Rise of the Dáirine in Munster The early Kings of Munster, derived from the
Érainn (one of the major sub-branches of
Gaels in Ireland), were mentioned in the
Red Branch Cycle of Irish traditional history. Prominent figures featuring in this Cycle are
Cú Roí mac Dáire,
Conaire Mór,
Lugaid mac Con Roí and others. These men are all presented as great warriors, in particular Cú Roí features in the
Táin bó Cúailnge, where he fights
Amergin mac Eccit, until requested to stop by
Meadhbh. Eventually Cú Roí is killed by
Cú Chulainn after being betrayed by
Bláthnat who he had captured. His death was avenged by his son Lugaid mac Con Roí. in the
Slieve Mish Mountains features the remains of a stone
ringfort, named for Dáirine king
Cú Roí. The
Dáirine (named for
Dáire mac Dedad), or
Clanna Dedad, a major branch of the Érainn, were a significant power in Gaelic Ireland, providing several
High Kings of Ireland at the
Hill of Tara in addition to ruling Munster. There was also a
Temair Luachra ("Tara of the Rushes"), existing as the
royal site of Munster, but this is lost to history (it is potentially synonymous with
Caherconree). Some of the most prominent High Kings from this time provided by the Érainn of Munster include
Eterscél Mór and
Conaire Mór who are the subject of the
Togail Bruidne Dá Derga. The
Laigin in particular were major rivals for Munster at the time. The
Chronicle of Ireland places the start of these rulers at roughly the 1st century BCE. Outside of Gaelic sources, the predominant people of Munster, the Érainn, along with other tribes in the area are attested to in
Ptolemy's
Geographia, where they are known as the
Iverni. According to the
Book of Glendalough, a member of the Munster royal family,
Fíatach Finn, moved north and became
King of Ulster, establishing the Érainn kindred known as the
Dál Fiatach. This meant competing with the
Ulaid rulers of
Clanna Rudhraighe. A great revival of power for Munster occurred in the 2nd century AD, as one of their kings,
Conaire Cóem, established himself as High King of Ireland. This was a time for pioneering figures, as major High Kings representing other Gaelic groups in Ireland also lived such as
Conn Cétchathach founder of the
Connachta and
Cathair Mór a prominent king of the
Laigin. Conaire Cóem holds an important place in Irish genealogies as the forefather of the
Síl Conairi. His sons; Cairpre Músc (ancestor of the
Múscraige and
Corcu Duibne), Cairpre Baschaín (ancestor of the
Corcu Baiscind) and Cairpre Riata (ancestor of the
Dál Riata) founded kinship groups which would play a major role in Munster, while the latter moved north to Ulster and eventually established
Alba (better known as
Scotland) in
Great Britain. Another High King from Munster's Dáirine around this period was
Lugaid Mac Con, the progenitor of
Corcu Loígde. His mother was
Sadb ingen Chuinn from the Connachta and he was called
Mac Con ("Son of the Hound") because he was supposedly suckled by his foster-father
Ailill Aulom's
greyhound. He ascended to the High Kingship from his Munster base after killing
Art mac Cuinn in the
Battle of Maigh Mucruimhe, which is the subject of a literary tale. His foster-father, Ailill Aulom is claimed to have been a King of Munster and belonged to the
Deirgtine. This group of Gaels were not Dáirine and other Kings of Munster from them mentioned in the
Cycles of the Kings, include
Mug Nuadat,
Éogan Mór and
Fiachu Muillethan. The exact relationship of the Deirgtine to other groups in Munster is controversial, the
Eóganachta later claimed direct descent from them. The Eóganachta emerged in the 4th or 5th century under
Corc mac Luigthig but would take near total power in the early 7th century and the genealogical claim may have been to bolster their legitimacy.
Christianisation of the Realm ,
c. 1780s. The conversion of Óengus mac Nad Froích moved Munster towards Christianity. The religion of
Christianity, which after the
Edict of Thessalonica in 380 AD became the
state religion of the
Roman Empire and thus, much of
Europe, came to Ireland in the 5th century, largely through Munster and
Leinster. Many of the earliest saints of Ireland mentioned in the
Codex Salmanticensis had strong Munster connections, particularly St.
Ailbe in
Emly, historical location of the
Mairtine. He supposedly received canonical orders from St.
Palladius who was sent by
Pope Celestine I to Ireland in 431 AD. The first Christian saint born in Ireland itself was St.
Ciarán of Saigir, associated with
Osraige, who had a royal Munster (Corcu Loígde) mother. As well as this St.
