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Kings of Cuib
* Fothad mac Conaille (died 552)
*...
* Áedán m. Mongáin (died 616)
* Fergus mac Áedáin (d.692) – King of Ulster from 674
* Bressal mac Fergusa (died 685)
* Eochaid mac Bressail (died 733)
* Conchad mac Cúanach (died 735)
* Fergus Glut (died 739)
* Ailill mac Feidlimid (died 761)
* Gormgal mac Conaille (died 776)
* Eochu mac Aililla (died 801)
* Máel Bressail mac Ailillo (died 825) – King of Ulster from 819
* Cernach mac Máele Bressail (died 853)
* Conallán mac Máele Dúin (died 882)
* Aitith mac Laigni (died 898) – King of Ulster from 896
Chiefs and lords of Iveagh
At one point the territory of Iveagh was ruled by the ''Ua hAitidhe'', a name which may have been anglicised as O'Haughey or Haughey.[ The ''Ua hAitidhe'' are claimed to have ruled Iveagh for two centuries. The first to be mentioned in the annals is ''Aodh Ua hAitidhe'', king of ''Uí Echach Cobo'', who was killed by his own people in AD965.][ The last mention is under AD1136 where ''Echri Ua hAitidhe'', lord of ''Uí Echach Cobo'' was killed, likewise by his own people.][ From then on the name and its variant spellings disappear from the records.][
One of the septs under the ''Ui hAitidhe'' was the ''Mac Aonghusa'' (Magennis/MacGuiness), who ruled ''Clann Aodha'' (Clan Hugh), and were descended from ''Sárán'', a descendant of ''Echach Cobo''.][ By the 12th-century the Magennises had become the chiefs of Iveagh, with ]Rathfriland
Rathfriland () is a market town in County Down, Northern Ireland.
History
In older documents written in English, the town's name was usually spelt ''Rathfylan'' or ''Rathfrilan''. their base.[ One early mention is in 1153 with the granting of the charter to the abbey of Newry which was witnessed by Aedh Mor Magennis, chief of Clann Aodha, of Iveagh.][ The ''Mac Aonghusa'' are also mentioned in letters by ]King Edward II
Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to t ...
, where they are titled ''Dux Hibernicorum de Ouehagh'', meaning "chief of the Irish of Iveagh".[
During the 14th century the ''Mac Artáin'' (MacCartan) chiefs of the name of Kinelarty became chiefs of Iveagh, though in the annals a ''Muirchertach MacArtain'' is recorded as tainiste (heir-elect) of Iveagh in the 11th century.][ The MacCartan descended from ''Artáin'', a great-grandson of ''Mongán Mac Aonghusa''.][
By the 15th century with the collapse of the ]Earldom of Ulster
The Earldom of Ulster was an Anglo-Norman lordship in northern medieval Ireland, established by John de Courcy from the conquest of the province of Ulaid in eastern Ulster. It was the most important Anglo-Norman lordship in the north of Ireland. ...
, the ''Mac Aonghusa'' had expanded Iveagh from what is now County Down all the way east to Dundrum Castle, where County Down meets the Irish Sea
The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Ce ...
.[ Iveagh however was far from secure as rivalry between the four main branches of the ''Mac Aonghusa'' clan—Castlewellan, Corgary, Kilwarlin, and Rathfriland—threatened its cohesion.][ In 1539 a cattle raid into ]County Meath
County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the ...
was intercepted by Lord Deputy Grey and the clan was defeated at the Battle of Bellahoe. In 1543 the then chief Art MacArtáin of Rathfriland accepted the new 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 Englis ...
" and travelled to Greenwich Palace
Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
to be knighted as ''Sir Arthur Guinez'' by King 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 disagr ...
.
In 1575 Hugh Magennis of Rathfriland petitioned successfully for a grant of his estates from Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to:
Queens regnant
* Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland
* Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022 ...
and was knighted in 1576. In 1584 his tenure was improved by a grant ''in capite'' "of the entire country or territory of Iveagh". In 1585 his cousin Ever MacRory Magennis was granted the adjacent lordship and manor of Kilwarlin.[Brady & Ohlmeyer eds, ''British Interventions in Early Modern Ireland''; Cambridge University Press 2005, pp59-60.]
During the Nine Years' War (1594-1603), the clan chief Art Roe remained neutral, while many of his clan sided with Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone
Hugh O'Neill ( Irish: ''Aodh Mór Ó Néill''; literally ''Hugh The Great O'Neill''; – 20 July 1616), was an Irish Gaelic lord, Earl of Tyrone (known as the Great Earl) and was later created ''The Ó Néill Mór'', Chief of the Name. O'Ne ...
