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Brian Bóruma mac Cennetig


Preferred Parents:
Father: Cennétig mac Lorcáin of Tuadmumu, b. ABT 896 in Kincora, Munster, Ireland   d. 951 in Limerick, County Limerick, Ireland
Mother: Bé Binn Inion Urchadh, b. 900 in Thomond, County Clare, Ireland   d. ABT 952 in Boruma, Munster,Thomond, Ireland

Family 1: Echrad Ingen Carlusa,    b. ABT 947 in Munster, Ireland    d. 1009 in Ireland
  1. Slani ingen Brian, b. 973 in Munster, Ireland     d. 7 MAR 1037 in Leinster, Ireland
  2. Tadg Ban O'Brien, b. ABT 984 in Killaloe, County Clare, Ireland     d. ABT 1022 in Munster, Ireland
Family 2: Mór mac Flann Uí Fiachrach Aidhne,    b. ABT 941 in Ui Fhiachrach Aidhne, County Galway, Ireland   
Family 3: Dubhcobhla Ni Connor Connaught ,      
Family 4: Gormflaeth ingen Murchada ,    b. 950 in Naas, County Kildare, Ireland    d. 1030 in Ireland
Family 5: Dub Chablaigh Ingen Cathal,    b. ABT 970 in Kincora, Munster, Ireland    d. 1009 in Ireland
Family 6: Mór O Mulloy ingen Gilla Brigte ,    b. in Munster, Ireland    d. 1018 in Ireland
Family 7: Mór (Eachraidh) nic Eidigean,    b. 950 in Ireland    d. 980
Family 8: Gormflath MacFinn of Neas,    b. 940    d. 1023
Family 9: Gormflaith ingen Murchad mac Finn,    b. 4 JUN 960 in Naas, County Kildare, Ireland    d. 1 MAR 1030 in Munster, Ireland
  1. Donnchad Mac Brian King Of Munster, b. ABT 975 in Leinster, Ireland     d. 1064 in Rome, Lazio, Italy
Family 10: Eachraid Ui Naill Of Meath,    b. 950    d. 980
  1. Slani ingen Brian, b. 973 in Munster, Ireland     d. 7 MAR 1037 in Leinster, Ireland
Sources:
  1. Title: Dictionary of Irish Biography
    Author: Sources John Ryan, ‘Brian Boruma, king of Ireland’, Etienne Rynne (ed.), North Munster studies: essays in commemoration of Monsignor Michael Moloney (1967), 355–74; Donnchadh Ó Corráin, ‘Dál Cais – church and dynasty’, Ériu, xxiv (1973), 52–63; Aubrey Gwynn, ‘Brian in Armagh (1005)’, Seanchas Ard Mhacha ix:1 (1978), 35–50; Colmán Etchingham, ‘North Wales, Ireland and the Isles: the Insular Viking zone’, Peritia, xv (2001), 145–87; Ailbhe Mac Shamhráin, ‘The battle of Glenn Máma, Dublin and the high-kinghip of Ireland: a millennial commemoration’, Seán Duffy (ed.), Medieval Dublin II: Proceedings of the Friends of Medieval Dublin Symposium 2000 (2001), 53–64; Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Brian Boru: Ireland's greatest king? (2007)
    Publication: Name: https://www.dib.ie/biography/brian-borama-boruma-boru-a0954;
    Note: Brian Bórama (Bóruma, Boru) (d. 1014), high-king of Ireland, was born towards the middle of the tenth century. The surviving sources record the event under the year 941, but may have done so retrospectively in recognition of the fame he acquired relatively quickly in death. His epithet ‘Bórama’ (‘Bóruma’, ‘Boru’) was also acquired posthumously and refers to Béal Bórama, just north of Killaloe, the heart of his home territory. In a poem attributed to the eleventh-century poet, Cúán Ua Lothcháin (qv), he is termed Brian na Banba a Bórumi (Brian of Ireland from Bórama). Growth of the Dál Cais dynasty Brian's dynasty, Dál Cais, had only become a dominant political force in the time of his immediate ancestors, his father, Cennétig (qv), being described in the Annals of Inisfallen as rígdamna Cassil (heir-apparent of Cashel) on his death in 951. His son Mathgamain (qv), Brian's older brother, succeeded to the kingship of Cashel and thus Munster, and it was on his murder in 976 that Brian assumed the mantle of power. His fame soon eclipsed that of his older sibling and his greater importance relative to Mathgamain is indicated by his position in the genealogies as the first of Cennétig's five sons who left descendants after them. According to the same source, Brian's mother was the daughter of a king of western Connacht, Urchad son of Murchad; her name is recorded in the Middle Irish text, Banshenchas (women-lore), as Bébinn. Brian is recorded as having six sons, three of whom had offspring themselves, Tadc, Donnchad (qv) and Domnall, and three of whom had none, Murchad, Conchobar and Flann (though Murchad had at least one son, Tairdelbach, who was killed alongside his father and grandfather at the battle of Clontarf). This second trio is described in genealogical material as sons of the daughter of Eiden son of Cléirech and the Banshenchas confirms that Brian's first wife was indeed a daughter of Eiden, king of the southern Connacht territory of Uí Fhiachrach Aidne. Of Brian's other sons, Donnchad was the son of Gormlaith (qv), daughter of the king of Leinster, Murchad son of Finn, whose relationship with Brian is deemed to have been