Book of Ryans - The Middle Kingdom Years
As the century progressed, the Gaelic tribes began to turn their attention to a new invader, the Danes. The disruption these Norsemen created was extensive to both the political and social structures in Ireland, and would have grave effects on the political and social evolution of the island.
Danish Invasion
Bitter is the wind tonight,
It tosses the ocean's white hair
Tonight I fear not the fierce warriors of Norway
Coursing on the Irish Sea.
From "The Church in Early Irish Society", K. Hughes
One of the more significant historical events of this period was the invasion of the Vikings into Ireland. The incursion by these raiders, distinguished as either Donaire and Gaill to symbolize their roles as oppressors, came in several waves; and the symbolized descriptions the Gaels wrote about these "foreigners" suggests that they were unrelated peoples. The ancient annals mention the foreigners, or Gaills, numerous times, and they further classified them as either fair-haired (fingaill) or black-haired (dubhgaill). The Northmen had initially raided the coastal areas of Ireland, seeking out monasteries containing large amounts of stored food and valuables. Gold and silver were commonly used in chalices and other religious utensils, and its use outside of these religious institutions was scarce. The Vikings knew this, and were always assured of finding treasure when they raided a priory. These raids attenuated and by the 8th century, the Vikings conquered parts of Leinster, Munster and Connaught and created settlements for trade in Limerick and Dublin. After their first raid at the monastery at Lindisfarne in 793, an additional twenty-five forays had been recorded in various Irish instruments between 800 and 830 alone. These assaults along the coasts of Ireland occurred without warning, still as several ancient writers have noted there were safe times, especially when the seas were restless as this quatrain, from the St. Gall Priscian manuscript reflects:
Fierce and wild is the wind to-night,
It tosses the tresses of the sea to white;
On such a night as this I take my ease;
Fierce Northmen only course the quiet seas.
The Vikings, mostly invaders from Norway, increased their attacks along the eastern coasts of Ireland, and after capturing strategic locations established forts to protect their interests. Initially, they were able to set up fortifications from Dublin to Limerick, however, due to the opposition of the local Gaelic chieftains they were only able to maintain Dublin and several bulwarks in Leinster. The men of Ireland began to develop strategies to regain their original possessions, and these successes eventually forced the Danes to retreat to the towns and forts they established along the coastal plains.
In 846 Mael Sechnaill, King of Meath, fought the Vikings and defeated them on a battlefield near Dublin. He captured their leader, Turgesius, and sentenced him to death by drowning, which was a common and less painful death for captured leaders. A few years later Olav, on becoming king of the Danes, entered Ireland to avenge the death of Turgesius by leaving a trail of devastation along his path. The Gaelic lords became increasingly incensed with Olav's movements in Ireland, particularly after his army disinterred an ancient Celtic cemetery in the Boyne Valley. The Irish again united under Mael Sechnaill, and this unified formation also included the descendants of Norsemen who disliked Olav. This newly formed alliance drove Olav out of the Irish countryside where he was forced to take safety within the fortified city of Dublin.
For the next several hundred years, conflicts would again erupt occasionally between the Gaels and the Danes. The Norsemen were often identified as being overly oppressive, consequently, their presence along the coastal areas created many conflicts among the Gaelic septs. The annalists described several incidences where the Danes and Irish met with violent conclusions, but over the years their looting of monasteries and raids into the Irish wilderness became less frequent. The influence of the Norsemen was greatly reduced by the 10th century after Alfred the Great defeated the Danes in England, and they were further weakened after losing to an Irish army led by Brian Boru. Brian was the king of the Dal gCais, a sept located west of the Shannon River in present day county Clare. His brother, Mathgamhain, was king of Munster, but was assassinated in 976 at which time Brian was nominated as its provincial leader. His elevation and stature in Ireland rose steadily in Ireland, so much so that by 1002 the Ui Neills pledged their allegiance to Brian's authority. Brian's supremacy remained unchallenged for over a decade, but by 1014 the Leinstermen and the Danes formed an alliance which forced the aging Brian to return to the battlefield. His armies were victorious, however, Brian did not live to celebrate his army's triumph. This conquest marked the end of Danish dominance in several eastern port cities, most notably in Dublin. This dramatic conclusion of Norse occupation was the final chapter that began after Brian's initial victory at Sulchoid in 968 which routed the Norsemen from Limerick permanently.