Declán of the
Déisi Muman converted his people and established a monastery at
Ardmore. The conversion of the
Eóganacht Chaisil, who were Kings of Cashel and gaining more and more influence in Munster, to the detriment of the Corcu Loígde, occurred during the reign of
Óengus mac Nad Froích. He was said to have been converted by
St. Patrick in a ceremony in which Patrick is supposed to have accidentally pierced the king's foot with his
crozier, a pain which Óengus stoically bore, presuming it was part of
baptism. Indeed, the very finding of
Cashel, which was originally in the land of the
Éile and its establishment as the base of the Eóganachta is attributed in the texts
Acallam na Senórach and
Senchas Fagbála Caisil to a miraculous "vision" of St. Patrick, sixty years beforehand by
Corc mac Luigthig. According to the
Acallam, Óengus then levied a tri-annual
tribute in Munster known as the "scruple of Patrick’s baptism", showing a clear political interest (this was exacted until the times of St.
Cormac mac Cuilennáin). off the coast of the
Iveragh Peninsula. An isolated Christian monastery was founded here by St.
Finnian of Clonard in the 6th century. Some of the earliest sites of
Irish monasticism are to be found in Munster. St.
Finnian of Clonard founded a monastery at
Skellig Michael off the coast of the
Iveragh Peninsula, St.
Senán mac Geirrcinn founded a monastery at
Inis Cathaigh as patron of the Corcu Baiscind and St.
Enda of Aran founded the
Killeaney monastery on
Inishmore, with the support of Óengus mac Nad Froích. These monks often chose isolated and harsh locations for their monasteries, exhibiting an
ascetic spirituality, similar to that of the
Desert Fathers in
Christian Egypt. Elsewhere, monasteries were founded more inland, such as the abbey at
Lismore founded by St.
Mo Chutu and the monastery at what was then known as the
Corcach Mór na Mumhan (now the
City of Cork) founded by St.
Finbarr. The latter institution was particularly associated with learning. Both St.
Brendan of Birr and St.
Brendan of Clonfert came from Munster families, the latter was born in the land of the
Ciarraighe Luachra. A noted female Munster saint of the day, St.
Íte of Killeedy, was known as the "
Brigid of Munster."
Age of the Eóganachta By the 7th century, the Eóganachta had eclipsed the Corcu Loígde and all others for hegemony in Munster. They were aided in this by their allies, the
Múscraige, who switched sided against their distant Érainn cousins, the Corcu Loígde. In a wider context, in Ireland at the time, the
Uí Néill were firmly establishing themselves as the main power in the country, as the Érainn were in decline, the Laigin limited and the Eóganachta just establishing their hold over Munster. A geopolitical reality, based on the
Leath Cuinn and Leath Moga divisions was then being established. Under
Faílbe Flann mac Áedo Duib, Munster crossed the
River Shannon and defeated the
Ui Fiachrach Aidhne of
Connacht, taking from them what would become
Thomond (or in much later times
County Clare) and settling it with
Déisi. This king of Munster was even able to project power and influence the choice of kings beyond his realm in neighbouring Leinster. With the fall of the Corcu Loígde,
Osraige returned to the
Mac Giolla Phádraig, but remained a
túatha of Munster until the 9th century. was the centre of power for the
Eóganacht Chaisil, ancestors of the
Mac Cárthaigh, who became the main providers of Kings of Munster. In regards to the Eóganachta themselves, there were two main branches; the most powerful was the "inner circle", or the eastern-branch, which was further divided into the
Eóganacht Chaisil,
Eóganacht Glendamnach,
Eóganacht Áine and
Eóganacht Airthir Cliach. Indeed, for the most part this would be the case as the Eóganacht Chaisil (ancestors of the
Ó Súilleabháin and
Mac Cárthaigh), Glendamnach (ancestors of the
Ó Caoimh) and Áine (ancestors of the
Ó Ciarmhaic) would provide the overwhelming majority of the kings. Despite the size of their kingdom, Munster was usually substantially weaker than the northern Uí Néill powerhouse; the Eóganachta built up a propaganda that they ruled through "prosperity and generosity", rather than just brute force. The raiders chose these monasteries primarily because they were isolated and easy to attack from the Sea; they took provisions, precious goods (metalwork especially), livestock and human captives (these people were either ransomed back if they were high-profile clerics or forced into
slavery abroad). After first attacking neighbouring Gaelic Irish kingdoms and receiving retribution in return, the mercantile Vikings began to trade with the native Irish and some even intermarried, they also gradually converted to Christianity and eventually became
Norse-Gaels, exhibiting elements of both cultures. was a celebrated early 10th century King-Bishop associated with the literary
Sanas Cormaic. In Munster itself, a group from among the Vikings; the
Uí Ímair, claiming descent from and named for
Ivar the Boneless, son of
Ragnar Lodbrok; eventually emerged as Kings of small Norse-Gaelic kingdoms where they were
Kings of Limerick and
Kings of Waterford. These small kingdoms; amongst which Limerick was the most prominent; were involved in rivalries with other Vikings in Ireland and held a complex web of rivalries and alliances with native Irish Gaelic clans. The cultural influence wasn't all one way; some native Irish families in Munster adopted personal names and eventually clan names of
Old Norse origin. This includes
Mac Amhlaoibh, with
Amhlaoibh meaning
Olaf. A prominent example of a Viking-Gaelic alliance in Munster was when the Waterford Vikings joined with
Cellachán Caisil, a King of Munster from the Eóganacht Chaisil in 939 against
Donnchadh Donn, who was then the High King of Ireland from the southern Uí Néill. The impact of the Vikings, along with pressure from
Clann Cholmáin (i.e. the Uí Néill, who dominated the High Kingship of Ireland at the time) led to instability within the Munster Kingship and even permanently broke
Osraige from its overkingship. The ascent of elements outside of the main royal families occurred, for instance; St.