, one of whose wives was Catherine Magennis. O'Neill inaugurated a new chief in 1595 and the clan divided. Despite this, Charles Blount, the Lord Deputy of Ireland
The Lord Deputy was the representative of the monarch and head of the Irish executive under English rule, during the Lordship of Ireland and then the Kingdom of Ireland. He deputised prior to 1523 for the Viceroy of Ireland. The plural form is ...
, ravaged Iveagh to the point that its chief Art Roe Magennis submitted to prevent the extermination of his people.[
]
The division of Iveagh
Following the Nine Years' War and just before the process of colonising Ulster with loyal Protestant subjects, the arrangement of dividing mighty Gaelic lordships into smaller weaker lordships, such as what happened in County Monaghan
County Monaghan ( ; ga, Contae Mhuineacháin) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Ulster and is part of Border strategic planning area of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Monaghan. Monaghan County C ...
with the MacMahon's, occurred with Iveagh.[ In 1605 the "Commission for the Division and Bounding of the Lords" was established to replicate the Monaghan arrangement.][ In February 1607, the commission decided to break up Iveagh, a process that continued until 1610, seeing the creation of fifteen freeholds.][ The Magennises of Iveagh were granted thirteen of these freeholds, with their chief Art Roe Magennis being granted the largest.][ The rest however was given to officers in the Crown forces, most of whom had served in the Nine Years' War under Sir Henry Bagenal and ]Sir Arthur Chichester
Arthur Chichester, 1st Baron Chichester (May 1563 – 19 February 1625; known between 1596 and 1613 as Sir Arthur Chichester), of Carrickfergus in Ireland, was an English administrator and soldier who served as Lord Deputy of Ireland from 160 ...
.[
]
Barony of Iveagh
The Barony of Iveagh was created during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
Eli ...
out of the territory of ''Uíbh Eachach'', and was the largest barony in County Down, reflecting the importance of the Irish district. In the early 17th century it was divided into Iveagh Lower and Iveagh Upper, with the boundary running east to west from the settlements of Dromara and Banbridge
Banbridge ( , ) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Bann and the A1 road and is named after a bridge built over the River Bann in 1712. It is situated in the civil parish of Seapatrick and the historic barony of ...
.[ By 1851 these two baronies were further divided into the baronies of Iveagh Lower, Lower Half, Iveagh Lower, Upper Half, Iveagh Upper, Lower Half and Iveagh Upper, Upper Half.][ The four baronies, like the rest of those in ]Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. North ...
, are now obsolete for administrative purposes.[
]
Other uses
The name Iveagh has been used as titles in the Peerage of Ireland
The Peerage of Ireland consists of those titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It is one of the five divi ...
and Peerage of the United Kingdom
The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five Peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great ...
, specifically in regards to the Magennis and Guinness family:
*Viscount Magennis of Iveagh (1623–93)
*Baron Iveagh (created 1885)
*Viscount Iveagh (created 1905)
* Earl of Iveagh (created 1919)
In 1929 the Northern Ireland Parliament
The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature of Northern Ireland, created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which sat from 7 June 1921 to 30 March 1972, when it was suspended because of its inability to restore ord ...
constituency of Iveagh was created, comprising the northern part of county down south-west of Belfast. Almost as if keeping with tradition, a descendant of the ''Mac Aonghusa'', Brian Maginess
William Brian Maginess, QC (10 July 1901 – 16 April 1967), was a member of the Government of Northern Ireland, who was widely seen as a possible successor to The 1st Viscount Brookeborough as Prime Minister of Northern Ireland.
Life
He was ...
, represented this constituency from 1938 until 1964. It was abolished in 1972 along with the Northern Ireland Parliament.
Ecclesiastical counterpart
The medieval tuath was historically the territorial equivalent of the Diocese of Dromore.
See also
*Baronies of Ireland
In Ireland, a barony ( ga, barúntacht, plural ) is a historical subdivision of a county, analogous to the hundreds into which the counties of England were divided. Baronies were created during the Tudor reconquest of Ireland, replacing the e ...
References
{{Dál nAraidi
Ancient Irish dynasties
County Down
Baronies of County Down
Former baronies of Ireland
Former kingdoms in Ireland
Gaelic nobility of Ireland
Cruthin
Ulaid
Gaelic-Irish nations and dynasties
Kingdoms of medieval Ireland