, the legend is brought forward in time to the Cromwellian invasion, where the daughter of an English wolf hunter is befriended by feral Irish girl surnamed "Mac Tíre" on the outskirts of Kilkenny. (Despite her bearing a masculine prefix, the surname is the Gaeilge word for wolf.)


Games

Because of its strategic position, Ossory often features in modern games which make use of territorial maps of Ireland. The kingdom of Ossory features as a part of the kingdom of Ireland in the computer strategy-games Crusader Kings (video game), Crusader Kings and Crusader Kings II, both published by Paradox Interactive. In Mount & Blade, Viking Conquest, Osraige appears as a Gaelic Christian faction; one of twenty one factions in the game. Osraige appears as a kingdom in Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia, where it has a deer as a totem, in obvious reference to the kingdom's name, along with other key historic locations in the kingdom.
Flann Sinna Flann Sinna ( lit. ''Flann of the Shannon''; Irish: ''Flann na Sionainne''; 84725 May 916), also known as Flann mac Máel Sechnaill, was the son of Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid of Clann Cholmáin, a branch of the Southern Uí Néill. He was ...
, the historic half-Ossorian ruler whose mother was princess
Land ingen Dúngaile Land ingen Dúngaile (died 890 AD) (sometimes spelled ''Lann'' or ''Flann''; her patronymic sometimes ''Dúnlainge'') was a Dál Birn princess of Osraige who was a noteworthy figure in Irish politics during a critical time in Viking-age Ireland ...
, is a major player in the game as the king of Mide. Historic Wargaming, wargamers have aimed to re-create the pivotal battle of Achadh Úr (present-day Freshford, County Kilkenny) between the invading Cambro-Normans and the defending Ossorians. Ossory also appears as a kingdom in a map of medieval Ireland from Conquer Club. Additionally, the name of the kingdom and some of its symbolic elements appear to have been the inspiration for fictional nation-states in role-playing forums.


News

In 2014, a man from Mooncoin, Co. Kilkenny, laid a claim to residency in Kilkenny Castle as a supposed direct descendant of the
kings of Osraige The kings of Osraige (alternately spelled ''Osraighe'' and Anglicised as ''Ossory'') reigned over the medieval Irish kingdom of Osraige from the first or second century AD until the late twelfth century. Osraige was a semi-provincial kingdom in s ...
. In late February 2017, Kilkenny's new Medieval Mile Museum opened to the public, giving visitors a history of the kingdom, and featuring an exhibit which highlights king Cerball's role as a powerful patron of Osraige's early high cross carving tradition.


See also

* Baron Upper Ossory * Bishop of Ossory * Earl of Ossory *
Earl of Upper Ossory Earl of Upper Ossory was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 5 October 1751 for John FitzPatrick, 2nd Baron Gowran, who later represented Bedfordshire in the House of Commons. He was the son of Richard FitzPatrick, who had been c ...
* Fitzpatrick (surname) * The Fragmentary Annals of Ireland * History of Kilkenny * History of Laois * Kilkenny Archaeological Society * Kings of Leinster * Kings of Osraige


References


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CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts. *—

CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts. * * Carrigan, William. ''The History and Antiquities of the Diocese of Ossory''. (Vols. I-V) Dublin: Sealy, Bryers & Walker, 1905. Print. * * Doherty, Charles., 'Érainn', in Seán Duffy (ed.), ''Medieval Ireland: An Encyclopedia''. Routledge. 2005. p. 156. * * Edwards, David. "Collaboration without Anglicization: The Macgiollapadraig Lordship and Tudor Reform." ''Gaelic Ireland c. 1250 – c. 1650: Land, Lordship, & Settlement.'' Ed. Patrick J. Duffy, David Edwards, & Elizabeth FitzPatrick. Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2001. pgs. 77–97. Print. * Hariman, James. ''Irish Minstrelsy or Bardic Remains of Ireland; with English Poetical Translations.'' Vol. II. London: Joseph Robins, Bride Court, Bridge Street, 1831. * Lyng, T., ''The FitzPatricks of Ossory'', Old Kilkenny Review, Vol. 2, no. 3, 1981. * * Morris, Henry ''The Ancient Kingdom of Ossory'', The Irish Monthly, Vol. 50, No. 588 (Jun., 1922), pp. 230–236. Published by: Irish Jesuit Province (JSTOR Article Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/20505867) * Ó Drisceoil, Cóilín. "Probing the past: a geophysical survey at St. Canice's Cathedral, Kilkenny." ''Old Kilkenny Review'' No. 58 (2004) p. 80–106. Print. * Ó Néill, Pádraig. "Osraige", in Seán Duffy (ed.), ''Medieval Ireland: An Encyclopedia''. Routledge. 2005. p. 358 * Radner, Joan. ''Writing History: Early Irish Historiography and the Significance of Form'', in 'Celtica 23' (1999); p. 312–325 * 'Rahilly, Thomas Francis. ''Early Irish History and Mythology''. Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1976. Print.


External links


History of Ossory papers at Academia.eduThe Annals of Ulster (English trans.) at CELTDoctoral thesis by Mark Zumbuhl which examines Osraige's kingship in the Central Middle AgesOsraige History on The Fitzpatrick - Mac Giolla Phádraig Clan SocietyContents of Bodleian Library MS Rawl. B. 502; Early Manuscripts at Oxford UniversityIrish Geography; Volume 41, Issue 1, 2008Ossory on Encyclopædia Britannica
*
St. Piran's OratoryOLL (Ossory, Laois, and Leinster)Early Christian Sites In Ireland Database, Seir Kieran (Saighir)Celtica 23; Radner's commentary on the Fragmentary Annals and the ''"Osraige Chronicle"''

''Stepping into Kilkenny's History''Osraige.com family history siteFitzpatrick - Mac Giolla Phádraig Clan SocietyFitzpatrick Clan Society
{{Royal houses of Britain and Ireland Érainn Kingdoms of ancient Ireland Kingdoms of medieval Ireland History of County Kilkenny History of County Laois FitzPatrick dynasty 2nd-century establishments in Ireland 1451 disestablishments in Ireland Gaelic-Irish nations and dynasties Former kingdoms in Ireland