The Uí Liatháin (IPA: �iːˈlʲiəhaːnʲ were an early kingdom of Munster in southern Ireland. They belonged the same kindred as the

Uí Fidgenti The Uí Fidgenti, Fidgeinti, Fidgheinte, Fidugeinte, Fidgente, or Fidgeinte ( or ;In the pronunciation, the -d- is silent, and the -g- becomes a glide, producing what might be anglicized ''Feeyenti'' or ''Feeyenta''. "descendants of, or of the ...

, and the two are considered together in the earliest sources, for example ''

The Expulsion of the Déisi ''The Expulsion of the Déisi'' is a medieval Irish narrative of the Cycles of the Kings. It dates approximately to the 8th century, but survives only in manuscripts of a much later date. It describes the fictional history of the Déisi, a group ...

'' (incidentally). The two have been given various origins among both the early or proto-

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 ...

and 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 ...

or Dáirine by different scholars working in a number of traditions, with no agreement ever reached or appearing reachable. It is entirely possible that they were the product of a combination of lineages from both these royal kindreds, or alternatively of another origin entirely. Eochu Liathán ("Eochu the Grey"), son of

Dáire Cerbba Dáire Cerbba (or Cerba, Cearba, Cearb; meaning "Silver Dáire" or "Dáire the Sharp/Cutting") was a 4th-century Irish dynast who was evidently a king of late prehistoric central northern Munster, called Medón Mairtíne at the time. A frequent ...

, is the ancestor after which the Uí Liatháin is named. The small village of

Castlelyons Castlelyons () is a small village in the east of County Cork, Ireland. It is also a civil parish in the barony of Barrymore.

(Caisleán Ó Liatháin) in East

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...

preserves the name of one of their last royal seats in the

High Middle Ages The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history that lasted from AD 1000 to 1300. The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and were followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended ...

, as does the name of Killaliathan Church, County Limerick. The two most powerful septs of the ''Uí Liatháin'' were the Uí Meic Caille (including the ''Uí Anmchada'') and the Uí Thassaig (later known as the ''Uí Meic Tire''). Following 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 ...

, the ''Uí Meic Caille'' gave their name to the

barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

Imokilly Imokilly ( ga, Uí Mhic Coille) is one of the baronies of Ireland, an historical geographical unit of land. Its chief town is Youghal. It is one of 24 baronies in the county of Cork. Other neighbouring baronies include Barrymore to the west (wh ...

Career in Britain

The Uí Liatháin are known from both Irish and British sources, respectively the

Sanas Cormaic ''Sanas Cormaic'' (or ''Sanas Chormaic'', Irish for "Cormac's narrative"), also known as ''Cormac's Glossary'', is an early Irish glossary containing etymologies and explanations of over 1,400 Irish words, many of which are difficult or outdated. ...

and

Historia Brittonum ''The History of the Britons'' ( la, Historia Brittonum) is a purported history of the indigenous British (Brittonic) people that was written around 828 and survives in numerous recensions that date from after the 11th century. The ''Historia Bri ...

, to have had colonies in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

and

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

. According to the ''Historia Brittonum'' they were driven out of

North Wales North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia N ...

Cunedda Cunedda ap Edern, also called Cunedda ''Wledig'' ( 5th century), was an important early Welsh leader, and the progenitor of the Royal dynasty of Gwynedd, one of the very oldest of western Europe. Name The name ''Cunedda'' (spelled ''Cuned ...

and his sons. Alongside the Uí Liatháin in this region of Britain were a significant force of the so-called

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 ...

, whose story is told in the famous ''

Expulsion of the Déisi Expulsion or expelled may refer to: General * Deportation * Ejection (sports) * Eviction * Exile * Expeller pressing * Expulsion (education) * Expulsion from the United States Congress * Extradition * Forced migration * Ostracism * Person ...

