Dáirine
Encyclopedia
The Dáirine later known dynastically as the Corcu Loígde
, were the proto-historical rulers of Munster
before the rise of the Eóganachta
in the 7th century AD. They appear to have derived from the Darini
of Ptolemy
and to have been related to the Ulaid
and Dál Riata
of Ulster
and Scotland
. In support of this, their ancestors appear frequently in the Ulster Cycle
, where they are known as the Clanna Dedad, and are the killers of Cú Chulainn
. All are considered Érainn (see also O'Rahilly's historical model
). In historical times the Dáirine were represented, as stated, by the Corcu Loígde
, and probably by the Uí Fidgenti
and Uí Liatháin
, as well as a few other early historical kindreds of both Munster and Ulster. In ancient genealogical schemes, the historical Dál Fiatach
of Ulaid also belong to the Dáirine (Clanna Dedad).
Dáirine can sometimes refer to the Érainn dynasties as a whole instead of the distinct royal septs mentioned above.
The Dáirine of Munster were said to descend from a certain Dáire (*Dārios), both Dáire Doimthech
(Sírchrechtach), ancestor of the Corcu Loígde, and from Dáire mac Dedad
, father of Cú Roí
. The two are quite probably identical. 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 Dedu mac Sin.
Legendary figures belonging to the Dáirine, descendants (and family) of Dáire mac Dedad
/ Dáire Doimthech
, include:
Notable is that the Dáirine were greatly renowned as a warlike military caste
, 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
.
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'Leary
, Coffey, Hennessy and Flynn
, all descendants of Lugaid Mac Con. In Ulster
the Dál Fiatach septs are Haughey/Hoey and Donlevy/Dunleavy.
The semi-historical Mongfind
and Crimthann mac Fidaig
may have derived from peripheral septs of the Dáirine, but this cannot be proved.
Corcu Loígde
The Corcu Loígde , meaning Gens of the Calf Goddess, also called the Síl Lugdach meic Itha, were a kingdom centered in West County Cork who descended from the proto-historical rulers of Munster, the Dáirine, of whom they were the principal royal sept...
, were the proto-historical rulers of Munster
Munster
Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...
before the rise of the Eóganachta
Eóganachta
The Eóganachta or Eoghanachta were an Irish dynasty centred around Cashel which dominated southern Ireland from the 6/7th to the 10th centuries, and following that, in a restricted form, the Kingdom of Desmond, and its offshoot Carbery, well into the 16th century...
in the 7th century AD. They appear to have derived from the Darini
Darini
The Darini were a people of ancient Ireland mentioned in Ptolemy's 2nd century Geography as living in south Antrim and north Down...
of Ptolemy
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
and to have been related to the Ulaid
Ulaid
The Ulaid or Ulaidh were a people of early Ireland who gave their name to the modern province of Ulster...
and Dál Riata
Dál Riata
Dál Riata was a Gaelic overkingdom on the western coast of Scotland with some territory on the northeast coast of Ireland...
of Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. In support of this, their ancestors appear frequently in the Ulster Cycle
Ulster Cycle
The Ulster Cycle , formerly known as the Red Branch Cycle, one of the four great cycles of Irish mythology, is a body of medieval Irish heroic legends and sagas of the traditional heroes of the Ulaid in what is now eastern Ulster and northern Leinster, particularly counties Armagh, Down and...
, where they are known as the Clanna Dedad, and are the killers of Cú Chulainn
Cú Chulainn
Cú Chulainn or Cúchulainn , and sometimes known in English as Cuhullin , is an Irish mythological hero who appears in the stories of the Ulster Cycle, as well as in Scottish and Manx folklore...
. All are considered Érainn (see also O'Rahilly's historical model
O'Rahilly's historical model
O'Rahilly's historical model is a theory of Irish prehistory put forward by Celtic scholar T. F. O'Rahilly in 1946. It was based on his study of the influences on the Irish language and a critical analysis of Irish mythology....
). In historical times the Dáirine were represented, as stated, by the Corcu Loígde
Corcu Loígde
The Corcu Loígde , meaning Gens of the Calf Goddess, also called the Síl Lugdach meic Itha, were a kingdom centered in West County Cork who descended from the proto-historical rulers of Munster, the Dáirine, of whom they were the principal royal sept...