both tempestuous and hostile in twelfth- and thirteenth-century literary narratives in Irish and Norse. Brian's relationship with her can perhaps be dated to the 980s or 990s and may be associated with his attempts to extend his sway in Leinster. His later alliance with Echrad, daughter of Carlus son of Ailill, mother of his son Tadc, may also have been politically motivated. Since she belonged to the little known dynasty of Uí Áeda Odba in the region of the Southern Uí Néill, Brian's marriage to her gave him a foothold within the territory of his greatest rival, Máel-Sechnaill (qv) son of Domnall Donn (qv), strategically close to the important centre of Dublin, as has been noted by John Ryan (1894–1973) and Ailbhe Mac Shamhráin. History accords Echrad an even greater significance: as ancestor of Brian's grandson, Tairdelbach Ua Briain (qv) (son of Tadc), and great-grandson, Muirchertach Ua Briain (qv), she was the progenitor of the Uí Briain ruling line. No record has survived of any children Brian may have had with his fourth wife, Dub Choblaig, daughter of Cathal (qv) son of Conchobar (qv), king of Connacht. The close co-operation between the Munster king and her father in the early years of the eleventh century suggests that this partnership dates from that period; she predeceased Brian by five years. The marital associations of some of Brian's known daughters similarly reflect his military activity. One of these, Bébinn, married the king of the Northern Uí Néill, Flaithbertach Ua Néill (qv), perhaps in the context of that ruler's submission to Brian in 1010. Another daughter, Sláine, was the wife of Sitriuc Silkbeard (qv), king of Dublin, at the time of the battle of Clontarf in 1014. Their alliance may date back more than a decade to the Norse ruler's reinstatement as king of Dublin by Brian in 1000, very much on the Munster king's terms. Sitriuc was the son of one of Brian's own wives, Gormlaith (by Amlaíb Cuarán (qv)), and his relationship with Sláine vividly demonstrates the close and complex interconnected web from which social ties were woven. A third daughter, Sadb, was allied with Cian (qv), whose father, Máel-Muad son of Bran, was instrumental in the murder of Brian's brother, Mathgamain, and may have challenged Brian's son, Donnchad, immediately after Clontarf. Whether their liaison reflects a period of more cordial connections between the two Munster peoples cannot be known. Military campaigns, 979–1013 Brian's slaying of Cian's father, Máel-Muad, in the battle of Belach Lechta in 978 would certainly have soured relations between them for a while. This act, together with his attack the previous year on the other participants in Mathgamain's murder, the Norse of Limerick and Uí Fhidgeinti, established Brian as his sibling's successor. The following years were directed towards expansion, expeditions to Osraige in the mid 980s being particularly successful. Emboldened, he ventured further afield, plundering the midland territories of Mide and Uisnech in 988 and enjoying considerable naval success in Connacht in the same year. There were setbacks too, however, most notably at the hands of his principal rival, the midland ruler, Máel-Sechnaill son of Domnall. A hosting to Mide in the early 990s yielded ‘neither cows nor men’ (nir’ gab bai na duine) and Máel-Sechnaill defeated him some years later on Brian's home ground. Notwithstanding this, such was the power of the Munster king that his opponent agreed to come to terms with him in 997, a southern annalist (admittedly biased) claiming that Leth Moga, Ireland's entire southern half, was ceded to Brian. Further success followed, Brian gaining a major victory against the Dublin Norse at Glenn Máma in 999. This may have been in collaboration with Máel-Sechnaill, as some chronicle accounts claim; nonetheless, Brian increasingly took the field against his erstwhile ally. A foray into southern Mide in 1001 was unsuccessful and Máel-Sechnaill could call on the Connacht king in his attempts to repulse the southern ruler. Yet Brian succeeded in taking the hostages of both leaders the following year. Brian's eyes were now directed firmly northwards, though attempts to march against Cenél nÉogain in 1002 and 1004 ended in defeat. He was more successful a year later, reaching Armagh and returning home co n-etire fer nErenn laiss (with the pledges of the men of Ireland). It was on this occasion, some annalists claim, that he left twenty ounces of gold on the altar at Armagh, aligning himself clearly with the primatial church. Supremacy over the north was demonstrated by him again in 1006 when he undertook another circuit there, and though his control was far