Cathal mac Donnubáin is the second known son of Donnubán mac Cathail, king of Uí Fidgenti and an ancestor of the medieval and modern O'Donovan family. He may have succeeded his brother Uainide mac Donnubáin as King of Uí Chairpre Áebda (Cairbre Eva) at his death in 982, no ruler(s) being known after that until 1014. However, this is confused by two notices of the death of Cairpre mac Cléirchín in 1013 or 1014, wherein one he is styled king of Uí Chairpre and in the other of Uí Fidgenti, leaving it uncertain which Cathal might actually have been if either. The rivalry between the two families is unknown but cannot be ruled out.

Clontarf

Cathal led the forces and is styled king of the Uí Chairpre in the

Battle of Clontarf The Battle of Clontarf () took place on 23 April 1014 at Clontarf, near Dublin, on the east coast of Ireland. It pitted an army led by Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, against a Norse- Irish alliance comprising the forces of Sigtrygg Silkbea ...

in 1014, in the account of the '' Leabhar Oiris'', which is believed to be based at least in part on contemporary documents. There it is said he fought on the side of Brian Bóruma,

High King of Ireland High King of Ireland ( ) was a royal title in Gaelic Ireland held by those who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over all of Ireland. The title was held by historical kings and was later sometimes assigned anachronously or to leg ...

in the great central division commanded by Cian mac Máelmuaid, standing against the forces of

Leinster Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland. The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...

commanded by Máel Mórda mac Murchada, King of Leinster. He is not listed among the slain there. That he participated in the battle is also an O'Donovan tradition. Cathal's mention in the ''Leabhar Oiris'' is the only one found anywhere outside of an O'Donovan pedigree in all surviving sources. Not anywhere in the annals is he mentioned. What is unknown is how early Cathal was listed in or before the ''Leabhar Oiris'', because what has survived is a later compilation of earlier sources where the spelling has been changed to

Early Modern Irish Early Modern Irish () represented a transition between Middle Irish and Modern Irish. Its literary form, Classical Gaelic, was used in Ireland and Scotland from the 13th to the 18th century. Classical Gaelic Classical Gaelic or Classical Irish ( ...

. He is listed as ''Cathal mac Donnabháin rí Ó g-Cairbre'', whereas ''Cathal mac Donnubáin, rí h-Ua Cairpre'' would be contemporary.

Family

It is possible that Cathal was as much as three-quarters Norse in ancestry. His maternal grandfather was probably Ivar of Limerick, the last Norse king of Limerick and an ally of his father. Donnubán himself has also been argued to have had a Norse mother, a daughter of one ''Amlaíb, rí Gall Muman'' or Olaf, king of the Norse of

Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...

, possibly referring to Amlaíb Cenncairech. It was also assumed by John O'Donovan that Cathal married a Norse woman himself, because he's only known issue is Amlaíb ua Donnubáin. A now lost source of uncertain date makes the entirely plausible claim that his son fought at Clontarf under Cian, although this is possibly a mistake for Cathal himself, or both may have. Cathal's pedigree can be tentatively reconstructed as follows below, assuming he actually existed. If not then it could be the O'Donovan family actually descend from Uainide mac Donnubáin, who is mentioned dying in 982 in the

Annals of Inisfallen The ''Annals of Inisfallen'' () are a chronicle of the medieval history of Ireland. Overview There are more than 2,500 entries spanning the years between 433 and 1450. The manuscript is thought to have been compiled in 1092, as the chronic ...

. But notably, both appear to be namesakes of earlier generations, at least in the received tradition, and in fact one Uainide mac Cathail appears as a mid-10th-century king of Uí Chairpre in the 12th-century propaganda tract ''

Caithréim Chellacháin Chaisil ''Caithréim Chellacháin Chaisil'' ("The Victorious Career of Cellachán of Cashel")Donnchadh Ó Corráin writes that this title "was first given it by Eugene O'Curry in his transcript of the text. It has no title in the earliest copy, that in t ...

''.

