Donnchad mac Domnaill Remair (died 1089), also known as Donnchadh mac Domhnall Reamhair, was a late-eleventh-century ruler of the kingdoms 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 ...

and

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. He was a son of Domnall Remar mac Máel na mBó. Donnchad was slain in 1089.

Life

In 1071, 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 Irish history. The entries span from the Deluge, dated as 2,24 ...

'' reveal conflict amongst the Uí Cheinnselaig, as this source states that Donnchad fought his first cousin once removed, Domnall mac Murchada meic Diarmata. The following year, in the immediate aftermath of the death of Donnchad's uncle,

Diarmait mac Máel na mBó, King of Leinster Diarmuid Ua Duibhne (Irish pronunciation: ) or Diarmid O'Dyna, also known as Diarmuid of the Love Spot, was a demigod, son of Donn and one of the Fianna in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology (traditionally set in the 2nd to 4th century). He ...

Toirdelbach Ua Briain, King of Munster Toirdhealbhach Ua Briain (old spelling: Toirdelbach Ua Briain), anglicised ''Turlough O'Brien'' (100914 July 1086), was King of Munster and effectively High King of Ireland. A grandson of Brian Bóruma, Toirdelbach was the son of Tadc mac Bria ...

overran Leinster, and attacked Dublin. There, in the coastal kingdom, he captured the sons of Domnall Remar, included Donnchad himself. If the ''

Annals of Inisfallen Annals ( la, annāles, from , "year") are a concise historical record in which events are arranged chronologically, year by year, although the term is also used loosely for any historical record. Scope The nature of the distinction between ann ...

'' are to be believed, the Dubliners then handed the kingship over to Toirdelbach. For a time Toirdelbach apparently tolerated Dublin to be ruled on his behalf by Gofraid mac Amlaíb meic Ragnaill, King of Dublin. However, in 1075 the former expulsed the latter once and for all. Toirdelbach then appointed Domnall to the kinship of Dublin, and allowed Leinster to be ruled by Donnchad. Unfortunately for Toirdelbach, however, Domnall died soon afterwards, and Toirdelbach replaced him with his own son, Muirchertach. Donnchad seized control of Dublin in 1086, following the death of Toirdelbach, and proceeded to rule both Dublin and Leinster until 1089. In 1087, Muirchertach, now King of Munster, made moves to regain Uí Briain control of Dublin, and won a battle at Ráith Etair, north of the

River Liffey The River Liffey (Irish: ''An Life'', historically ''An Ruirthe(a)ch'') is a river in eastern Ireland that ultimately flows through the centre of Dublin to its mouth within Dublin Bay. Its major tributaries include the River Dodder, the River ...

. Two years later Muirchertach succeeded in gaining the town, Hudson (2005) p. 178. as the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' records Donnchad's death at the hands of Conchobar Ua Conchobair Failge, King of Uí Failge. ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (2013a) § 1089.5; ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (2013b) § 1089.5; Zumbuhl (2005) p. 248. Muirchertach himself was unable to hold the town for long, losing it to

Gofraid Crobán, King of the Isles Godred Crovan (died 1095), known in Gaelic as Gofraid Crobán, Gofraid Meránach, and Gofraid Méránach, was a Norse-Gaelic ruler of the kingdoms of Dublin and the Isles. Although his precise parentage has not completely been proven, he was c ...

about two years later.

Citations

References

Primary sources

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Secondary sources

* * * * {{Dublin Monarchs 1089 deaths 11th-century Irish monarchs Kings of Leinster Monarchs of Dublin