Uí Liatháin
Encyclopedia
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
(incidentally). The two have been given various origins among both the early or proto-Eóganachta
and among the Érainn or Dáirine
by different scholars working in a number of traditions, with no agreement ever reached or appearing reachable. It is entirely possible that they were the product of a combination of lineages from both these royal kindreds, or alternatively of another origin entirely.
Eochu Liathán ("Eochu the Grey"), son of Dáire Cerbba, is the eponymous ancestor of the Uí Liatháin.
The small village of Castlelyons
(Caisleán Ó Liatháin) in East County Cork
preserves the name of one of their last royal seats in the High Middle Ages
.
Uí Meic Caille (including Uí Anmchada) and Uí Thassaig, later known as Uí Meic Tire, were the two most powerful septs of the Uí Liatháin.
sources, respectively the Sanas Cormaic
and Historia Brittonum, to have had colonies in Wales
and Cornwall
. According to the Historia Brittonum they were driven out of North Wales
by Cunedda
and his sons.
Alongside the Uí Liatháin in this region of Britain were a significant force of the so-called Déisi
, whose story is told in the famous Expulsion of the Déisi already mentioned above, as well as a smaller population of the Laigin
. Neither are specifically connected to the Uí Liatháin, or connected to each other, in any of the Irish sources, but collaboration can certainly not be ruled out, especially in matters relating to trade, including the slave trade. The Déisi Muman lived adjacent to them in the neighboring County Waterford
and the Laigin could be found not much farther east in the Kingdom of Leinster
.
The Uí Liatháin can, however, be associated easily with their apparent relation Crimthann mac Fidaig
, the legendary King of Munster and dominant High King of Ireland
of the 4th century. They are mentioned not only in the same passage in the Sanas Cormaic, but are close relations in all the earliest genealogical manuscripts.
In a 1926 paper, Eoin MacNeill
discusses the movements of the Uí Liatháin at considerable length, arguing their leadership in the South Irish conquests and founding of the later dynasty of Brycheiniog
, figures in the Welsh genealogies matching Uí Liatháin dynasts in the Irish genealogies. He argues any possible settlement of the Déisi would have been subordinate until the ousting of the Uí Liatháin by the sons of Cunedda. The founder of Brycheiniog, Brychan
, is in all probability the early dynast Macc Brocc (for whom see below), while the name Braccan also occurs early in the pedigrees of the Uí Fidgenti and Uí Dedaid, close kindred of the Uí Liatháin. MacNeill further associates this with the sovereignty in Ireland and conquests in Britain of their cousin germane, the monarch Crimthann mac Fidaig.
was the queen of Lóegaire mac Néill
, High King of Ireland
, and mother of Lugaid mac Lóegairi, who later became High King himself despite the initial wishes of Saint Patrick
, thanks to Angias' beseeching the saint. She and Bressal were children of (Ailill) Tassach, son of Eochu Liathán.
Ruithchern, daughter of the King of Iarmuman
(and possibly Munster), Áed Bennán mac Crimthainn
, and sister of Mór Muman
, was taken captive by the Uí Liatháin and forced to herd sheep.
At the Battle of Carn Conaill, the Uí Liatháin are listed among the Munster allies of Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin
, a mention dismissed by Byrne, but discussed at length by Seán Ó Coileáin, who relates it to the cycle of Mór Muman and Ruithchern.
Both the mother, Gormgel, and celebrated wife, Caillech, of the infamous Cathal mac Finguine
, King of Munster and King of Tara, were from the Uí Liatháin.
by John of England
in 1206, although the Uí Meic Tire persisted in a southern outpost for a few decades following.
Dáire Cerbba
/ Maine Munchaín
|
|___________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | | |
| | | | |
Fidach Fiachu Fidgenid Eochu Liathán Uí Duach Argetrois Uí Dedaid
| |
|__________________________ |___________________________
| | |
| | |
Crimthann mac Fidaig
Mongfind
= Eochaid Mugmedón
= Cairenn
Ailill Tassach
| | |
| | |
Connachta
Niall Noígíallach |
| _________|
| | |
Lóegaire mac Néill
= Angias
Bressal mac Ailello
|
|
Lugaid mac Lóegairi
, took their name from Meic Caille, son of Meic Brócc, son of Eochu Liathán.
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...
in southern 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...
. They belonged the same kindred as 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 the two are considered together in the earliest sources, for example The Expulsion of the Déisi
The Expulsion of the Déisi
The Expulsion of the Déisi is a medieval Irish narrative of the Cycles of the Kings. It dates approximately to the 8th century, but survives only in manuscripts of a much later date. It describes the fictional history of the Déisi, a group that had gained political power in parts of Ireland during...
