The O'Davoren () family were a
scholar
A scholar is a person who is a researcher or has expertise in an academic discipline. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researcher at a university. An academic usually holds an advanced degree or a termina ...
ly clan of
Corcomroe,
Thomond (modern-day
County Clare
County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...
),
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
active since
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
times.
Famed for their sponsorship of schools and knowledge of history and
Early Irish law
Early Irish law, also called Brehon law (from the old Irish word breithim meaning judge), comprised the statutes which governed everyday life in Early Medieval Ireland. They were partially eclipsed by the Norman invasion of 1169, but underwe ...
, the Uí Dhuibh dá Bhoireann were known throughout Ireland as a literary family and held estates in the
Burren down to the mid seventeenth century at the time of the Cromwellian confiscations. Many acted as
brehons for the local ruling dynasty of Uí Loughlin from the 14th century or earlier.
Origins
The O'Davorens, like the
O'Hehirs and some other
septs west of the Shannon in
County Clare
County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, belonged to the
Eoghanacht stock claiming name and descent from the son of
Aengus
In Irish mythology, Aengus or Óengus is one of the Tuatha Dé Danann and probably originally a god associated with youth, love,Ó hÓgáin, Dáithí. ''Myth, Legend & Romance: An encyclopedia of the Irish folk tradition''. Prentice-Hall Press, ...
,
King of Cashel, slain 957. The family settled in the Burren in mediaeval times, exact date unknown. We first hear of them as hereditary ollamhs to the O'Loghlens of that district, who are of the race of
Fergus mac Roigh, of
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 ...
. The earliest reference to them in print is in the
Annals of the Four Masters
The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' () or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' () are chronicles of Middle Ages, medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Genesis flood narrative, Deluge, dated as 2,242 Anno Mundi, years after crea ...
under the year 1364, where the death of
Giolla na Naomh Ó Duibh dá Bhoireann,
ollamh of Corcomdhruadh in Brehon law, is recorded.
According to historian C. Thomas Cairney, the O'Davorens were a chiefly family of the
Corco Modhruadh tribe who in turn came from the
Erainn tribe who were the second wave of
Celts
The Celts ( , see Names of the Celts#Pronunciation, pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples ( ) were a collection of Indo-European languages, Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient Indo-European people, reached the apoge ...
to settle in Ireland from about 500 to 100
BC.
Excavation
The O'Davoren law school at
Cahermacnaghten has been the subject of archaeological and historical interest and its remains are still extant. The law school operated in the sixteenth and seventeenth century, with a
Giolla na Naomh Óg Ó Duibh dá Bhoireann being recorded as one of its chief owners in the seventeenth century. The O'Davorens's were recorded as still holding Cahermacnaghten in 1659, along with 13 Irish tenants.
Literary production
The most important surviving document associated with them is known as
Egerton 88 (British Library), being compiled between 1564 and 1569. It contains copies of some important texts of
Early Irish law
Early Irish law, also called Brehon law (from the old Irish word breithim meaning judge), comprised the statutes which governed everyday life in Early Medieval Ireland. They were partially eclipsed by the Norman invasion of 1169, but underwe ...
, in addition to a number of Old Irish literary tales.
See also
*
O'Davoren's Glossary
*
Irish clans
Irish clans are traditional kinship groups sharing a common surname and heritage and existing in a lineage-based society, originating prior to the 17th century. A clan (or in Irish, plural ) included the chief and his Patrilineality, patrilineal ...
References
''Oxford Concise Companion to Irish Literature'', Robert Welsh, 1996.
External links
* http://www.nuigalway.ie/archaeology/documents/fitzpatrick_report_on_burren_field_school_for_celt.pdf
Síaburcharpat Conculaind(The Phantom Chariot of
Cúchulainn) from Egerton 88 a
CELT* http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/townlands/cahermacnaghten.htm
* https://web.archive.org/web/20150712072310/http://www.heritagecouncil.ie/fileadmin/user_upload/INSTAR_Database/Burren_Landscape_and_Settlement_Final_Report_08.pdf
{{DEFAULTSORT:Odavoren
Anglicised Irish-language surnames
Irish writers
Irish families
Irish Brehon families
Families of Irish ancestry