from absolute — for example, he was forced to march against Cenél Conaill twice in 1011 — he succeeded in implementing some measure of authority there. Clontarf, 1014 Beset by problems elsewhere, Brian turned his attention eastwards, engaging the Dublin Norse in a long, ultimately unsuccessful, campaign in 1013. Tackling unfinished business, he marched against them and their Leinster allies again the following spring in what later commentators were to portray as the defining encounter of his career, the battle of Clontarf. The battle was undoubtedly a significant struggle by means of which Brian sought to re-impose his authority in Dublin and the east. At stake was control of the lucrative trading network over which the Dublin Norse held sway and to which Máel-Mórda (qv) son of Murchad, king of Leinster, also sought access. That Brian himself lost his life there added to the renown of Clontarf. The part played by the ageing king in the actual battle is questionable, however, later sources ascribing the leading role to his son Murchad. Supporting him were his Dál Cais kinsmen, alongside other Munster forces; these were augmented by battalions from neighbouring southern Connacht. Additional participants, as recorded in various chronicle accounts, reflect later revisionist tendencies and bear witness to the reshaping of what was to become an increasingly fictionalised conflict. What began as ‘a great battle’ (cocad mór), in the words of a contemporary southern annalist, was transformed by imaginative authors into the triumph of Christianity over heathendom and of the Irish over the Vikings of the western and northern world. Not surprisingly, Brian's descendants, Uí Briain, played a dominant role in this literary endeavour. Cogadh Gáedhel re Gallaibh (The War of the Irish Against the Vikings), an account of Brian's career composed in the early twelfth century at the behest of his great-grandson Muirchertach Ua Briain, cast the Vikings as despicable, well-nigh invincible, heathen foes routed at Clontarf by the might of Brian and his Dál Cais kin. By creating an increasingly illustrious ancestor, his descendants sought to bask in Brian's reflected glory. As successors of the great ruler, their hold on power may have seemed somewhat more secure. The story of Brian's demise was to have broader appeal. Drawing on Irish sources, Icelandic authors also preserved records of the conflict in which the status of the Munster king remained exalted. In the thirteenth-century family narrative Brennu-Njáls saga (The Story of Burnt Njáll), he is portrayed as a royal martyr, acquiring distinctly saintly traits. Transcending geographical boundaries, Brian came to symbolise proper Christian kingship, a righteous ruler for an ever-changing age. The conflict at Clontarf, ‘Brian's battle’ Brjánsorrosta, as it was termed in Norse sources, was essential to the evolution of the image of our king.
  2. Title: Academic American Encyclopedia
    Author: Academic American Encyclopedia. Grolier Incorporated, 1993.
    Note: Academic American Encyclopedia is a 21-volume general English-language encyclopedia published in 1980. It was first produced by Arête Publishing, the American subsidiary of the Dutch publishing company VNU[1] (later acquired by Nielsen Media Research in 1999). Grolier acquired the encyclopedia in 1982. It has also been published under the names Grolier Academic Encyclopedia, Grolier International Encyclopedia, Lexicon Universal Encyclopedia, Macmillan Family Encyclopedia, Barnes & Noble New American Encyclopedia, and Global International Encyclopedia.[1] An abridged version was known as the Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge.[
    Page: Biographical and historical information
  3. Title: Brian Boroimhe, "Find A Grave Index"
    Author: "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVV9-16KH : 19 October 2022), Brian Boru, ; Burial, Armagh, , County Armagh, Northern Ireland, Saint Patrick's Church of Ireland Cathedral; citing record ID 5887388, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
    Publication: Name: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVV9-16KH;
    Page: Find-a-Grave Memorial
  4. Title: Wikipedia Brian Boru
    Author: The Wikipedia Website
    Publication: Name: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Boru;
    Note: The Wikipedia Encyclopedia article about Brian Boru
    Page: One of many sources about High King of Ireland Brian Boru
  5. Title: The story of the Irish race; a popular history of Ireland
    Author: MacManus, Seumas. The story of the Irish race; a popular history of Ireland. New York, The Irish Publishing Co., 3rd edition, 1922.