'' already mentioned above, as well as a smaller population of the

Laigin The Laigin, modern spelling Laighin (), were a Gaelic population group of early Ireland. They gave their name to the Kingdom of Leinster, which in the medieval era was known in Irish as ''Cóiced Laigen'', meaning "Fifth/province of the Leinster ...

. Neither are specifically connected to the Uí Liatháin, or connected to each other, in any of the Irish sources, but collaboration can certainly not be ruled out, especially in matters relating to trade, including the slave trade. The Déisi Muman lived adjacent to them in the neighbouring County Waterford and the Laigin could be found not much farther east in the Kingdom 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 ...

. The Uí Liatháin can, however, be associated easily with their apparent relation

Crimthann mac Fidaig Crimthann Mór, son of Fidach , also written Crimthand Mór, was a semi-mythological king of Munster and High King of Ireland of the 4th century. He gained territory in Britain and Gaul, but died poisoned by his sister Mongfind. It is possible ...

, the legendary

King of Munster The kings of Munster ( ga, Rí Mumhan), ruled from the establishment of Munster during the Irish Iron Age, until the High Middle Ages. According to Gaelic traditional history, laid out in works such as the '' Book of Invasions'', the earliest ...

and dominant High King of Ireland of the 4th century. They are mentioned not only in the same passage in the ''Sanas Cormaic'', but are close relations in all the earliest genealogical manuscripts. In a 1926 paper,

Eoin MacNeill Eoin MacNeill ( ga, Eoin Mac Néill; born John McNeill; 15 May 1867 – 15 October 1945) was an Irish scholar, Irish language enthusiast, Gaelic revivalist, nationalist and politician who served as Minister for Education from 1922 to 1925, Cea ...

discusses the movements of the Uí Liatháin at considerable length, arguing their leadership in the South Irish conquests and founding of the later dynasty of

Brycheiniog Brycheiniog was an independent kingdom in South Wales in the Early Middle Ages. It often acted as a buffer state between England to the east and the south Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth to the west. It was conquered and pacified by the Norman ...

, figures in the Welsh genealogies matching Uí Liatháin dynasts in the Irish genealogies. He argues any possible settlement of the Déisi would have been subordinate until the ousting of the Uí Liatháin by the sons of Cunedda. The founder of Brycheiniog,

Brychan Brychan Brycheiniog was a legendary 5th-century king of Brycheiniog (Brecknockshire, alternatively Breconshire) in Mid Wales. Life According to Celtic hagiography Brychan was born in Ireland, the son of a Prince Anlach, son of Coronac, and ...

, is in all probability the early dynast Macc Brocc (for whom see below), while the name Braccan also occurs early in the pedigrees of the Uí Fidgenti and Uí Dedaid, close kindred of the Uí Liatháin. MacNeill further associates this with the sovereignty in Ireland and conquests in Britain of their cousin germane, the monarch Crimthann mac Fidaig.

Relations

Bressal mac Ailello Thassaig Bressal mac Ailello Thassaig was an early king of the Uí Liatháin who may also have been King of Munster. His sister, Angias, was the Queen of Lóegaire mac Néill, High King of Ireland. He was the son of Ailill Tassach, ancestor of the Uí T ...

was an early king of Munster according to one source. His sister

Angias Angias or Angas, daughter of Ailill Tassach, son of Eochu Liathán, was the wife of Lóegaire mac Néill, High King of Ireland, and mother of Lugaid mac Lóegairi, who later became High King. Her brother was Bressal mac Ailello, a possible Kin ...

was the queen of

Lóegaire mac Néill Lóegaire ('' floruit'' fifth century) (reigned 428–458 AD, according to the Annals of the Four Masters of the Kingdom of Ireland)(died c. 462), also Lóeguire, is said to have been a son of Niall of the Nine Hostages. The Irish annals and king ...

, High King of Ireland, and mother of

Lugaid mac Lóegairi Lugaid mac Lóegairi (died ) was a High King of Ireland. He was a grandson of Niall of the Nine Hostages. One of the supposed twelve sons of Lóegaire mac Néill, his mother was Angias, a daughter of (Ailill) Tassach of the Uí Liatháin. Comp ...