Cormac mac Cuilennáin from a very much junior branch of the Eóganacht Chaisil became King of Munster during the early 10th century. Cormac and his right-hand man
Flaithbertach mac Inmainén were able to inflict defeats on High King
Flann Sinna after the latter had ravaged Munster in 906. As well as his martial prowess and religious piety, Cormac was known for his literacy, as his name appears on the
Sanas Cormaic, an
Irish language glossary. Cormac finally met his end at the
Battle of Bellaghmoon, where his army was greatly outnumbered. After his severed head was brought to his great rival Flann Sinna, the High King is supposed to have said "It was an evil deed, to cut off the holy bishop's head; I shall honour it, and not crush it." Cormac was succeeded by Flaithbertach who was notably absent from the Battle. He was the only ever King of Munster from the
Múscraige later known as the
Ó Donnagáin.
Division into Desmond and Thomond by James Ward, c.'' 1914, a painted mural on the walls of
City Hall, Dublin.
Brian Bóruma descendants ruled Munster until 1118. The power of the Eóganachta was challenged in the 10th century by the
Dál gCais of Thomond (ancestors of the
Ó Briain). They were assisted in this initially by the Uí Néill who wanted to weaken the Eóganachta. The most successful member of the Dál gCais was
Brian Bóruma, who established himself not only as King of Munster, but also High King of Ireland and is remembered for his feats at the
Battle of Clontarf against the Vikings. After the death of Brian, the Dál gCais dominated the Munster kingship for the duration of the 11th century uninterrupted; from the reign of
Donnchadh Ó Briain until Brian Ó Briain. Two of these kings;
Toirdelbach Ó Briain and
Muirchertach Ó Briain; were also High Kings of Ireland. During the reign of Muirchertach, his grandfather Brian's feats were portrayed in the literary work
Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib in a proto-
Irish nationalist sense as a Gaelic war of liberation against the Viking invaders and their collaborators. Towards the end of Muirchertach's reign, he fell ill. His brother
Diarmaid Ó Briain who was powerful in Waterford (and had earlier been banished to
Deheubarth in Britain), felt that he would make a better ruler. As well as this strife, all of the kingdoms which had become lesser powers to Munster;
Connacht (under the
Ó Conchobhair),
Aileach (under the
Mac Lochlainn) and Leinster (under the
Mac Murchadh); saw this as their opportunity to claw back some power and raise their profile. Their old enemies with whom enmity had remained, the Mac Cárthaigh, under Tadhg Mac Cárthaigh had also reasserted power in the south-west of Munster (which was soon to be known as Desmond). In 1118, the new king of Munster, Brian Ó Briain led a force against Tadhg Mac Cárthaigh at the Battle of
Glanmire. The result was victory for the Mac Cárthaigh and the death of Brian Ó Briain. Upon hearing the news, the old king, Murichertach Ó Briain returned to claim Munster. However, the High King of Ireland,
Toirdelbach Ó Conchobhair as part of a self-interested move to weaken Munster, agreed in the Treaty of Glanmire in 1118 with Tadhg Mac Cárthaigh to divide Munster in two. Thus, Munster was partitioned into
Thomond (ruled by the Ó Briain) and
Desmond (ruled by the Mac Cárthaigh), putting to an end a kingdom which had existed for over 1,000 years. Until the end of the 12th century, representatives of each side made claims to the Munster kingship but it did not exist in reality. These kingdoms withstood the invasion of the
Normans in Ireland with varying success but eventually in the 16th century were brought under the English Crown in Ireland. The last surviving Munster-derived Gaelic realm was
Carbery under the
Mac Cárthaigh Riabhach, a derivative of Desmond which fell as late as 1606. The name Munster itself was later revived as the
Province of Munster as part of the Tudor-ruled
Kingdom of Ireland in the 16th century. ==Kingship==