    Note: The Story of the Irish Race : A Popular History of Ireland. [Tuatha De Danann; Milesians; Ireland Of the Ancients; Conor Macnessa; Cuchullain; TConn Of Hundred Battles; Cormac Macart; Tara; Faris; Fionn & Fian; Break Of Ulster; Niall Of Nine Hostages; Irish Invasions Of Britain; Pagan Ireland; Irish Christianity Before St. Patrick; Brehon Laws; St. Bridget; Women In Ancient Ireland; Colm Cille; Poets; Irish Kingdom Of Scotland; Saints; Learning In Ancient Ireland; Irish Missionaries Abroad; Irish Scholars Abroad; Vikings In Ireland; Hospitability; Tribe; Manner Of Living In Ancient Ireland; Structural Antiquities; Arts; English Invasion; Norman & Gael; Trade In Medieval Ireland; Learning; Geraldines; Henry VIII's Policies; Shane Proud, etc]. The Story of the Irish Race: A Popular History of Ireland by Seumas MacManus was written to be a light history for the American public during the Irish Civil War. MacManus weaves a romantic view of the whole saga of the Irish from the time of Firbolg and the occupation by the Milesians through the various invasions; history, culture, religion, laws, arts, ties, folklore, trade, literature, heroes Fein, Easter Uprising, etc.
    Page: Biographical and historical information
  6. Title: Foundation for Medieval Genealogy
    Publication: Name: https://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/IRELAND.htm#BrianBorudied1014;
    Note: BRIAN Boroma, son of CEINNÉITIG & his wife --- ([941]-killed in battle Clontarf 23 Apr 1014). The Annals of Ulster record the birth in 941 of "Brian son of Cennéitig”[986]. The Annals of the Four Masters record the birth in 925 of “Brian son of Ceinnedigh” adding that this was “24 years before Maelseachlainn son of Domnhall”[987], although this proposed date of birth of Brian is improbable considering the date of his death. The Annals of Tigernach record that “Brian mac Cendéidigh” attacked “Inis Cathaig (Scattery Island)…[and] therein the Foreigners of Limerick…Imar, and Olaf one of his sons and Dubchenn his other son” in [975/76][988]. The Annals of Ulster record that "Brian son of Cennétig” killed “Mael Muad king of Desmumu” in battle in 978[989]. The Annals of Inisfallen record that "Brian son of Cennétig” defeated and killed “Mael Muad son of Bran king of Caisel” at “the battle of Belach Lechta” in 978[990]. King of Munster. The Annals of Inisfallen record that "Brian son of Cennétig…and Mael Sechnaill son of Domnall king of Temuir” divided Ireland between them in 997 “Leth Cuinn to Mael Sechnaill and Leth Moga to Brian”[991]. High King of Ireland 1002. The Annals of Tigernach record that “Brían Boroma regnat” in [999/1000][992]. The Chronicon of Mariano Scotti records that "Brian rex Hiberniæ" was killed "1014 IX Kal Mai"[993]. Orkneyinga Saga records that Sigurd Jarl of Orkney went to Ireland “five years after the Battle of Svoldur” to support “King Sigtrygg Silk-Beard” against “King Brian of Ireland”, and left “his elder sons in charge of the earldom”, but was killed in the battle in which King Brian was killed[994]. The Annals of Ulster record that "Brian son of Ceinnéitig son of Lorcán king of Ireland and Mael Sechnaill son of Domnall king of Temair" led an army to “Áth Cliath” in 1014, adding that Brian was killed in the battle[995]. The Annals of the Four Masters record that “Brian son of Ceinneidigh monarch of Ireland in the 88th year of his age” was killed in 1013 in the battle [of Clontarf][996]. m [firstly] ---. The name of Brian´s first wife is not known. However, it is probable that he was married before his marriage to Gormlaith in order to have grandson who was killed in battle in 1014. m [secondly] (after 981, [separated]) as her second husband, GORMLAITH, widow of OLAF Sihtricsson King of Dublin, daughter of MORUGH MacFinn King of Leinster & his wife --- (-1030). The Annals of Tigernach record the death in 1030 of “Gormlaith, daughter of Murchad son of Fland” mother of “Sitric son of Olaf king of the Foreigners and of Donnchad son of Brian king of Munster”[997]. Brian must have separated from his wife Gormlaith if the reference to his wife Dub is correct, unless the marriages were polygamous. She married thirdly, as his [third] wife, Maelsechnaill King of Ireland. The Annals of the Four Masters record the death in 1030 of “Gormlaith daughter of Murchadh son of Finn, mother of the king of the foreigners Sitric, Donnchadh son of Brian king of Munster, and Conchobhar son of Maeleachlainn king of Teamhair”[998]. m [thirdly] DUB Chablaig, daughter of [CATHAL King of Connaught & his wife ---] (-1009). The Annals of Ulster record the death in 1009 of "Dub Chablaig daughter of the king of Connacht…wife of Brian son of Ceinnéitig"[999]. The name of her father is not given. However, it is reasonable to suppose that he was Cathal who was king of Connaught at the time. Brian & his first wife, name unknown, had one child: 1. MURCHAD (-killed in battle Clontarf 23 Apr 1014). Brian & his [first/second] wife, Gormlaith, had one child: 2. DOMNALL (-1011). Brian & his second wife, Gormlaith, had two children: 3. TADHG (-killed 1023). 4. [son . Brian & his [second/third] wife, Gormlaith or Dub Chablaig, had [four] children: 5. DONNCHAD (-Rome after 1064). 6. BÉ Binn (-Armagh 1073) 7. [--- . m ---.] Two children: 8. SADB (-1048). Brian & his [third wife], Dub Chablaig, had one child: 9. MURCHAD Ua Brian (-killed in battle 1068).