, who later became High King himself despite the initial wishes of

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 ...

, thanks to Angias' beseeching the saint. She and Bressal were children of (Ailill) Tassach, son of Eochu Liathán. Ruithchern, daughter of the King of

Iarmuman Iarmhumhain (older spellings: Iarmuman, Iarmumu or Iarluachair) was a Kingdom in the early Christian period of Ireland in west Munster. Its ruling dynasty was related to the main ruling dynasty of Munster known as the Eóganachta. Its ruling branc ...

(and possibly Munster),

Áed Bennán mac Crimthainn Áed Bennán mac Crimthainn (died 618) was a possible King of Munster from the Eóganacht Locha Léin branch of the Eoganachta. He was definitely king of West Munster or Iarmuman. He was the great grandson of Dauí Iarlaithe mac Maithni also ...

, and sister of

Mór Muman Mór Muman or Mór Mumain (modern spelling: Mór Mhumhan) is a figure from early Irish literature who is said to have been a queen of Munster and daughter of king Áed Bennán. Her name means "the Great Mother" and the province of Munster (''An ...

, was taken captive by the Uí Liatháin and forced to herd sheep. At the

Battle of Carn Conaill A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

, the Uí Liatháin are listed among the Munster allies of

Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin (died 663) was a king of Connacht. A member of the Ui Fiachrach Aidhne and son of king Colmán mac Cobthaig (died 622). Guaire ruled at the height of Ui Fiachrach Aidne power in south Connacht. Early reign Guaire ap ...

, a mention dismissed by Byrne, but discussed at length by Seán Ó Coileáin, who relates it to the cycle of Mór Muman and Ruithchern. Both the mother, Gormgel, and celebrated wife, Caillech, of the infamous

Cathal mac Finguine Cathal mac Finguine (died 742) was an Irish King of Munster or Cashel, and effectively High King of Ireland as well. He belonged to the Eóganacht Glendamnach sept of the dominant Eóganachta kin-group whose members dominated Munster from the ...

and

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

, were from the Uí Liatháin.

Later centuries

A substantial part of the recently defunct kingdom was granted to the

De Barry family The de Barry family is a noble family of Cambro-Norman origins which held extensive land holdings in Wales and Ireland. The founder of the family was a Norman Knight, Odo, who assisted in the Norman Conquest of England during the 11th century. ...

John of England John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Emp ...

in 1206, although the Uí Meic Tire persisted in a southern outpost for a few decades following.

Pedigree (illustrative)

Based on

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 ...

, the

Book of Leinster The Book of Leinster ( mga, Lebor Laignech , LL) is a medieval Irish manuscript compiled c. 1160 and now kept in Trinity College, Dublin, under the shelfmark MS H 2.18 (cat. 1339). It was formerly known as the ''Lebor na Nuachongbála'' "Book ...

, the ''

Vita tripartita Sancti Patricii The ''Vita tripartita Sancti Patricii'' (''The Tripartite Life of Saint Patrick'') is a bilingual Life of Patrick, written partly in Irish and in parts in Latin. It is a hagiography focusing on Patrick. The text is difficult to date. Kathleen ...

'',ed. Stokes 1887, pp. 47, 557 the '' Banshenchas'', ''

Foras Feasa ar Éirinn ''Foras Feasa ar Éirinn'' – literally 'Foundation of Knowledge on Ireland', but most often known in English as 'The History of Ireland' – is a narrative history of Ireland by Geoffrey Keating, written in Irish and completed .Bernadette Cunnin ...

'', and

Flann mac Lonáin Flann mac Lonáin (died 896) was an Irish poet. Background and career Flann mac Lonáin was a famed and at times controversial poet. He was the Chief Ollam of Ireland He seems to have been born in the east Clare/west Tipperary region. Distinguis ...