With the settlements of the Vikings in Dublin, Tallacht and other monastic communities, literature in Leinster declined significantly, principally in areas of history, folklore, and myth. Some Gaelic scholars may have made their way to Europe; but many may have sought refuge at monasteries such as Clonmacnois and other sanctuaries located along the Shannon River. As O'Corrain stated:
In the south, there was a remarkable exodus of scholars, especially from Leinster, when the Viking raids reached their high point in the middle of the ninth century.[1]
The exodus of scholars from Leinster was responsible for the development of the Shannon "as the cradle of Irish literature in the tenth and eleventh centuries"[2] , but it also explains why very little information is available concerning the various kingships of Leinster during this period.
Another significant effect of the Danish influence in Ireland was the development of towns and place names in Ireland. The counties of Wexford and Waterford owe their derivations to Scandinavian origin, and although several of the major provinces within Ireland such as Ulster, Munster and Leinster are Irish in origin, the Norse suffix -stadtr (anglicized as ster meaning city) was added after the Viking invasions. One of the other significant influences that the Northmen produced was the development of several vital trading ports on the island, including Dublin and Limerick. Their strong interest in mercantile trade has been noted by many ancient annalists, and one annalist recorded that after defeating the local chieftains they would turn around and rent her shrines, her reliquaries and her books back to them.
Irish Society
Strange is it not if scholars yell
In torment on the hob of hell
While louts who never learned their letters
Are perched in Heaven above their betters?
Kings, Lords, & Commons, Translated by Frank O'Connor
Irish society was very structured and highly aristocratic. This highly regimented system was divided into three segments: kings, lords or princes, and the common people. The basic distinction between the upper and lower class was that the upper class claimed descent from the royal line, held legal claims to land, and could obtain "clients" who were bound to the lord by way of tributes. The commoners, or freeholders, were called "grad Fhene" and sometimes also referred to as "aithetch" which meant renter. These renters were further subdivided into the "bo aire", or large independent farmer; the "bothach" and "fuidir", a renter who provided certain services to his lord; and the "sen chleithe", a hereditary serf tied to the land. By Irish law, the classes were able to raise themselves to the highest levels; though the reverse was a more frequent occurrence. Over time as the population grew within the upper class, these aristocrats eventually displaced the "grad Fhene" and obtained their lands.
Social and Economic Conditions
Hero's daughter, Leinster's lovliest!
Child of kings!
Mingling in one glow her ringlets
And her rings.
Kings, Lords & Commons, Translated by Frank O'Connor
It has been estimated that before the Norman invasion of 1169, the population was around 500,000 people. For many years, historians theorized that the Irish were a nomadic people following their herds of cattle in search of grazing land. However, because of the many references made to famines in early Irish history, specially in the 7th and 8th centuries, it appears that the lower classes were agricultural farmers while the upper class pursued pastoral endeavors. As for the aristocracy, Giraldus Cambrenus commented that in general "they despised agricultural and mechanical pursuits and accounted liberty and nobility the greatest wealth."[3] The annalists further described how they detested those beneath their stature including the freeholders and servants.
Corn and milk formed the basic diet of the early Irish Celts. They cultivated grains and cereals, and the ancient scrolls indirectly recorded their agrarian dependence by mentioning at least five weather-related losses of the 'corn' crop between 536 and 825(not to be confused with Indian corn - the term 'corn' generally described edible plants other than cereals). Even throughout the remainder of the millennium, loss of corn and other cereals attributed to poor weather conditions were highlighted in the Celtic registers. From the earliest entries well up to the 16th century, one of the more prominent military depredations was to burn an enemy's planted produce. This action left his enemy without food and usually resulted in a severe famine. This devastation, and the hardships it created, made it less likely the defeated kingdom would retaliate because food supplies left a starving population too weak to fight. One of the more destructive periods for the Leinstermen occurred in 985 when a plague swept through the South killing hundreds of men and women. The Chronicum Scortorum describes this catastrophic event; and it appears that the annalist placed the blame of this "disease" on supernatural elements:
985 A magical colic was brought on by demons in the East of Erin, which caused a great mortality of the people.[4]
The Norman Invasion
How did God fail
To choose the Gael?
'How Odd of God to Choose the Jews', Bellow
The dominance of the Gaelic lords would end in 1169 by Norman warlords. The invasion of the Normans onto this island nation was at the request of Dermot MacMurroughs, King of Leinster, whose family was linked with Leinster’s greatest ancestor, Cathair Mor. MacMurroughs lack of judgment and authoritarian manner were responsible for his loss of the kingship, and after his removal he would become the last king of the Ui Chennselaigh to rule Leinster. Dermod's family hailed from a branch of the Ui Chennselaigh called the Sil nOnchon, or the seed of nOnchon, which traced its lineage to Crimthann, son of Enna Chennselaigh. Onchu (nOnchon) whom was the proginitor of this ancient line was five generations removed from Crimthann; still the tribes of nOnchon and Cormaic were closely tied politically and culturally.