  7. Title: Encyclopedia Britannica - Brian king of Ireland
    Publication: Name: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Brian;
  8. Title: Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700
    Author: Weis, Frederick Lewis and Walter Lee Sheppard, J. Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 7th edition, 1992.
    Note: This source embodies the very latest research in the highly specialized field of royal genealogy. As a result, out of a total of 398 ancestral lines, 91 have been extensively revised and 60 have been added, while almost all lines have had at least some minor corrections, amounting altogether to a 30 percent increase in text. Previous discoveries have now been integrated into the text and recently discovered errors have been corrected. And for the first time, thanks to the efforts of the new editors, this edition contains an every-name index, replacing the cumbersome indexes of the past. In addition to Alfred the Great, Charlemagne, Malcolm of Scotland, and Robert the Strong, descents in this work are traced from the following ancestral lines: Saxon and English monarchs, Gallic monarchs, early kings of Scotland and Ireland, kings and princes of Wales, Gallo-Romans and Alsatians, Norman and French barons, the Riparian branch of the Merovingian House, Merovingian kings of France, Isabel de Vermandois, and William de Warenne.
    Page: Biographical and historical information
  9. Title: Wikipedia - Dalcassians
    Publication: Name: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalcassians;
    Page: Gaelic Irish Tribe that Brian belonged to
  10. Title: Genealogical tables of the sovereigns of the world, from the earliest to the present period
    Author: Betham, Rev. William. Genealogical tables of the sovereigns of the world, from the earliest to the present period; exhibiting in each table their immediate successors, collateral branches, and the duration of their respective reigns; so constructed as to form a series of chronology; and including the genealogy of many other personages and families distinguished in scared and profane history; particularly all the nobility of these kingdoms descended from princes. London, Printed for the author, by W. Bennett, 1795.
    Publication: Name: https://archive.org/details/genealogicaltabl00beth/page/n6;
    Note: Pedigree information, Table DCXLIX (649)
    Page: Pedigree information
  11. Title: Library of Ireland - Brian Boru
    Publication: Name: https://www.libraryireland.com/biography/BrianBoru.php;
  12. Title: List of kings of Munster
    Publication: Name: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_kings_of_Munster;
  13. Title: Pedigree of the Family of O'Brien - this chart is missing four wives and a multitude of children of Brian Boruma
    Author: "History and Topography of the County of Clare" by James Frost (1893) https://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/history/frost/frost.htm
    Publication: Name: https://www.familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/127995947;
    Note: pedigree chart of the O'Brien Clan - missing many of the children of Brian Boruma It is an appendix to the above book which is on the Clare County Library website
  14. Title: Em português
    Publication: Name: https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Boru;
    Note: Registro em português
  15. Title: The Story of an Irish Property
    Author: Rait, Robert S. The Story of an Irish Property. Oxford Univerity Press, 1908.
    Publication: Name: https://archive.org/details/storyofirishprop00raitiala/page/n6;
    Note: Biographical and historical information
    Page: Historical information
  16. Title: O'Brien dynasty - Wikipedia
    Publication: Name: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O%27Brien_dynasty;
    Note: The O'Brien dynasty (Classical Irish: Ua Briain; Modern Irish: Ó Briain [oː ˈbʲɾʲiənʲ]; genitive Uí Bhriain [iː ˈvʲɾʲiənʲ]) is a noble house of Munster, founded in the 10th century by Brian Boru of the Dál gCais (Dalcassians). After becoming King of Munster, through conquest he established himself as Ard Rí na hÉireann (High King of Ireland). Brian's descendants thus carried the name Ó Briain, continuing to rule the Kingdom of Munster until the 12th century where their territory had shrunk to the Kingdom of Thomond which they would hold for just under five centuries. In total, four Ó Briains ruled in Munster, and two held the High Kingship of Ireland (with opposition). After the partition of Munster into Thomond and the MacCarthy Kingdom of Desmond by Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair in the 12th century, the dynasty would go on to provide around thirty monarchs of Thomond until 1542. During part of this period in the late 13th century they had a rivalry with the Norman de Clare house, disputing the throne of Thomond. The last Ó Briain to reign in Thomond was Murrough Ó Briain who surrendered his sovereignty to the new Kingdom of Ireland under Henry VIII of the House of Tudor, becoming instead Earl of Thomond and maintaining a role in governance. Today the head carries the title of Prince of Thomond, and depending on succession sometimes also Baron Inchiquin. Throughout the time that the Ó Briains ruled in medieval Ireland, the system of tanistry was used to decide succession, rather than primogeniture used by much of feudal Europe. The system in effect was a dynastic monarchy but family-elected and aristocratic, in the sense that the royal family chose the most suitable male candidate from close paternal relations—roydammna (those of kingly material) rather than the crown automatically passing to the eldest son. This sometimes led to bitter quarrels and in-family warring. Since 1542, the head of the Ó Briain house adopted primogeniture to decide succession of noble titles instead. Background The Ó Brian emerged as chiefs of the Dál gCais tribe from the south-west of Ireland — a cohesive set of septs, related by blood, all claiming descent in tradition from a common ancestor of Cas, sixth in descent from Cormac Cas.