The Clan Murtagh O'Conor ( Irish: ''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 Kings of Connacht, King of Connacht (1106–1156) and High King of Ireland (ca. 1120–1156). Family backgro ...

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

tánaiste The Tánaiste ( , ) is the second-ranking member of the government of Ireland and the holder of its second-most senior office. It is the equivalent of the deputy prime minister in other parliamentary systems. The Tánaiste is appointed by the P ...

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

"... the earliest, most
aristocratic Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense economic, political, and social influence. In Western Christian co ...
and best documented example of increasing
nomadism Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, Nomadic pastoralism, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and Merchant, trader nomads. In the twentieth century, ...
in the northern half of Ireland in the
late middle ages The late Middle Ages or late medieval period was the Periodization, period of History of Europe, European history lasting from 1300 to 1500 AD. The late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period ( ...
. ... 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 or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...
, 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 Breifnech O'Conor (i.e., of

Breifne The Kingdom of Breifne or Bréifne (), anglicized as Breffny, was a medieval overkingdom in Gaelic Ireland. It comprised what is now County Leitrim, County Cavan and parts of neighbouring counties, and corresponds roughly to the Roman Catho ...

), 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 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 language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and ...

. Their area of control was likely conterminous with the

Diocese of Mayo Mayo often refers to: * Mayonnaise, a sauce * County Mayo, in the west of Ireland * Mayo Clinic, a medical center in Rochester, Minnesota, United States * Mayo (surname), includes a list of people with the name Mayo may also refer to: Places ...

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 () 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. The family ha ...

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 ruli ...

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 E ...

, part of their former overlordship, until finally being expelled in 1274 following the killing of

Henry Butler, Lord of Umallia Henry Butler, Lord of Umallia, founder of Burrishoole, died 1272. Ancestry Butler was a descendant of Theobald Walter, 1st Baron Butler, founder of the Butler dynasty of Ireland. Theobald Butler, 4th Chief Butler of Ireland was a close relat ...

. Others moved east to the King's Cantreds in the 1240s and cooperated with resistance to further Norman conquest. They supported

Áed na nGall Áed mac Felidlimid Ó Conchobair (English: Hugh McFelim O'Connor), known as Áed na nGall (Áed of the foreigners/ Hebrideans), was king of Connacht alongside his father Felim from 1258 reigning solely from 1265 until his own death in 1274. He ...

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 named ...

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 ...

. 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 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 (), 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 alleged Laigin or ...

and both East and West Breifne. They then removed to

County Roscommon County Roscommon () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the province of Connacht and the Northern and Western Region. It is the List of Irish counties by area, 11th largest Irish county by area and Li ...

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 named ...

& 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 dynasty (Middle Irish: ''Ó Conchobhair''; Modern ) are an Irish noble dynasty and formerly one of the most influential and distinguished royal dynasties in Ireland. The O'Conor family held the throne of the Kingdom of Connacht up ...

& 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