(incidentally). The two have been given various origins among both the early or proto-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...
and among the Érainn or Dáirine
Dáirine
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...
by different scholars working in a number of traditions, with no agreement ever reached or appearing reachable. It is entirely possible that they were the product of a combination of lineages from both these royal kindreds, or alternatively of another origin entirely.
Eochu Liathán ("Eochu the Grey"), son of Dáire Cerbba, is the eponymous ancestor of the Uí Liatháin.
The small village of Castlelyons
Castlelyons
Castlelyons is a small village in East County Cork in the Province of Munster in Ireland. It is situated south of Fermoy. In the 2002 census it recorded a population of 211....
(Caisleán Ó Liatháin) in East County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
preserves the name of one of their last royal seats in the High Middle Ages
High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages was the period of European history around the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries . The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which by convention end around 1500....
.
Uí Meic Caille (including Uí Anmchada) and Uí Thassaig, later known as Uí Meic Tire, were the two most powerful septs of the Uí Liatháin.
Career in Britain
The Uí Liatháin are known from both Irish and BritishGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
sources, respectively the Sanas Cormaic
Sanas Cormaic
Sanas Cormaic , also known as Cormac's Glossary, is an early Irish glossary containing etymologies and explanations of over 1,400 Irish words, many of which are difficult or outdated. The shortest and earliest version of the work is ascribed to Cormac mac Cuilennáin , king-bishop of Munster...
and Historia Brittonum, to have had colonies in 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...
and Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
. According to the Historia Brittonum they were driven out of North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
by Cunedda
Cunedda
Cunedda ap Edern , was an important early Welsh leader, and the progenitor of the royal dynasty of Gwynedd.-Background and life:The name Cunedda derives from the Brythonic word , meaning good hound. His genealogy is traced back to Padarn Beisrudd, which literally translates as Paternus of the...
and his sons.
Alongside the Uí Liatháin in this region of Britain were a significant force of the so-called Déisi
Déisi
The Déisi were a class of peoples in ancient and medieval Ireland. The term is Old Irish, and derives from the word déis, meaning "vassal" or "subject"; in its original sense, it designated groups who were vassals or rent-payers to a landowner. Later, it became a proper name for certain septs and...
, whose story is told in the famous Expulsion of the Déisi already mentioned above, as well as a smaller population of the Laigin
Laigin
The Laigin, modern spelling Laighin , were a population group of early Ireland who gave their name to the province of Leinster...
. Neither are specifically connected to the Uí Liatháin, or connected to each other, in any of the Irish sources, but collaboration can certainly not be ruled out, especially in matters relating to trade, including the slave trade. The Déisi Muman lived adjacent to them in the neighboring County Waterford
County Waterford
*Abbeyside, Affane, Aglish, Annestown, An Rinn, Ardmore*Ballinacourty, Ballinameela, Ballinamult, Ballinroad, Ballybeg, Ballybricken, Ballyduff Lower, Ballyduff Upper, Ballydurn, Ballygunner, Ballylaneen, Ballymacarbry, Ballymacart, Ballynaneashagh, Ballysaggart, Ballytruckle, Bilberry, Bunmahon,...
and the Laigin could be found not much farther east in the Kingdom of Leinster
Leinster
Leinster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the east of Ireland. It comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Mide, Osraige and Leinster. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the historic fifths of Leinster and Mide gradually merged, mainly due to the impact of the Pale, which straddled...
.
The Uí Liatháin can, however, be associated easily with their apparent relation 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...
, the legendary King of Munster and dominant High King of Ireland
High King of Ireland
The High Kings of Ireland were sometimes historical and sometimes legendary figures who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over the whole of Ireland. Medieval and early modern Irish literature portrays an almost unbroken sequence of High Kings, ruling from Tara over a hierarchy of...
of the 4th century. They are mentioned not only in the same passage in the Sanas Cormaic, but are close relations in all the earliest genealogical manuscripts.
In a 1926 paper, Eoin MacNeill
Eoin MacNeill
Eoin MacNeill was an Irish scholar, nationalist, revolutionary and politician. MacNeill is regarded as the father of the modern study of early Irish medieval history. He was a co-founder of the Gaelic League, to preserve Irish language and culture, going on to establish the Irish Volunteers...
discusses the movements of the Uí Liatháin at considerable length, arguing their leadership in the South Irish conquests and founding of the later dynasty of Brycheiniog
Brycheiniog
Brycheiniog was a small independent petty kingdom in South Wales in the Early Middle Ages. It often acted as a buffer state between England to the east and the powerful south Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth to the west. It was conquered and pacified by the Normans between 1088 and 1095, though it...