[1] In the Annals of the Four Masters, the father of Cormac Cas was said to be Oilioll Olum, who was according to tradition King of Munster and King of Leinster in the 3rd century.[1] Such a connection would have meant that the tribe held kinship with the Eoghanachta who had dominated Munster since the earliest times.[2] While founder mythologies were very common in antiquity and the medieval world, such a connection is generally regarded as fanciful and politically motivated in the context of the rise to prominence of the Dalcassians.[2] Instead, academic histories generally accept the Dalcassians as being the Déisi Tuaisceart, after adopting a new name — first recorded under their newly adopted name under the year 934 in the Annals of Inisfallen.[2] The Déisi, a people whose name means literally vassals, were originally located where today is Waterford, south Tipperary and Limerick;[3] the O'Rahilly's historical model counts them as ethnically Érainn. The sept split into the Déisi Muman who continued to hold territory in Waterford and Tipperary, while the west Déisi controlled areas either side of the River Shannon.[3] During the 8th century, the latter was further divided into the Déisi Deiscirt and the Déisi Tuaisceart who would become the Dalcassians.[2][4] Prehistoric ancestors of the Déisi Tuisceart and Dál gCais may have been a once prominent Érainn people called the Mairtine.[5] It was during this century that the tribe annexed to Munster the area today known as Clare and made it their home. Taken from the weakened Uí Fiachrach Aidhne it had previously been part of Connacht but was renamed Thomond (Tuamhain, meaning North Munster). After gaining influence over other tribes in the area such as the Corcu Mruad and Corcu Baiscinn, the Dalcassians were able to crown Cennétig mac Lorcáin as King of Thomond, he died in 951.[4] His son Mathgamain mac Cennétig was to expand their territory further according to the Annals of Ulster; capturing the Rock of Cashel capital of the Eoghanachta, the Dalcassians became Kings of Cashel and Munster over their previous overlords for the first time in history.[2] Mathgamain along with his younger brother Brian Boru began military campaigns such as the Battle of Sulcoit, against the Norse Vikings of the settlement Limerick, ruled by Ivar. The Dalcassians were successful, plundering spoils of jewels, gold and silver, saddles, finding "soft, youthful, bright girls, booming silk-clad women and active well-formed boys".[2][6] The males fit for war were executed at Saingel, while the rest were taken as slaves.[6] Through much of his reign Mathgamain was competing with his Eoghanachta rival Máel Muad mac Brain.[4] Mathgamain was only defeated in the end by a piece of treachery; he believed he was attending a friendly meeting, but was betrayed at Donnubán mac Cathail's house, handed over to his enemies and executed in 976.[7] The crown of Munster was briefly back in the hands of the Eoghanachta for two years until Brian Boru had thoroughly avenged his brother,[8] with the defeat and slaying of Máel Muad in the Battle of Belach Lechta. Rise of Brian Boru Brian Boru, High King. The following year Brian came to blows with the Norsemen of Limerick at Scattery Island where a monastery was located. Whilst all parties were Christians, when their king Ivar and his sons took refuge in the monastery, Brian desecrated it and killed them in the sanctuary; the Vikings of Limerick had earlier killed Brian's mother.[9] Following this the Dalcassians came into conflict with those responsible for the death of Mathgamain, the Eoghanachta represented by Donovan and Molloy. A message was sent to Molloy, where Boru's son Murrough would challenge him in single combat; eventually the Battle of Belach Lechta took place where Molloy along with 1200 of his soldiers were slain. Donovan was destroyed together with Aralt, his brother-in-law and Ivar's remaining son, newly elected king of the Danes and Foreigners of Munster, in Donovan's fortress of Cathair Cuan, which Brian razed. With this Brian Boru was now the King of Munster.[6] Brian's rise did not go unnoticed, however; Máel Sechnaill II from the Clann Cholmáin sept of the Uí Néill, as reigning king of Mide and High King of Ireland marched an army down to Munster to send a warning to the Dalcassians. His army cut down the tree of Magh Adhair, which was sacred to the Dalcassians as it was used as their site of royal inaugurations. This sparked a conflict between Máel Sechnaill and Brian, the object of both men to be recognised as High King. A treaty would eventually be reached between Máel Sechnaill and Brian which split the areas of influence in Ireland between them. Brian gained control over a large portion of the island's south including Dublin. The peace didn't last long as Brian used the newly acquired forces of Dublin and Leinster to spearhead an attack against Máel Sechnaill which ended in their defeat and forced Brian to reconsider pressing any further North.