Áed Bennán mac Crimthainn (died 618) was a possible

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 ...

from the

Eóganacht Locha Léin __NOTOC__ Eóganacht Locha Léin or Uí Cairpre Luachra were a branch of the ruling Eóganachta of Munster. Their territory was in Iarmuman or West Munster. Luachair (Lúachra) is the old name of a large district on the borders of Co Cork, Kerry an ...

branch of the Eoganachta. He was definitely king of West Munster or

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 ...

. He was the great grandson of

Dauí Iarlaithe mac Maithni Dauí Iarlaithe mac Maithni (flourished circa 500) was a King of Iarmuman (west Munster) from the Eóganacht Locha Léin branch of the Eoganachta, the ruling dynasty of Munster. He was the grandson of the founder of this branch of the dynasty, Coi ...

also a possible king of Munster from this branch His byname ''bennán'' means "horned," so it may refer to a spiked or horned

helmet A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protect ...

that he wore. (The association of horns with

cuckold A cuckold is the husband of an adulterous wife; the wife of an adulterous husband is a cuckquean. In biology, a cuckold is a male who unwittingly invests parental effort in juveniles who are not genetically his offspring. A husband who is aw ...

ry did not exist until centuries later.) There is some dispute in the sources as to his reign and that of

Fíngen mac Áedo Duib Fíngen mac Áedo Duib (Modern Irish: ''Finghin mac Aodha Dhuibh'', IPA: �fʲɪɲʝənʲmˠəkˈiːəɣəvʲ (died 618) was a King of Munster from the Eóganacht Chaisil branch of the Eoganachta. He was the great-grandson of Feidlimid mac Óengusa ...

(d. 618) of the Chaisil branch. The ''Annals of Tigernach'' call him King of Munster and place him before Fingin. The ''Annals of Ulster'' and ''Annals of Innisfallen'' do not give him a title at his death obit. In the ''Annals of The Four Masters'' he is only king of Iarmuman. In his death obit in the ''Annals of The Four Masters'' this is said of him

"Aedh Beannan, of Eoghanacht Iar-Luachair,—
Woe to the wealth of which he was king!
Happy the land of which he was guardian.
His shield when he would shake,
his foes would be subdued;
Though it were but on his back,
it was shelter to West Munster"

According to the saga ''Mór of Munster and the Violent Death of Cuanu mac Ailchine'' his daughter

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 Mhu ...

(d. 636) was married to Fingen and later married his successor

Cathal mac Áedo Cathal mac Áedo Flaind Chathrach (died 627) was a King of Cashel in Munster from the Glendamnach sept of the Eoganachta. He was the son of Áed Fland Cathrach and grandson of Coirpre Cromm mac Crimthainn (died 577) a previous king of Cashel. H ...

(d. 627), thereby transferring the kingship to him. Another daughter Ruithchern was the cause of a war between the Loch Lein and Glendamnach branches in the next generation. This war may reflect the extent of these branches' power at this time as compared to the Corco Loigde, Corco Duibne, and Ciarraige of Iarmuman; other subject tribes mentioned were the Corco Mruad and Corco Baiscinn of Thomond.Byrne, pg 207 His known sons were

Máel Dúin mac Áedo Bennán Máel Dúin mac Áedo Bennán (died 661) was a King of Iarmuman (west Munster) from the Eóganacht Locha Léin branch of the Eoganachta. He was the son of Áed Bennán mac Crimthainn (died 618), who may have been King of all Munster. His uncle Á ...

(d. 661) and Cummíne.

Notes

References

* ''Annals of Tigernach'' a
CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts
a
University College Cork
* ''Annals of the Four Masters'' a

a
University College Cork
* ''Annals of Innisfallen'' a

a
University College Cork
* ''Annals of Ulster'' a

a
University College Cork
* Byrne, Francis John (2001), Irish Kings and High-Kings, Dublin: Four Courts Press, *''The Chronology of the Irish Annals'', Daniel P. McCarthy * Wiley, Dan M.

''Cycles of the Kings''

External links

a
University College Cork
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aed Bennan mac Crimthainn Kings of Munster Kings of Iarmuman 618 deaths Nobility from County Limerick People from County Kerry People from County Cork 7th-century rulers in Europe 7th-century Irish monarchs Year of birth unknown

Notes

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References

External links