A tiarna ( Irish), or tighearna (

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

), both from the

Old Irish Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic ( sga, Goídelc, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ga, Sean-Ghaeilge; gd, Seann-Ghàidhlig; gv, Shenn Yernish or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive writte ...

tigerna, is a

lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or ...

in the Gaelic world and languages. An Ard Tiarna is a "high lord", approximately equal in rank to a

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New Yor ...

earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form '' jarl'', and meant " chieftain", partic ...

, although many of such higher rank still happen to prefer the title on its own.A Glossary of European Noble, Princely, Royal, and Imperial Titles.
by Mark Odegard, 1996. Tierney Is a modern version of the surname of 'Tiarna' even though spelt differently the meaning remains the same. In later Gaelic sources, for example the

Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' ( ga, Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (''Annála na gCeithre Máistrí'') are chronicles of medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or mediev ...

, the term has also been frequently used to replace the title Rí (king) in cases where the authors or current tradition no longer regarded earlier regional and local dynasts as proper kings, even when they are styled such in contemporary sources. Thus when encountered the term is not always to be trusted. In fact this was part of a wider change in the understanding of kingship in the later Middle Ages, and even a living or recently deceased ''rí'' might find himself downgraded in certain sources.

Examples

* James Tuchet, 3rd Earl of Castlehaven, Irish nobleman of English family, called ''Tiarna Beag'' or "Little Lord" because of his small height

References

{{Reflist
Dictionary of the Irish Language
Letter T, Column 167 * Byrne, Francis J., ''Irish Kings and High-Kings''. Dublin: Four Courts Press. 2nd edition, 2001. * Nicholls, K. W., ''Gaelic and Gaelicized Ireland in the Middle Ages''. Dublin: Lilliput Press. 2nd edition, 2003. * Simms, Katharine, ''From Kings to Warlords: The Changing Political Structure of Gaelic Ireland in the Later Middle Ages''. Boydell Press. 2000. Tigerna Gaelic nobility of Ireland