[citation needed] The war dragged on but Brian would eventually force Máel Sechnaill to accept his authority when northern branch of the Uí Néill clan refused to support him. Despite his fall in position Máel Sechnaill would become one of Brian's most important allies. Eventually the northern Uí Néill branch would accept Brian's rule as well, unusually for the time this was done peacefully, their submission to Brian was negotiated by the clergy rather than forced in battle. With the most powerful Kings in Ireland now accepting Brian as the High King it was a much easier task for Brian to force the remaining Kings to submit to his rule and though it may have been tenuous he eventually was acknowledged as High King by all the rulers in Ireland.[10] O'Brien dynasty Brian's descendants, the Ua Briain would provide a further three High Kings of Ireland and exercised supremacy in Munster until Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair, taking advantage of war between brothers Diarmait and former High-King Muircheartach, invaded Munster and split it in two in the Treaty of Glanmire (1118) granting Thomond to the sons of Diarmait Ua Briain and Desmond to the leading sept of the dispossessed Eoganacht, the Mac Cárthaigh dynasty. After the death of Domnall Mór Ua Briain, a claimant to the Kingship of Munster, they further retreated beyond the Shannon into the area of modern County Clare in the wake of the Norman Invasion. In 1276 King Edward II granted all of Thomond to Thomas de Clare, taking advantage of the feuding between Clann Taidhg and Clann Briain (whom de Clare supported). The de Clares failed in conquering Thomond and were decisively defeated in the Battle of Dysert O'Dea in 1318, thus the Kingdom of Thomond remained outside of foreign control for a further 200 years.[11] In 1543 Murchadh Carrach Ó Briain, agreed to surrender his Gaelic Royalty to King Henry VIII and accepted the titles Earl of Thomond and Baron Inchiquin. At his death in 1551 the Earldom passed to his nephew Donough by special remainder and the title Baron Inchiquin passed to his male heirs through his son Dermot. The Earldom went extinct at the death of Henry O'Brien, 8th Earl of Thomond, the next heir would have been a descendant of Daniel O'Brien, 3rd Viscount Clare who was attainded in 1691, so the title became forfeit. However, Charles O'Brien, 6th Viscount Clare, a Jacobite exile used the title Earl of Thomond, as did his son, who died childless in 1774. At the death of James O'Brien, 3rd Marquess of Thomond, the title Baron Inchiquin passed to a distant cousin and descendant of Murrough, Sir Lucius O'Brien, 5th Baronet and was passed down to his descendants.
  17. Title: History Today - Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, killed: The Irish ruler met a bloody fate on 23 April 1014
    Author: Cavendish, Richard. Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, killed: The Irish ruler met a bloody fate on 23 April 1014. History Today, Volume 64, 4 April 2014.
    Publication: Name: https://www.historytoday.com/archive/months-past/brian-boru-high-king-ireland-killed;
    Note: Biographical and historical information
    Page: Biographical and historical information
  18. Title: The Oxford Illustrated History of the British Monarchy
    Author: Cannon, John and Rudolph Griffiths. The Oxford Illustrated History of the British Monarchy, Oxford University Press, USA, 27 October 1988.
    Note: The rich pageant of Britain's history emerges nowhere more colorfully than in the story of its kings and queens. This spectacular book offers the most authoritative account of the British monarchy ever published for the general reader. With over 400 illustrations--a third of them in color--it traces the crown's full history from Anglo-Saxon times to the present. The authors present a vivid picture of the lives of individual monarchs as well as of the monarchy as a political and social force. They begin the story in the fifth century with the rise of recognizable kingdoms in Scotland, Wales, and England and conclude with a discussion of the crown's constitutional role, which emerged in Queen Victoria's reign, and how this has affected the symbolic and popular monarchy of today. Along the way, we gain a clear view of how key traditions evolved: the right of succession, coronations and marriages, oaths of loyalty and military service, the granting of lands and titles, and the propagation of a powerful image of royalty. The book not only explains the monarch's political struggles and styles of governing; it is filled with fascinating details that give the story life. We learn, for instance, that Elizabeth I's famous journeys to various corners of her realm were not simply to show her off to her subjects: "The standard of Tudor sanitation," the authors note, "meant that the royal palaces became unbearable after several weeks of occupation and the court's absence for several months in the summer gave an opportunity to clean up." We discover that Victoria's coronation was "a splendid mixture of majesty and muddle": when it came time for the Archbishop to bestow the ceremonial ring, the already befuddled cleric placed it on the Queen's wrong finger, "causing considerable delay [and] some pain." And we read George VI's touching wedding message to his daughter (the present queen): "Your leaving us has left a great blank in our lives but do remember that your old home is still yours." Supporting the text and carefully selected pictures are sidebars on each of the monarchs and on key general themes; color maps; an illustrated section on royal residences and tombs; a consolidated list of monarchs; genealogies; annotated lists of further reading; and a full index with personal dates.
