The Dáirine (Dárine, Dáirfine, Dáirfhine, Dárfine, Dárinne, Dairinne), later known dynastically as the

Corcu Loígde The Corcu Loígde (Corcu Lóegde, Corco Luigde, Corca Laoighdhe, Laidhe), meaning Gens of the Calf Goddess, also called the Síl Lugdach meic Itha, were a kingdom centred in West County Cork who descended from the proto-historical rulers of M ...

and associated, were the proto-historical rulers 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 ...

before the rise of the

Eóganachta The Eóganachta (Modern , ) were an Irish dynasty centred on Rock of Cashel, Cashel which dominated southern Ireland (namely the Kingdom of Munster) from the 6/7th to the 10th centuries, and following that, in a restricted form, the Kingdom of De ...

in the 7th century AD. They were derived from or closely associated with the

Darini The Darini (Δαρῖνοι) (manuscript variant: Darnii �άρνιοι were a people of ancient Ireland mentioned in Ptolemy's 2nd century ''Geography'' as living in south Antrim and north Down. Their name implies descent from an ancestor called ...

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...

and were also related to the

Ulaid (Old Irish, ) or (Irish language, Modern Irish, ) was a Gaelic Ireland, Gaelic Provinces of Ireland, over-kingdom in north-eastern Ireland during the Middle Ages made up of a confederation of dynastic groups. Alternative names include , which ...

and

Dál Riata Dál Riata or Dál Riada (also Dalriada) () was a Gaels, Gaelic Monarchy, kingdom that encompassed the Inner Hebrides, western seaboard of Scotland and north-eastern Ireland, on each side of the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North ...

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

and Scotland.O'Rahilly 1946 Their ancestors appear frequently in the

Ulster Cycle The Ulster Cycle (), formerly known as the Red Branch Cycle, is a body of medieval Irish heroic legends and sagas of the Ulaid. It is set far in the past, in what is now eastern Ulster and northern Leinster, particularly counties Armagh, Do ...

. In historical times the Dáirine were represented, as stated, by the

, the

Uí Fidgenti The Uí Fidgenti, Fidgeinti, Fidgheinte, Fidugeinte, Fidgente, or Fidgeinte ( or ;In the pronunciation, the -d- is silent, and the -g- becomes a glide, producing what might be anglicized ''Feeyenti'' or ''Feeyenta''. "descendants of, or of the ...

and

Uí Liatháin The Uí Liatháin () were an early kingdom of Munster in southern Ireland. They belonged the same kindred as the Uí Fidgenti, and the two are considered together in the earliest sources, for example '' The Expulsion of the Déisi'' (incidental ...

, as well as a few other early historical kindreds of both Munster and Ulster. In ancient genealogical schemes, the historical

Dál Fiatach Dál Fiatach was a Gaelic Ireland, Gaelic dynastic-grouping and the name of their territory in the north-east of Ireland, which lasted throughout the Middle Ages until their demise in the 13th century at the hands of Normans in Ireland, Normans ...

of Ulaid also belong to the Dáirine.

History

Dáirine can sometimes refer to the

Érainn The Iverni (, ') were a people of early Ireland first mentioned in Ptolemy's 2nd century ''Geography'' as living in the extreme south-west of the island. He also locates a "city" called Ivernis (, ') in their territory, and observes that this se ...

dynasties as a whole instead of the distinct royal septs mentioned above. The Dáirine of Munster were said to descend from a certain

Dáire Dáire is an Old Irish name which fell out of use at an early period, remaining restricted essentially to legendary and ancestral figures, usually male. It has come back into fashion since the 18th century. The anglicised form of this name is Dar ...

(''*Dārios''), both

Dáire Doimthech Dáire Doimthech (Dáire "poor house"), alias Dáire Sírchréchtach ("the ever-wounded"), son of Sithbolg, was a legendary King of Tara and High King of Ireland, and one of the eponymous ancestors of the proto-historical Dáirine and historical ...

(Sírchrechtach), ancestor of the Corcu Loígde, and from Dáire mac Dedad, father of Cú Roí. The two are quite probably identical.Pokorny 1918 The medieval genealogists were aware of the confusion and noted it in the Book of Glendalough (Rawlinson B 502). At some point the pedigree tradition of the Corcu Loígde diverged in its forms and ceased to closely match those more common elsewhere in Ireland. The Clanna Dedad take their name from Cú Roí's grandfather Dega, son of Sen (the Old). Notable is that the Dáirine were greatly renowned as a warlike military

caste A caste is a Essentialism, fixed social group into which an individual is born within a particular system of social stratification: a caste system. Within such a system, individuals are expected to marry exclusively within the same caste (en ...

