The Clan Murtagh O'Conor (

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

: ''Clan Muircheartaigh Uí Conchobhair'') were descendants of Irish High-King

Toirdelbach Ua Conchobair Toirdhealbhach Mór Ua Conchobhair (old spelling: Tairrdelbach Mór Ua Conchobair; 1088 – 1156) anglicised Turlough Mór O'Conor, was King of Connacht (1106–1156) and High King of Ireland (ca. 1120–1156). Family background and early life ...

, through his son, Murtogh Moynagh O'Conor (d.1210),

tánaiste The Tánaiste ( , ) is the deputy head of the government of Ireland and thus holder of its second-most senior office. The Tánaiste is appointed by the President of Ireland on the advice of the Taoiseach. The current office holder is former Taoi ...

of Connacht. They have been defined by Katherine Simms as:

''... the earliest, most
aristocratic Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At the time of the word's ...
and best documented example of increasing
nomadism A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, Nomadic pastoralism, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and Merchant, trader nomads. In t ...
in the northern half of Ireland in the
late middle ages The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the Periodization, period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Eur ...
. ... In spite of the fact that they were a very numerous branch of the O'Conor family, who supplied five kings to the throne of
Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Delbhn ...
, they seem to have vanished away in the early fifteenth century, never to be heard of again.''

Clan Murtagh kings of Connacht

* Cathal McConnor Roe O'Conor, reigned 1280-1288 * Magnus McConnor Roe O'Conor, reigned 1288-1293 * Hugh Breifne O'Conor (i.e., of Breifne), reigned 1309-1310 * Rory O'Connor, reigned 1315-1316 * Hugh McHugh Breifne O'Conor, reigned 1342-1343, Died 1350

Short history

The family held a position of overlordship in south

Mayo Mayo often refers to: * Mayonnaise, often shortened to "mayo" * Mayo Clinic, a medical center in Rochester, Minnesota, United States Mayo may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Mayo Peak, Marie Byrd Land Australia * Division of Mayo, an Aust ...

prior to the Norman occupation of Connacht by

Richard Mór de Burgh Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stron ...

. Their area of control was likely conterminous with the Diocese of Mayo recognised at the Synod of Kells in 1152, but which had not existed in 1111. After the Norman take-over in 1235 a section came to an accommodation with 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. ...

Umhaill Umhaill or Umhall (anglicized as Owill or Owel) was a Gaelic territory around Clew Bay in the west of what is now County Mayo, Ireland, comprising the baronies of Burrishoole (Lower Owel) and Murrisk (Upper Owel). By the 12th century, its ru ...

and then

Erris Erris is a barony in northwestern County Mayo in Ireland consisting of over , much of which is mountainous blanket bog. It has extensive sea coasts along its west and north boundaries. The main towns are Belmullet and Bangor Erris. The name Er ...

, part of their former overlordship, until finally being expelled in 1274. Others moved east to the King's Cantreds in the 1240s and cooperated with resistance to further Norman conquest. They supported Áed na nGall in ''kings' sons'' formations of horse-borne raiding parties. They attempted thereafter with short periods of success to contest for the title of the rump-

Kingdom of Connacht The Kings of Connacht were rulers of the ''cóiced'' (variously translated as portion, fifth, province) of Connacht, which lies west of the River Shannon, Ireland. However, the name only became applied to it in the early medieval era, being name ...

with their cousins, the descendants of

Cathal Crobhdearg Ua Conchobair Cathal Crobhdearg Ua Conchobair (Anglicised as Cathal O'Connor/O'Conor and Cathal the Red-handed O'Conor) (1153–1224), was a king of Connacht. He was the youngest son of the High King of Ireland Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair and brother to the l ...

. Increasingly excluded from power after the reign of Magnus O'Conor, they left Machaire Connacht and by the 1290s their main base of activity was in

Breifne O'Rourke The Kingdom of West Breifne (Irish ''Breifne Ua Ruairc'') or Breifne O'Rourke was a historic kingdom of Ireland that existed from 1256 to 1605, located in the area that is now County Leitrim. It took its present boundaries in 1583 when West Breifn ...

where they developed formations of landless nomadic creaghts following their cattle-herds. A ''creaght'' was a grouping of families that in one body followed a herd, depending on it for their pastoralist existence. After the 1360s their standing was greatly reduced as former allies and enemies combined against their disruptive presence in

Fermanagh Historically, Fermanagh ( ga, Fir Manach), as opposed to the modern County Fermanagh, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Fermanagh. ''Fir Manach'' originally referred to a distinct kin group of al ...

and both East and West Breifne. They then removed to

County Roscommon "Steadfast Irish heart" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Roscommon.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Connacht , subdi ...

as supporters of the O'Conor Roe, gradually fading into obscurity. The last annal entry concerning them comes from the Annals of Connacht, 1474, when:

Donnchad son of Muirchertach son of Aed O Conchobair of the remnant of the Clann Muirchertaig .e. ''d'iarsma Clainni Murcertuig''died at Toberelva in Mag nAi.Entry 1474, Item 7. ''Annála Connacht = The Annals of Connacht (A.D. 1224-1544)'', edited by A. Martin Freeman (Dublin : D.I.A.S., 1983), PP568-9.

Family tree (simplified)

* Kg. = King of Connacht Tairrdelbach,

King of Connacht The Kings of Connacht were rulers of the ''cóiced'' (variously translated as portion, fifth, province) of Connacht, which lies west of the River Shannon, Ireland. However, the name only became applied to it in the early medieval era, being name ...

& Ard Rí na hÉireann, 1088-1156. , ______________________________, ____________________________________________ , , , , , , Ruaidrí Muirchertach Muimnech Cathal Crobhdearg, 1153-1224, c.1115-1198 Tainiste of Connacht Kg. 1202-24. King of Connacht, d.1210 Ancestor of Ó Conchubhair Ruadh &

Ó Conchubhair Donn The O'Conor family (Middle Irish: ''Ó Conchubhair''; Modern ga, Ó Conchúir) are an Irish noble house and were one of the most influential and distinguished royal houses in Ireland. The O'Conor family held the throne of the Kingdom of C ...

& Ard Rí na hÉireann , , Conor Ruad, d.1245 ______________________________, ____________________________________________ , , , , Cathal Ruad Maghnus Kg. Conn. 1280-88; 1293 Kg. Conn 1288-1293 , , ________________________________________________________ , , , , , , Conor Ruad Aodh Breifnech Ruaidri claimant. 1296 Kg. Conn. 1309-10 Kg. Conn. 1315-16 , ____________________________, ____________________________ , , , Aodh Cathal Ruaidri Kg. Conn. 1342-43 Tainiste Tainiste d.1350 d.1366 d.1380

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muircheartaigh Ui Conchobhair, Clan Irish families O'Conor dynasty Gaels