    Page: Biographical and historical information
  19. Title: House of Brian Blogspot: List of wives and children of Brian Boru listing his son Tadhg/Tadg
    Publication: Name: http://houseofbrianboru.blogspot.com/p/brian-boru.html;
    Note: SOURCE: http://houseofbrianboru.blogspot.com/p/brian-boru.html Brian’s 1st marriage: 962 A.D., to Princess Mór ni Eidigean of Uí Fhaiachrach Aidhne, County Galway. Her father was Eidigean mac Clerig of the Hy Fiachrach (King of West Connacht). CHILDREN 1. Murchadh mac Briain - Married to ???. Killed at Clontarf on 23 April 1014, with his teenage son, Toirdhealbahach. 2. Flann mac Briain - Killed at Clontarf on 23 April 1014. 3. Conchobar mac Briain - Killed at Clontarf on 23 April 1014. Brian’s 2nd marriage: 988 A.D., to Eachraidh ni Cearbhall mac Oilill Fionn, of Uí Aodha Odhbha of Meath.Her father was the king of Ui Aeda Odba. CHILDREN 4. Tadhg mac Briain - Born: 985 A.D. Married but wife unknown. King of Munster, and assassinated in 1023. (AI; CGH 250, 427; BS 189, 228.) 5. Domhnall mac Briain - Died in 1012 A.D. (AI, AFM) 6. Emer/Slani ni Briain - Married to Viking Sitric “Silkbeard” Olafssen, King of Dublin. (CGG193, 257) (One of her descendants is Gruffudd ap Cynan, King of Gwynedd in northern Wales, HGaC.) Brian’s 3rd marriage: 998 A.D., to Princess Dubhchobhlaigh ni Cathal of Connacht. She died in 1008-1009. Her father was Cathal mac Conchobair, King of Connacht 973-1010. CHILDREN 7. Donnchadh mac Briain - Married 1st to Neassa ???; 2nd to Dressilla (sister to King Harold Goodwinson of England), daughter of Earl Goodwine, of Wessex. King of Munster, assassinated older brother Tadhg. Died in 1064 A.D., in pilgrimage at Rome. (CGH 238; BS 314, 338, 189, 227) (Pride of Lions) Brian’s 4th marriage: 999-1002 A.D., to Gormfhlaith ni Murchada (cousin to the King of Leinster.) She died in 1030 A.D. Many writers state that she is the mother of Brian’s youngest child, Donnchadh. She was the daughter of Murchad ma Finn, King of Leinster. Formerly married to Olaf ‘Cuaran/amlaib Cuaran, King of Dublin and York, who died in 981. She was the mother of Brian’s son-in-law, Sitric Olafssen, King of Dublin. She then married Mael Sechnaill mac Domnaill, King of Meath and High-King of Ireland until dethroned by Brian Boru. Other children but by which mother is unknown: 8. Sadb ni Briain - Died in 1048. Married to Cian mac Nael Muaid, son of Brian’s predecessor in the kingship of Munster. 9. Dub Essa ni Briain - Died in 1052. (CS, AFM) 10. Be Binn ni Briain - Died in 1073. (AU, AFM) 11. Blanaid ni Brian - Married to Malcolm II, King of Scots. Only mention of her is in the historical novel by Morgan Llywelyn. In absolutely no other history does her name appear, thus placing doubt on her existence. (Lion of Ireland)
    Page: Provides a comprehensive list of wives and children. NOTE: Spelling of names vary from other sources but are generally phonetically apparant
  20. Title: Brian Boru, "Find A Grave Index"
    Author: "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVKT-ZCP6 : 3 June 2020), Brian Boru, 1014; Burial, , ; citing record ID , Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
    Publication: Name: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVKT-ZCP6;
  21. Title: Royal Ancestors of Some L.D.S. Families by Michel L. Call
    Author: Call, Michael L. Royal Ancestors of Some L.D.S. Families, 1975.
    Note: Pedigree Information
    Page: Pedigree Information
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