Maine Munchaín Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

, , ___________________________________________________________________________________________ , , , , , , , , , ,

Fidach Crimthann Mór, son of Fidach , also written Crimthand Mór, was a semi-mythological king of Munster and High King of Ireland of the 4th century. He gained territory in Britain and Gaul, but died poisoned by his sister Mongfind. It is possible tha ...

Fiachu Fidgenid Eochu Liathán Uí Duach Argetrois Uí Dedaid , , , __________________________ , _____________________________ , , , , , ,

Mongfind Mongfind (or Mongfhionn in modern Irish)—meaning "fair hair" or "white hair"—is a figure from Irish legend. She is said to have been the wife, of apparent Munster origins, of the legendary High King Eochaid Mugmedón and mother of his eldes ...

Eochaid Mugmedón Eochaid Mugmedón () was a semi-legendary Irish king. According to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, Eochaid was a High King of Ireland, best known as the father of Niall of the Nine Hostages and ancestor of the Uí Néill and Conna ...

Cairenn Cairenn Chasdub; Caireann ("curly-black (hair)") was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, the daughter of Sachell Balb, king of the Saxons, the second wife of the Irish High King Eochaid Mugmedón, and the mother of Nial ...

Ailill Tassach , , , , , , Connachta

Niall Noígíallach Niall ''Noígíallach'' (; Old Irish "having nine hostages"), or Niall of the Nine Hostages, was a legendary, semi-historical Irish king who was the ancestor of the Uí Néill dynasties that dominated Ireland from the 6th to the 10th centuries. ...

, , ___________, , , ,

Bressal mac Ailello , ,

Septs and surnames

The two most prominent septs of the Uí Liatháin were the following:

Uí Meic Caille

The Uí Meic Caille (Uí Maic Caille), who gave their name to the Barony of Imokilly, took their name from Meic Caille, son of Meic Brócc, son of Eochu Liathán. * Uí Meic Caille (O'Kiely, Kiely, Keily, Kiley, Keely, Kealy, Quelly) * Uí Anmchada (Lane, Lyons, Lehane) * Uí Glaissín (Glashan, Gleason, Gleeson) * Uí Charráin (Ó Corráin, Curran)

Uí Thassaig

These were the descendants of the aforementioned Ailill Tassach, son of Eochu Liatháin. * Uí Meic Tire (Ó Mic Thíre, Mictyre, MacTyre, MacTire, Wolfe, Woulfe)

Notes

References

* Byrne, Francis John, ''Irish Kings and High-Kings''.

Four Courts Press Four Courts Press is an independent Irish academic publishing house, with its office at Malpas Street, Dublin 8, Ireland. Founded in 1970 by Michael Adams, who died in February 2009, its early publications were primarily theological, notably t ...

. 2nd revised edition, 2001. * Chadwick, Nora K. (et al.), ''Studies in the Early British Church''. Cambridge University Press. 1958. pgs. 122-3. * Charles-Edwards, T.M., ''Early Christian Ireland''. Cambridge. 2000. *

Cormac mac Cuilennáin Cormac mac Cuilennáin (died 13 September 908) was an Irish bishop and the king of Munster from 902 until his death at the Battle of Bellaghmoon. He was killed in Leinster. Cormac was regarded as a saintly figure after his death, and his shri ...

, and John O'Donovan (tr.) with Whitley Stokes (ed.),

, o
Cormac's Glossary
Irish Archaeological and Celtic Society. Calcutta: O.T. Cutter. 1868. *

Geoffrey Keating Geoffrey Keating ( ga, Seathrún Céitinn; c. 1569 – c. 1644) was a 17th-century historian. He was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, and is buried in Tubrid Graveyard in the parish of Ballylooby-Duhill. He became an Irish Catholic priest and a ...