, and probably by the Uí Fidgenti
Uí Fidgenti
The Uí Fidgenti or Wood-Sprung People were an early kingdom of northern Munster, situated mostly in modern County Limerick, but extending into County Clare and County Tipperary, and possibly even County Kerry and County Cork, at maximum extents, which varied over time...
and Uí Liatháin
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...
, as well as a few other early historical kindreds of both Munster and Ulster. In ancient genealogical schemes, the historical Dál Fiatach
Dál Fiatach
The Dál Fiatach were a group of related dynasties located in eastern Ulster in the Early Christian and Early Medieval periods of the history of Ireland.-Description:...
of Ulaid also belong to the Dáirine (Clanna Dedad).
Dáirine can sometimes refer to the Érainn dynasties as a whole instead of the distinct royal septs mentioned above.
The Dáirine of Munster were said to descend from a certain Dáire (*Dārios), both Dáire Doimthech
Dáire Doimthech
Dáire Doimthech, alias Dáire Sírchréchtach, son of Sithbolg, was a legendary King of Tara and High King of Ireland, and eponymous ancestor of the proto-historical Dáirine and historical Corcu Loígde of Munster. A son of his was Lugaid Loígde , an ancestor of Lugaid Mac Con...
(Sírchrechtach), ancestor of the Corcu Loígde, and from Dáire mac Dedad
Dáire mac Dedad
Dáire mac Dedad is the eponymous ancestor of the Dáirine of Munster and father of the legendary Cú Roí mac Dáire. These further associate him with the prehistoric Darini of Ulster. He is probably identical with Dáire Doimthech , an ancestor of the Corcu Loígde...
, father of Cú Roí
Cú Roí
Cú Roí mac Dáire is a king of Munster in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He is usually portrayed as a warrior with superhuman abilities and a master of disguise possessed of magical powers. His name probably means "hound of the plain/field", or more specifically, "hound of the battlefield"...
. The two are quite probably identical. 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 Dedu mac Sin.
Legendary figures belonging to the Dáirine, descendants (and family) of Dáire mac Dedad
Dáire mac Dedad
Dáire mac Dedad is the eponymous ancestor of the Dáirine of Munster and father of the legendary Cú Roí mac Dáire. These further associate him with the prehistoric Darini of Ulster. He is probably identical with Dáire Doimthech , an ancestor of the Corcu Loígde...
/ Dáire Doimthech
Dáire Doimthech
Dáire Doimthech, alias Dáire Sírchréchtach, son of Sithbolg, was a legendary King of Tara and High King of Ireland, and eponymous ancestor of the proto-historical Dáirine and historical Corcu Loígde of Munster. A son of his was Lugaid Loígde , an ancestor of Lugaid Mac Con...
, include:
- Cú Roí mac Dáire
- Lugaid mac Con RoíLugaid mac Con RoíIn the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, Lugaid mac Con Roí was the son of Cú Roí mac Dáire. He was also known as Lugaid mac Trí Con ....
- Conganchnes mac DedadConganchnes mac DedadConganchnes mac Dedad is a hero mentioned in the legend of the death of Celtchar mac Uthechair; he does not, however, kill him, but is killed himself...
- Fiatach FinnFiatach FinnFiatach Finn mac Dáire, a distant descedant of Óengus Tuirmech Temrach, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a king of the Ulaid, later a High King of Ireland, and the eponymous ancestor of the early Medieval Ulster dynasty of the Dál Fiatach...
- Lugaid LoígdeLugaid LoígdeLugaid Loídge "Lugaid of the 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, a quo the Dáirine, and gives his epithet to their principal royal sept, the Corcu Loígde...
- Rechtaid RígdergRechtaid RígdergRechtaid Rígderg , son of Lugaid Laigdech, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. He took power after killing Macha Mong Ruad, daughter of his father's killer, Áed Rúad. He ruled for twenty years, until he was killed by Úgaine Mór, foster-son of...
- Mac Con
- Fothad Cairpthech and Fothad Airgthech
- Eochaid ÉtgudachEochaid ÉtgudachEochaid or Eochu Étgudach or Etgedach son of Dáire Doimthech, a descendant of Lugaid mac Ítha, nephew of Míl Espáine, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland...
- Óengus BolgÓengus BolgÓengus Bolg, son of Lugaid, son of Mac Nia, son of Mac Con, son of Lugaid Loígde, son of Dáire Doimthech, was a king of the Corcu Loígde, and an ancestor of the Eóganachta "inner circle" through his daughter Aimend, married to Conall Corc...