, in contrast to their agricultural and relatively peaceful successors. According to the Táin Bó Flidais, the Clanna Dedad were one of the three warrior-races (laech-aicmi) of Ireland, the others being the Clanna Rudraige (their Ulaid cousins), and the Gamanrad of Irrus Domnann, who were related to the

Laigin The Laigin, modern spelling Laighin (), were a Gaelic population group of early Ireland. They gave their name to the Kingdom of Leinster, which in the medieval era was known in Irish as ''Cóiced Laigen'', meaning "Fifth/province of the Leinste ...

. However, the Dáirine appear to be most remembered in the surviving corpus for their allegedly bloody and harsh rule, in some tales even coming across as monstrous. This portrayal may or may not have any basis in ancient fact, and is possibly the invention of historians and storytellers. Among the known surviving septs of princely origins in Munster are

O'Driscoll O'Driscoll (and its derivative Driscoll) is an Irish surname. It is derived from the Gaelic ''Ó hEidirsceoil''. The O'Driscolls were rulers of the Dáirine sept of the Corcu Loígde until the early modern period; their ancestors were Kings ...

O'Leary O'Leary is an Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Laoghaire, meaning "descendant of Laoghaire"—a personal name often interpreted as "keeper of the calves" or "calf herder." The name is historically associated with a prominent family lineage ...

, Coffey,

Hennessy Jas Hennessy & Cie., commonly known simply as Hennessy (), is a French producer of cognac, founded in 1765 by Richard Hennessy which has its headquarters in Cognac, France. It is one of the best-known cognac houses, along with Martell, Courvo ...

and

Flynn Flynn is an Irish surname or first name, an anglicised form of the Irish Ó Floinn or possibly Mac Floinn, meaning "descendant or son of Flann" (a byname meaning "reddish (complexion)" or "ruddy"). The name is more commonly used as a surname t ...

, all descendants of Lugaid Mac Con. In

the Dál Fiatach septs are Haughey/

Hoey Hoey is an Irish surname. Spelling variations include: O'Hoey, Haughey, McCaughey, Hoy and McKeogh, among others. The original Irish spelling is Ó h Eochaidh. The Hoeys are descendants of the ancient Dál Fiatach dynasty, rulers of the Ulaid ...

and Donlevy/ Dunleavy.The Kingdom of Ulster
by Dennis Walsh The semi-historical

Mongfind Mongfind (, literally "fair/white hair") is a figure from Irish legend. She is said to have been the wife, of apparent Munster origins, of the legendary High King Eochaid Mugmedón and mother of his eldest three sons, Brión, Ailill and Fiachr ...

and

Crimthann mac Fidaig Crimthann Mór, son of Fidach , also written Crimthand Mór, was a semi-mythological king of Munster and High King of Ireland of the 4th century. He gained territory in Britain and Gaul, but died poisoned by his sister Mongfind. It is possible t ...

may have derived from peripheral septs of the Dáirine, but this cannot be proved.

Figures

Legendary figures belonging to the Dáirine, descendants (and family) of Dáire mac Dedad /

, include: * Cú Roí mac Dáire * Lugaid mac Con Roí * Conganchnes mac Dedad * Fiatach Finn *

Lugaid Loígde Lugaid Loígde "Lugaid of the Fawn/Calf Goddess", also known as Lugaid mac Dáire, was a legendary King of Tara and High King of Ireland. He is a son of Dáire Doimthech, ancestor of the Dáirine, and gives his epithet to their principal royal se ...

* Rechtaid Rígderg *

Mac Con Lugaid Mac Con, often known simply as Mac Con, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. He belonged to the Corcu Loígde, and thus to the Dáirine. His father was Macnia mac Lugdach, and his mothe ...

* Fothad Cairpthech and Fothad Airgthech *

Eochaid Étgudach or ('possessing clothes') or ('negligent'?), son of Dáire Doimthech, son of Conghal, son of Eadaman, son of Mal, son of Lugaid, son of Íth, son of Breogán, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ire ...

* Óengus BolgByrne 2001, p. 193Charles-Edwards 2000, p. 611 * Aimend * (

) * (

)

In the Ulster Cycle

Fled Bricrenn ''Fled Bricrenn'' (Old Irish "Bricriu's Feast") is a story from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Bricriu, an inveterate troublemaker, invites the nobles of the Ulaid to a feast at his new ''bruiden'' (hostel, banquet hall) at Dún Rudraige ( ...

