Ruaidhri Ó Flaithbheartaigh
Encyclopedia
Ruaidhri Ó Flaithbheartaigh, King of Iar Connacht
and Chief of the Name, fl. 1244-1273.
(reigned 1233-1256), on an expedition to Wales
in 1245 under Henry III
.
It is not known when Ruaidhri became chief, so it is not certain if an annals entry of 1248 refers to him. It states "The entire of Conmaicne Mara
was plundered by the English. The English went upon an expedition against O'Flaherty, who defeated them, and killed numbers of them." A entry of 1256 - "Mac William Burke set out on a predatory expedition against Rory O'Flaherty; he plundered Gno-More and Gno-Beg, and took possession of all Lough Oirbsion (Lough Corrib
)" - leaves no doubt that by then he ruled the area.
It is not known when he ceased to be chief. The annals for 1273 state that "Roderic O'Flaherty was banished from West Connaught", but not by whom, or under what circumstances. James Hardiman
says of him:
These years also marked the final eradication of any authority the Ó Flaithbheartaigh had over their original homeland of Uí Briúin Seóla. The rest of their history as an independent people would be as rulers of Iar Connacht
, or as it is now known, Connemara
. Hardiman goes on to say:
Iar Connacht
Iar Chonnachta , was a region covering all of County Galway west of the river Corrib and Lough Corrib; Maigh Seola; and part of the barony of Ross in County Mayo.-Description:The area of Co...
and Chief of the Name, fl. 1244-1273.
Biography
Ruaidhri was a brother of the preceding chief, Morogh. Ruaidhri and his brother may have accompanied Felim mac Cathal Crobderg Ua ConchobairFelim mac Cathal Crobderg Ua Conchobair
Feidlim Ua Conchobair was a King of Connacht in Ireland.A daughter, Fionnuala Ní Conchobair died in 1301 as abbess of Kilcreevanty, Clonfert.-References:...
(reigned 1233-1256), on an expedition to Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
in 1245 under Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
.
It is not known when Ruaidhri became chief, so it is not certain if an annals entry of 1248 refers to him. It states "The entire of Conmaicne Mara
Conmaicne Mara
The Conmhaícne were an ancient tribal grouping that were divided into a number of distinct branches that were found scattered around Ireland in the early medieval period...
was plundered by the English. The English went upon an expedition against O'Flaherty, who defeated them, and killed numbers of them." A entry of 1256 - "Mac William Burke set out on a predatory expedition against Rory O'Flaherty; he plundered Gno-More and Gno-Beg, and took possession of all Lough Oirbsion (Lough Corrib
Lough Corrib
Lough Corrib is a lake in the west of Ireland. The River Corrib or Galway river connects the lake to the sea at Galway. It is the second largest lough in Ireland . It covers 178 km² and lies mostly in County Galway with a small area of its northeast corner in County Mayo.The first canal in...
)" - leaves no doubt that by then he ruled the area.
It is not known when he ceased to be chief. The annals for 1273 state that "Roderic O'Flaherty was banished from West Connaught", but not by whom, or under what circumstances. James Hardiman
James Hardiman
James Hardiman , also known as Séamus Ó hArgadáin, was a librarian at Queen's College, Galway. The university library now bears his name...
says of him:
he found, by experience, that it was safer to rely on the battle-axes of his bold Galloglas (GallowglassGallowglassThe gallowglass or galloglass – from , gallóglach – were an elite class of mercenary warrior who came from Norse-Gaelic clans in the Hebrides and Highlands of Scotland between the mid 13th century and late 16th century...
) than on appeals to the sovereign against Anglo-Norman outrage in Ireland. In his time the Joyces, a family of British extraction, settled in the northern part of the territory, by the permission and under the protection of the O'Flaherties.
These years also marked the final eradication of any authority the Ó Flaithbheartaigh had over their original homeland of Uí Briúin Seóla. The rest of their history as an independent people would be as rulers of Iar Connacht
Iar Connacht
Iar Chonnachta , was a region covering all of County Galway west of the river Corrib and Lough Corrib; Maigh Seola; and part of the barony of Ross in County Mayo.-Description:The area of Co...
, or as it is now known, Connemara
Connemara
Connemara is a district in the west of Ireland consisting of a broad peninsula between Killary Harbour and Kilkieran Bay in the west of County Galway.-Overview:...
. Hardiman goes on to say:
Before the close of the thirteenth century, the O'Flaherties became masters of the entire territory of Iar-Connacht, extending from the western banks of Lough Orbsen, to the shores of the Atlantic. Separated from the rest of the kingdom, in that peninsulated, and then almost inaccessible district, they interfered but little in the external transactions of the province, and are, therefore, but seldom noted in our Annals for the two succeeding centuries.