The Sil nOnchon line was a relatively new ruling clan of Leinster, although they like other tribes claimed their descent to Leinster’s greatest rulers. Prior to the Sil nOnchon assuming control of Leinster Maelmora was king of Leinster, but died during the great battle at Clontarf fighting Brian Boru. Brian, who also died at Clontarf, was determined to unify all the provinces of Ireland under a single king. To accomplish this meant defeating the armies of those in union with the Vikings, such as the Ui Cennseleaigh. Brian's armies were victorious, but conquest was bittersweet as both sides suffered tremendous losses. Annalists listed the Gaelic nobility lost in battle, and it is certain that these losses produced tremendous confusion among the surviving tanists to the Laighin kingship. After Maelmora's death, a new Leinster dynasty succeeded him, the Hy Kinsella, founded by Diarmaid Mac-mael-na-mBo, son of Donal, who after an illustrious career, died in 1072. It was from Diarmaid's grandson, Morough, that the name MacMorrough was derived. The succession of the Hy Kinsella as rulers of the Laighin was not easily obtained, especially since the northern Laighin lost the kingship which had been theirs for multiple generations.
e ruling families in Leinster were divided by north and south within the province. Until the death of Maelmora, the kingship of Leinster was controlled by the north Leinster families: the O'Byrne's <Ui Faolin> and the O'Toole's <Ui Muireadhaigh>. The other major families of the Laighin, or Leinster, in 1072 were the Ui Cennsealaigh <MacMurrough, Kavanagh, Kinsella, O'Murphy>, Ui Failghe <O'Connor>, Ossory <MacGilapatrick>, Laoghis or Leix <O'Moore>, Ui Drona or Idrone <O'Mulryan or O'Ryan>, Fotharta <O'Nolan> and Cuala <O'Kelly>. Each of these families was represented by a prince who in turn were subordinate to the MacMurroughs.
Very little remains concerning Dermot's early years, though remaining records indicate that he was either born in 1010 or 1011. Another reference to him occurred a few years later in 1115 when his father, Donoch, died. Donoch's brother, Enna, ruled until 1126 at which time Turloch O'Conor placed his own sons, Conor and Donal O'Faelain, as rulers over the province of Leinster. Finally, in 1134 the people of Leinster made Dermot, Lord of Hy Kinsella, King of Leinster. Dermot, deeply learned in early Leinster history, believed that it was his destiny to rule Ireland. He was taught by the abbot Aedh Mac Criffan who was learned in pagan tales. Many of these tales drew upon the greatness of Dermot's early ancestors, and no doubt provided his intense determination to become Ard Ri of Ireland. Dermod was described by Gerald de Barry as handsome and "tall of stature and of stout build"[5] . He had also been described as uncivilized and barbaric, and this description was supported by De Barry's chronicles which further described him as "obnoxious to his own people and an object of hatred to strangers. His hand was against every man, and every man's hand was against him."[6] While de Barry was considered an outsider, events written in the Irish journals support his observations. In one example, he had taken all the Leinster chieftains captive including O'Riain, and during their imprisonment had blinded and killed seventeen of them.
His extreme policies surrounding the subjection of his clients was legitimized through the granting of demnse lands. This practice was one of the methods used by regional kings to manage the affairs of subordinate kingdoms. In 1162, one of Dermot Mac Murchad's <Murrough's> first grants was Baldoyle including its tenants, and later he confirmed a grant to the Cistercians at Jerpont located at Killenny that was actually granted by Diarmait Ua Riain, lord of the Ui Drone. Murrough's royal decree to the Cistercians was designed to legitimize the transfer of lands to this religious order: "Dermitius nutu Dei Rex Laginensium greets all kings, dukes and earls <reges, duces, comites>, and confirms by his seal the grant of fourteen townslands which O'Riain 'by our leave' has made."[7] Fourteen townslands was an extensive beneficiary bestowed upon the Cistercians, however, Dermod's lands were barely touched by these land grants he authorized. It has been recorded that "MacMurchada's own demesne of Hy Kinsella contained ten cantreds or tuaths."[8] One of these tuaths was the clan of the Ua Riains located in Idrone, now a barony found within County Carlow.