The
Uaithni were a medieval
Gaelic Irish tribe in the area. In
Ptolemy's 2nd century
Geography he mentions the
Auteinoi, who lived somewhere around
County Galway. They claimed descent from Uaithne, daughter of the legendary king Eochaid mac Luchta. The
Book of Lecan connects Owney to the legendary harper
Uaithne, with his sons Uaithnia, Druithnia and Caínnia being the ancestors of the
Uaithni,
Dál Druithne and
Cáenraige. Modern scholars have tried to reconstruct an etymology, with one suggestion being
Aue-ítha-ini ("tribe of the descendants of
Íth," a mythological figure whose name means "fat" and is associated with agricultural production.) Owney was divided into Owneytire ("Uaithni-Land") and Owneybeg ("Lesser Uaithni"). Owneytire comprised land around
Newport, County Tipperary, while Owneybeg (also "Uaithne Cliach") was
Abington,
Cappamore and North
Doon. The region was in the Middle Ages part of part of the territory of
Éile Uí Chearbhaill and was later ruled by the
Ó Donnagáin (O'Donegans). In 1185
King John, Lord of Ireland granted some of Owneybeg to the Norman knight
Theobald Walter, 1st Chief Butler of Ireland. It later came into the possession of the
Ó Maoilriain (Mulryans) and they held the area until the
Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. ==Geography==