, figures in the Welsh genealogies matching Uí Liatháin dynasts in the Irish genealogies. He argues any possible settlement of the Déisi would have been subordinate until the ousting of the Uí Liatháin by the sons of Cunedda. The founder of Brycheiniog, Brychan
Brychan
Brychan Brycheiniog was a legendary 5th-century king of Brycheiniog in South Wales.-Life:Celtic hagiography tells us that Brychan was born in Ireland, the son of a Prince Anlach, son of Coronac, and his wife, Marchel, heiress of the Welsh kingdom of Garthmadrun , which the couple later inherited...
, is in all probability the early dynast Macc Brocc (for whom see below), while the name Braccan also occurs early in the pedigrees of the Uí Fidgenti and Uí Dedaid, close kindred of the Uí Liatháin. MacNeill further associates this with the sovereignty in Ireland and conquests in Britain of their cousin germane, the monarch Crimthann mac Fidaig.
Relations
Bressal mac Ailello Thassaig was an early king of Munster according to one source. His sister AngiasAngias
Angias or Angas, daughter of Ailill Tassach, son of Eochu Liathán, was the wife of Lóegaire mac Néill, High King of Ireland, and mother of Lugaid mac Lóegairi, who later became High King.Her brother was Bressal mac Ailello, a possible King of Munster...
was the queen of Lóegaire mac Néill
Lóegaire mac Néill
Lóegaire , also Lóeguire, is said to have been a son of Niall of the Nine Hostages. The Irish annals and king lists include him as a King of Tara or High King of Ireland. He appears as an adversary of Saint Patrick in several hagiographies...
, High King of Ireland
High King of Ireland
The High Kings of Ireland were sometimes historical and sometimes legendary figures who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over the whole of Ireland. Medieval and early modern Irish literature portrays an almost unbroken sequence of High Kings, ruling from Tara over a hierarchy of...
, and mother of Lugaid mac Lóegairi, who later became High King himself despite the initial wishes of Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick was a Romano-Briton and Christian missionary, who is the most generally recognized patron saint of Ireland or the Apostle of Ireland, although Brigid of Kildare and Colmcille are also formally patron saints....
, thanks to Angias' beseeching the saint. She and Bressal were children of (Ailill) Tassach, son of Eochu Liathán.
Ruithchern, daughter of the King of Iarmuman
Iarmuman
Iarmhumhain was a Kingdom in the early Christian period of Ireland in west Munster. Its ruling dynasty was related to the main ruling dynasty of Munster known as the Eóganachta. Its ruling branch was called the Eóganacht Locha Léin or Ui Chairpri Lúachra. Their center was around Killarney, County...
(and possibly Munster), Áed Bennán mac Crimthainn
Áed Bennán mac Crimthainn
Áed Bennán mac Crimthainn was a possible King of Munster from the Eóganacht Locha Léin branch of the Eoganachta. He was definitely king of West Munster or Iarmuman. He was the great grandson of Dauí Iarlaithe mac Maithni also a possible king of Munster from this branchThere is some dispute in the...
, and sister of Mór Muman
Mór Muman
Mór Muman , also written Mór Mumhan or Mór Mumain, is stated to have been a daughter of Áed Bennán, sometime King of Munster, but may in fact represent a euhemerised sovereignty goddess, particularly associated with the Eóganachta.The Irish language tale Mór Muman 7 Aided Cuanach meic Ailchine Mór...
, was taken captive by the Uí Liatháin and forced to herd sheep.
At the Battle of Carn Conaill, the Uí Liatháin are listed among the Munster allies of Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin
Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin
Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin was a king of Connacht. A member of the Ui Fiachrach Aidhne and son of king Colmán mac Cobthaig . Guiare ruled at the height of Ui Fiachrach Aidne power in south Connacht.-Early reign:...
, a mention dismissed by Byrne, but discussed at length by Seán Ó Coileáin, who relates it to the cycle of Mór Muman and Ruithchern.
Both the mother, Gormgel, and celebrated wife, Caillech, of the infamous Cathal mac Finguine
Cathal mac Finguine
Cathal mac Finguine was an Irish King of Munster or Cashel, and effectively High King of Ireland as well. He belonged to the Eóganacht Glendamnach sept of the dominant Eóganachta kin-group whose members dominated Munster from the 7th century to the 10th...
, King of Munster and King of Tara, were from the Uí Liatháin.
Later centuries
A substantial part of the recently defunct kingdom was granted to the De Barry familyDe Barry Family
The de Barry family is an ancient family of Cambro-Norman origins which once had extensive land holdings in Wales and County Cork, Ireland. The founder of the family was a knight who assited in the Norman Conquest of England and Wales during the 11th century...
by John of England
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
in 1206, although the Uí Meic Tire persisted in a southern outpost for a few decades following.