* Mesca Ulad *

Táin Bó Cúailnge (Modern ; "the driving-off of the cows of Cooley"), commonly known as ''The Táin'' or less commonly as ''The Cattle Raid of Cooley'', is an epic from Irish mythology. It is often called "the Irish ''Iliad''", although like most other earl ...

* Táin Bó Flidhais

Mac Con Cycle

* Cath Maige Mucrama

Notes

References

* Best, R.I., Osborn Bergin, M.A. O'Brien and Anne O'Sullivan (eds)
The Book of Leinster, formerly Lebar na Núachongbála
6 vols. Dublin: DIAS, 1954–83
Fland mac Lonain cecinit.
* Byrne, Francis John, ''Irish Kings and High-Kings''. Four Courts Press. 2nd revised edition, 2001. * Charles-Edwards, T.M., ''Early Christian Ireland''. Cambridge. 2000. * Hull, Vernan
"Conall Corc and the Corcu Loígde"
in ''Proceedings of the Modern Languages Association of America 62'' (1947): 887–909. *

Geoffrey Keating Geoffrey Keating (; – ) was an Irish historian. He was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, and is buried in Tubrid Graveyard in the parish of Ballylooby-Duhill. He became a Catholic priest and a poet. Biography It was generally believed unt ...

, with David Comyn and Patrick S. Dinneen (trans.)
The History of Ireland by Geoffrey Keating
4 Vols. London: David Nutt for the Irish Texts Society. 1902–14. * MacNeill, Eoin
"Early Irish Population Groups: their nomenclature, classification and chronology"
in ''Proceedings of the

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 ...

(C) 29''. 1911. pp. 59–114 * Meyer, Kuno (ed.)
"The Laud Genealogies and Tribal Histories"
in ''Zeitschrift für Celtische Philologie 8''. Halle/Saale, Max Niemeyer. 1912. Pages 291–338. * Ó Corráin, Donnchadh, "Corcu Loígde: Land and Families", in ''Cork: History and Society. Interdisciplinary Essays on the History of an Irish County'', edited by Patrick O'Flanagan and Cornelius G. Buttimer. Dublin: Geography Publications. 1993. * Ó Corráin, Donnchadh (ed.)
Genealogies from Rawlinson B 502
University College, Cork: Corpus of Electronic Texts. 1997. * Ó Corráin, Donnchadh, "Prehistoric and Early Christian Ireland", in Foster, Roy (ed.), ''The Oxford Illustrated History of Ireland''. Oxford University Press. 2001. pgs. 1–52. * O'Donovan, John (ed. and tr.), Annala Rioghachta Eireann. Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters, from the Earliest Period to the Year 1616. 7 vols. Royal Irish Academy. Dublin. 1848–51. 2nd edition, 1856. * O'Donovan, John (ed.), "The Genealogy of Corca Laidhe", i
Miscellany of the Celtic Society
Dublin. 1849
alternative scan
* O'Hart, John
Irish Pedigrees
Dublin. 5th edition, 1892. * O'Rahilly, Thomas F., ''Early Irish History and Mythology''.

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 ...

. 1946. * Pokorny, Julius
"Beiträge zur ältesten Geschichte Irlands (3. Érainn, Dári(n)ne und die Iverni und Darini des Ptolomäus)"
in '' Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie 12'' (1918): 323–57. * Sproule, David
"Origins of the Éoganachta"
in ''Ériu 35'' (1984): pp. 31–37. * Sproule, David
"Politics and pure narrative in the stories about Corc of Cashel"
in ''Ériu 36'' (1985): pp. 11–28.

DIL

eDIL – Dictionary of the Irish Language
Letter: D1 (D-Degóir), Columns 35 and 36

Ulster Cycle

* Cross, Tom Peete and Clark Harris Slover (eds.), ''Ancient Irish Tales''. Henry Holt and Company. 1936. * Gantz, Jeffrey (tr.), ''Early Irish Myths and Sagas''. Penguin. 1981. * Hellmuth, Petra Sabine, "A Giant Among Kings and Heroes: Some preliminary thoughts on the character Cú Roí mac Dáire in medieval Irish literature", in ''Emania 17'' (1998): 5–11. * Kinsella, Thomas (tr.), ''The Tain''. Oxford. 1969.

Mac Con

Ailill Aulom, Mac Con, and Find ua Báiscne

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dairine Munster Kingdoms of ancient Ireland Tribes of ancient Ireland Historical Celtic peoples O'Donovan family