Donnchadh Ó Corráin Donnchadh Ó Corráin (28 February 1942 – 25 October 2017) was an Republic of Ireland, Irish historian and professor emeritus of medieval history at University College Cork. He earned his BA in history and Irish from UCC, graduating in 1964. ...

has questioned his historicity but does not doubt he is meant to represent the early O'Donovan kindred. Although Ó Corráin does not say so explicitly this is because no "Uainide mac Cathail" appears in the annals, and thus he could be created out of his own namesakes. The Uí Chairpre are nevertheless mentioned several times in ''CCC'' in different roles, probably indicating the family were still of some prominence in the first decades of the 12th century, even if they are noted for nothing during this period in the annals, which are importantly very incomplete, abbreviated and badly lacunose (suffering from gaps). Uainide mac Donnubáin on of Donnubán mac Cathailbecame King of Uí Chairpre Áebda, from 979 to his death in 982. The second son Cathal mac Donnubháin, succeeded his brother as King of Uí Chairpre Áebda in 982. Cathal Donnubáin married a Norse woman daughter of one Amlaíb, rí Gall Muman or Olaf, king of the Norse of Munsterand they had a son Amlaíb (Olaf) Ua Donnubáin and a second son Ímar (Ivor) Ua Donnubáin. Cathal king of the Uí Chairpre survived the Battle of Clontarf in 1014, which resulted in large losses for both Irish and Norse. Amlaíb (Olaf) Ua Donnubáin succeeded his father, Cathal mac Donnubháin, as King of Uí Chairpre Áebda. Ivar of Waterford is believed to have been Cathal/Uainide's brother-in-law, married to an unnamed sister of theirs. One of Waterford's very historical sons he named Donndubán, with certainty after their father. It has in the past been popularly claimed that some modern O'Donovans actually descend from this marriage,
Encyclopædia Britannica
' but this remains unverified.

Notes

References

* Best, R. I. (ed.)

in ''

Ériu In Irish mythology, Ériu (; ), daughter of Delbáeth and Ernmas of the Tuatha Dé Danann, was the eponymous matron goddess of Ireland. The English name for Ireland comes from the name Ériu and the Germanic languages, Germanic (Old Norse or ...

1'' (1904): 74–112. * Bugge, Alexander (ed. & tr.),
Caithreim Cellachain Caisil
'. Christiania: J. Chr. Gundersens Bogtrykkeri. 1905. *Cronnelly, Richard F.,
Irish Family History
Part II: A History of the Clan Eoghan, or Eoghanachts''. Dublin: Goodwin, Son, and Nethercott. 1864. O'Donovan pedigrees, pp. 252–64 *Mac Airt, Seán (ed. & tr.). '' The Annals of Inisfallen (MS. Rawlinson B. 503)''.

Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies The Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) () is a statutory independent research institute in Dublin, Ireland. It was established, under the Institute For Advanced Studies Act 1940, by the government of the then Taoiseach, Éamon de Vale ...

. 1951
edition
*MacCotter, Paul, ''Medieval Ireland: Territorial, Political and Economic Divisions''. Dublin:

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 ...

. 2008. * Ó Cléirigh, Cú Choigríche,
The O'Clery Book of Genealogies
'. early-mid 17th century. * Ó Corráin, Donnchadh
"Caithréim Chellacháin Chaisil: History or Propaganda?"
in ''

25'' (1974): 1–69. * O'Donovan, John (ed. & tr.), '' Annala Rioghachta Eireann. Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters, from the Earliest Period to the Year 1616''. 7 vols. Dublin:

Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the natural sciences, arts, literature, and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned society and one of its le ...

. 1848-51. 2nd edition, 1856
Volume II
p. 771 (see als

an

at CELT)
Volume VI
Appendix, Pedigree of O'Donovan, p. 2436–7 * O'Hart, John.
Irish Pedigrees
'. Dublin: James Duffy and Co. 5th edition, 1892. * Todd, James Henthorn (ed. & tr.),
Cogadh Gaedhel re Gallaibh: The War of the Gaedhil with the Gaill
'. London: Longmans. 1867. *Wyndham-Quin, Caroline, and Edwin Wyndham-Quin,
Memoirs of Adare Manor
'. Oxford: Messrs. Parker. 1865. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cathal Mac Donnubain 11th-century Irish monarchs Irish people of Norse descent O'Donovan family European people whose existence is disputed