Pedigree (illustrative)
Based on Rawlinson B 502 and the Vita tripartita Sancti PatriciiVita tripartita Sancti Patricii
The Vita tripartita Sancti Patricii is a bilingual Life of Patrick, written partly in Irish and in parts in Latin from the late 9th century. It is the earliest example of a saint's Life written in the Irish language and it was meant to be read in three parts over the three days of the saint's...
Dáire Cerbba
Dáire Cerbba
Dáire Cerbba was an Irish dynast of uncertain origins, named in many early and late sources as the grandfather of the semi-mythological Mongfind and Crimthann mac Fidaig, and the most frequently named early ancestor of the historical Uí Liatháin and Uí Fidgenti...
/ Maine Munchaín
|
|___________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | | |
| | | | |
Fidach Fiachu Fidgenid Eochu Liathán Uí Duach Argetrois Uí Dedaid
| |
|__________________________ |___________________________
| | |
| | |
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...
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...
= Eochaid Mugmedón
Eochaid Mugmedon
-Biography:According to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, Eochaid was a High King of Ireland, best known as the father of Niall of the Nine Hostages and ancestor of the Uí Néill and Connachta dynasties...
= Cairenn
Cairenn
Cairenn Chasdub; Caireann was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, the daughter of Sachell Balb, king of the Saxons, the second wife of the Irish High King Eochaid Mugmedón, and the mother of Niall of the Nine Hostages.When she was pregnant with Niall, Eochaid's first wife...
Ailill Tassach
| | |
| | |
Connachta
Connachta
The Connachta are a group of medieval Irish dynasties who claimed descent from the legendary High King Conn Cétchathach...
Niall Noígíallach |
| _________|
| | |
Lóegaire mac Néill
Lóegaire mac Néill
Lóegaire , also Lóeguire, is said to have been a son of Niall of the Nine Hostages. The Irish annals and king lists include him as a King of Tara or High King of Ireland. He appears as an adversary of Saint Patrick in several hagiographies...
= Angias
Angias
Angias or Angas, daughter of Ailill Tassach, son of Eochu Liathán, was the wife of Lóegaire mac Néill, High King of Ireland, and mother of Lugaid mac Lóegairi, who later became High King.Her brother was Bressal mac Ailello, a possible King of Munster...
Bressal mac Ailello
|
|
Lugaid mac Lóegairi
Uí Meic Caille
The Uí Meic Caille (Uí Maic Caille), who gave their name to the Barony of ImokillyCastlemartyr
Castlemartyr is a village in east County Cork, Ireland. It is located 25 minutes east of Cork city, 10 km east of Midleton, 16 km west of Youghal and 6 km from the coast...
, took their name from Meic Caille, son of Meic Brócc, son of Eochu Liathán.
- Uí Anmchada ( Lane, LyonsLyons (surname)Lyons is a surname with a variety of origins, from England, Ireland, Scotland, or perhaps France. The English surname Lyons can be traced back to the Norman French, when it was introduced after the Norman Conquest in 1066...
, LehaneLehaneLehane is an uncommon Irish surname, typically from County Cork. Ó Liatháin is more frequently anglicized as Lane or Lyons.Most people with this surname derive from the ancient Munster kingdom of Uí Liatháin, which was powerful in the early to mid 1st millennium, and one of the few important Irish...
) - Uí Glaissín (Glashan, GleasonGleason (surname)Gleason is an Irish surname most common in County Tipperary but originating in East County Cork, in the once powerful Uí Liatháin kingdom, where the Gleasons were great lords and sometimes kings...
, GleesonGleeson (surname)Gleeson is an Irish surname. It is an anglicisation of the Irish name Ó Glasáin or Ó Gliasáin. The name is most common in County Tipperary but originates in East County Cork, in the once powerful Uí Liatháin kingdom, where the Gleesons were great lords and sometimes kings.Persons:*Brendan Gleeson ,...
) - Uí Charráin (Ó Corráin, CurranCurranCurran is an Irish and also a Scottish surname. The name derives from the 10th century Olde Gaelic name O'Corraidhin, meaning "the male descendant of Corraidhin" a personal name which comes from "corradh", a spear....
)
Uí Thassaig
These were the descendants of the aforementioned Ailill Tassach, son of Eochu Liatháin.- Uí Meic Tire (Ó Mic Thíre, Mictyre, MacTyre, MacTire, WolfeWolfe (surname)Wolfe is a surname. It might refer to:Alternate spellings include Wolf, Wolff, Wulf and Woolf.- A :* Alan Wolfe, political scientist and a sociologist* Allison Wolfe, singer* Andy Wolfe, American college basketball player* Ann Wolfe, boxer...
, Woulfe)
External links
- Mumu at www.rootsweb.ancestry.com