- AimendAimendIn Irish mythology and genealogy, Aimend is the daughter of Óengus Bolg, king of the Dáirine or Corcu Loígde. She marries Conall Corc, founder of the Eóganachta dynasties, and through him is an ancestor of the "inner circle" septs of Eóganacht Chaisil, Eóganacht Glendamnach, and Eóganacht Áine, who...
Notable is that the Dáirine were greatly renowned as a warlike military caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
, in contrast to their agricultural and relatively peaceful successors. According to the Táin Bó Flidais
Flidais
Flidais is a female mythological figure in early Irish literature, including the Lebor Gabála Érenn, the Metrical Dindsenchas and the Ulster Cycle...
, the Clanna Dedad were one of the three warrior-races (laech-aicmi) of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, the others being the Clanna Rudraige (their Ulaid cousins), and the Gamanrad of Irrus Domnann, who were related to the Laigin
Laigin
The Laigin, modern spelling Laighin , were a population group of early Ireland who gave their name to the province of Leinster...
.
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
Sept (social)
A sept is an English word for a division of a family, especially a division of a clan. The word might have its origin from Latin saeptum "enclosure, fold", or it can be an alteration of sect.The term is found in both Ireland and Scotland...
of princely origins in Munster are O'Driscoll
Driscoll (surname)
Driscoll is one derivation of the Irish Gaelic surname O'Driscoll. The Irish for O'Driscoll is Ó hEidirsceoil. It originates from Cork in the province of Munster where the O'Driscolls were, in ancient times, a powerful clan. They descend from an early High King of Ireland known as Lugaid mac Con...
, O'Leary
O'Leary
O'Leary is an Irish name, an anglicized version of the original Gaelic patronym Ó Laoghaire or Ó Laoire.The Uí Laoghaire clan, today associated with the Uibh Laoghaire parish in County Cork, is considered by scholars to have originated on the south-west coast, in the area of Ros Ó gCairbre , of...
, Coffey, Hennessy and Flynn
Flynn
Flynn is a surname of Irish origin it is an Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Floinn "descendant of Flann", a byname meaning "red", "ruddy". The name originated in the landlocked county of Laois in the mid-1300s by a large farming family. The name was almost wiped out from both plague and famine,...
, all descendants of Lugaid Mac Con. In Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
the Dál Fiatach septs are Haughey/Hoey and Donlevy/Dunleavy.
The semi-historical Mongfind
Mongfind
Queen Mongfind was the wife, of apparent Munster origins, of the legendary Irish High King Eochaid Mugmedón and mother of his eldest three sons, Brion, Ailill and Fiachrae, ancestors of the historical Connachta, through whom she is an ancestor of many Irish and European nobility today...
and Crimthann mac Fidaig
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 that he was also recognized as king of Scotland or Alba...
may have derived from peripheral septs of the Dáirine, but this cannot be proved.
In the Ulster Cycle
- Fled BricrennFled BricrennFled Bricrenn 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 house at Dún Rudraige , where he incites three heroes, Cúchulainn, Conall Cernach, and Lóegaire Búadach, to compete for the "champion's...
- Mesca UladMesca UladMesca Ulad is a narrative from the Ulster Cycle preserved in the 12th century manuscripts the Book of Leinster and in the Lebor na hUidre. The title Mesca Ulad occurs only in the Book of Leinster version.-Manuscript sources:*Book of Leinster : p 261b-268b . Second part missing...
- Táin Bó CúailngeTáin Bó Cúailngeis a legendary tale from early Irish literature, often considered an epic, although it is written primarily in prose rather than verse. It tells of a war against Ulster by the Connacht queen Medb and her husband Ailill, who intend to steal the stud bull Donn Cuailnge, opposed only by the teenage...
- Táin Bó FlidhaisTáin Bó FlidhaisTáin Bó Flidhais, also known as the Mayo Táin, is a tale from the Ulster Cycle of early Irish literature. It is one of a group of works known as Táin Bó, or "cattle raid" stories, the best known of which is Táin Bó Cúailnge...
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, ThomasThomas KinsellaThomas Kinsella is an Irish poet, translator, editor, and publisher.-Early life and work:Kinsella was born in Lucan, County Dublin. He spent much of his childhood with relatives in rural Ireland. He was educated in the Irish language at the Model School, Inchicore and the O'Connell Christian...
(tr.), The Tain. Oxford. 1969.