Toirdhealbhach Mór Ó Briain (born , died 1306) was

King of Thomond The kings of Thomond () ruled from the establishment of Thomond during the High Middle Ages, until the Early modern period. Thomond represented the legacy of Brian Bóruma and the High Kings of Ireland of his line who could not hold onto all of ...

(1276-1306) and the main protagonist of

Seán mac Ruaidhri Mac Craith Seán mac Ruaidhri Mac Craith (fl. 14th-century) was an Irish historian known as the author of ''Caithréim Thoirdhealbhaigh''. Biography The Meic Craith of Thomond were a learned family who had close ties to Clare Abbey, an Augustinian founda ...

's epic

Cathreim Thoirdhealbhaigh ''Cathreim Thoirdhealbhaigh'', or ''Triumphs of Torlough'' in English, is a historical account written in the 14th century in Irish by Seán mac Ruaidhrí Mac Craith, the chief historian to the Uí Bhriain dynasty.Moore, Norman. It depicts the ...

describing his struggles against the

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...

Thomas de Clare.

Reign

He was the son of Tadhg Cael Uisce Ó Briain. He came to power after deposing his uncle Brian Ruadh Ó Briain in 1276 and expelling him from

Thomond Thomond ( Classical Irish: ; Modern Irish: ), also known as the Kingdom of Limerick, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Clare and County Limerick, as well as parts of County Tipperary around Nena ...

. Brian then became an ally of Thomas de Clare who would restore him to power and in return be allowed to colonize all the land between Quin and

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

, he succeeded and drove out Toirdhealbhach. Toirdhealbhach then enlisted the aid of his cousin William

de Burgh de Burgh ( , ; ; ) is an Anglo-Norman surname deriving from the ancient Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh (c.1160–1206) had the surname ''de Burgh'' which was gae ...

and the

MacNamara MacNamara or McNamara ( Irish: ''Mac Con Mara'') is an Irish surname of a family of County Clare in Ireland. According to historian C. Thomas Cairney, the MacNamaras were one of the chiefly families of the Dal gCais or Dalcassians who were a tri ...

and

O'Dea O'Dea ( ; , formerly ), is an Irish surname derived from ', the name of a tenth-century clan chieftain. According to historian C. Thomas Cairney, the O'Deas were one of the chiefly families of the Dal gCais or Dalcassians who were a tribe of ...

clans. He defeated the combined forces of Brian Ruadh and Thomas de Clare in 1277 and became

. Thomas de Clare continued to attempt to undermine Toirdhealbhach's power and supported Brian Ruadh's son Donnchadh against Toirdhealbhach until Donnchadh was drowned in 1284. He died in 1306 and was succeeded by his son Donnchadh.

Family
John O'Hart John O'Hart (; 1824–1902) was an Irish historian and genealogist. He is noted for his work on ancient Irish lineage. He was born in Crossmolina, County Mayo, Ireland. A committed Roman Catholic and Irish nationalist, O'Hart had originally pl ...
,"Irish Pedigrees or the Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation", Volume 1, 1892, page 159, https://archive.org/stream/irishpedigreesor_01ohar#page/158/mode/2up

Toirdhealbhach Ua Briain Wife Corbel Head

He married firstly Sadhbh daughter of Tadhg Mac Carthy (son of Donogh Carrthain MacCarthy Mór,

King of Desmond The following is a list of monarchs of the Kingdom of Desmond. Most were of the MacCarthy Mór ("great MacCarthy"), the senior branch of the MacCarthy dynasty. 12th century MacCarthy MacCarthy claimants O'Brien claimants MacCarthy 13th ...

) and had possibly by her. *Donnchadh (who succeeded him),

He married secondly Orflath daughter of Domhnaill Óge Mac Carthaigh Mór,

and had issue: * Brian * Muircheartach,

* Diarmaid,

He married thirdly Sadhbh Ó Cinnéidigh and had issue: *Conchobhar *Domhnaill

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:O Briain, Toirdhealbhach Mor Kings of Thomond 1250s births 1306 deaths