, with David Comyn and Patrick S. Dinneen (trans.)
The History of Ireland by Geoffrey Keating
4 Vols. London: David Nutt for the Irish Texts Society. 1902–14. * Kelleher, John V., "The Rise of the Dál Cais", in Étienne Rynne (ed.), ''North Munster Studies: Essays in Commemoration of Monsignor Michael Moloney''. Limerick: Thomond Archaeological Society. 1967. pp. 230–41. * MacCotter, Paul, ''Medieval Ireland: Territorial, Political and Economic Divisions''. Four Courts Press. 2008. * MacNeill, Eoin
"Early Irish Population Groups: their nomenclature, classification and chronology"
in ''Proceedings of the

Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ga, Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned socie ...

(C) 29''. 1911. pp. 59–114 * MacNeill, Eoi
"The Native Place of St. Patrick"
in ''Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy''. 1926. pp. 118–40 * Meyer, Kuno (ed. & tr.), "The Expulsion of the Dessi", i
Y Cymmrodor 14
1901. pgs. 101-35. (also availabl
here
* Meyer, Kuno (ed.)

in ''Zeitschrift für Celtische Philologie 8''. Halle/Saale, Max Niemeyer. 1912. Pages 291–338. * Morris, John (ed. and tr.), ''Nennius: British History and The Welsh Annals. Arthurian Period Sources Vol. 8''. London: Phillimore. 1980. * Ó Buachalla, Liam. "Contributions towards the political history of Munster" ii, in ''Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society 57'' (1952): 67–86 * Ó Buachalla, Liam. "The Uí Liatháin and their septlands", in ''Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society 44'' (1939): 28–36 * Ó Buachalla, Liam. "The Uí Meic Caille in pre-Norman times", in ''Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society 50'' (1945): 24–7 * Ó Coileáin, Seán, "Some Problems of Story and History", in ''Ériu 32'' (1981): 115–36. * Ó Coileáin, Seán, "The Structure of a Literary Cycle", in ''Ériu 25'' (1974): 88–125. * Ó Corráin, Donnchadh (ed.)
Genealogies from Rawlinson B 502
University College, Cork: Corpus of Electronic Texts. 1997. * Ó Corráin, Donnchadh, "Onomata", in ''Ériu 30'' (1979): 165–85. * Ó Corráin, Donnchadh, "Prehistoric and Early Christian Ireland", in Foster, Roy (ed.), ''The Oxford Illustrated History of Ireland''. Oxford University Press. 2001. pgs. 1–52. * Ó Cróinín, Dáibhí (ed.), ''A New History of Ireland: Prehistoric and Early Ireland, Vol. 1''. Oxford University Press. 2005. * O'Donovan, John (ed. and tr.), Annála Ríoghachta Éireann. Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters, from the Earliest Period to the Year 1616. 7 vols. Royal Irish Academy. Dublin. 1848–51. 2nd edition, 1856. * O'Nolan, Thomas Patrick (ed. & tr.)
"Mór of Munster and the Tragic Fate of Cuanu son of Cailchin"
in ''Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, Vol. XXX, Sec. C, No. 9''. Dublin: Hodges, Figgis, & Co. 1912. * O'Rahilly, Thomas F., ''Early Irish History and Mythology''. Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. 1946. * Pender, Seamus, "The Uí Liatháin Genealogies from the

Book of Ballymote The ''Book of Ballymote'' (, RIA MS 23 P 12, 275 foll.), was written in 1390 or 1391 in or near the town of Ballymote, now in County Sligo, but then in the tuath of Corann. Production and history This book was compiled towards the end of th ...

", in ''Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society 43'' (1938): 32–8. * Sproule, David
"Origins of the Éoganachta"
in ''Ériu 35'' (1984): pp. 31–37. * Sproule, David
"Politics and pure narrative in the stories about Corc of Cashel"
in ''Ériu 36'' (1985): pp. 11–28. * Stokes, Whitley (ed. & tr.)
The Tripartite Life of Patrick
London: Eyre and Spottiswoode for Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1887.

External links

at www.rootsweb.ancestry.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Ui Liathain Ancient peoples Kingdoms of medieval Ireland States and territories established in the 4th century Eóganachta Tribes of ancient Ireland Celtic kingdoms Historical Celtic peoples Former kingdoms in Ireland