Book of Ryans - The Middle Kingdom Years
Overpopulation Theory
One of the theories that explained the Ua Riains movement to Munster suggested that the posterity of O'Riain became so numerous that it forced the clan to seek new lands for its growing population. Duald MacFirbish wrote that "For it is a usual thing in the case of great princes, when their children and families multiply, that their clients and followers are squeezed out, wither away, and are wasted."[1] The ruling families displaced the commoners, and eventually even they could be forced to leave as more powerful families continued to grow.
Many of the Irish dynasties were polygamous in nature, and this custom remained until the Gaelic system ended in the 16th century. This often resulted in indecisive claims to kingships, and claims of imperial descent grew more prominent with each passing generation. The result of this increasing population would lead to factions within the aristocratic family which were constantly divided against each other. Generally, it can be said, that the faction out of power was in constant disaffection with the family segment in power. In many cases, these segments had one political aim, and that was to seize the kingship for themselves. If these discarded divisions did not develop a lordship for themselves, they would ultimately become subjects of the king as a freehold farmer or commoner. As one glances through the annals of Irish history, this clearly is shown to have caused many conflicts within dynasties. One example was the Dal Cais which occupied lands in the eastern section of County Clare. In the 8th century, they seized control of this region; and within 150 years "there were some fifty distinct land-holding branches of the Dal Cais in east Clare."[2] These new Dal Cassian families included the O'Briens, O'Kennedys, O'Heffernans, and O'Hogans. In another 200 years, there were 200 families which could claim descent to the Dal Cais.
Inheritance Theory
Another theory suggested that the O'Maoilrians inherited Ara Thire, or Owney, from their distant relatives, the O'Donnagains; however, if true this could not have been sooner than 50 years before the Normans invaded Ireland. This theory of inheritance is unlikely because at least a thousand years elapsed since these two families could claim a common ancestor. If the O'Maiolrians inherited the Kingship as some have theorized, estimating this time of inheritance could be tracked by looking at the final references of O'Donnagains as Lords of the territory. Nevertheless, this may be inconclusive as well. For example, in a survey made in 1305 of Ely O'Carroll, it does not show any O'Carrolls living in the region. The only free tenant identified was a group of fourteen from the O'Banan family; but within 40 years the entire territory was under the dominion of the O'Carrolls. Similarly, because there was no mention of the Ryans being in north Munster, it does not signify their disconnection in the territory.
The last reference of Donnagain as King of Aradh was in 1118 where `Maelsechlainn Ua Donnagain, King of Aradh-Thire was slain by the Clann Cosgraigh through treachery."[3] Many references to the Ua Donnagains being kings of Aradh-Thire were documented in 1012, 1029 and 1090. This suggests that the Ryans had not assumed the lordship from the Ua Donnagains any earlier than 1118, if in fact this event ever occurred. Examining the records of the adjoining kingdom of Uaithne-Clich showed that the Ua Cathalen's still controlled this territory at least up to 1107. Here the "Annals of Ireland" recorded that Cuilen Ua Cathalan died[4] of natural causes.
In keeping with the inheritance theory, it is doubtful that the Ua Riains waged hostilities with the Ua Donnagains prior to the 1169 invasion as this event surely would have been recorded in either the Book of Leinster or other noteworthy journals. Because the Ua Riains and Ua Donnagains were families worthy of note, any activity among either would have been described somewhere in the historical archives.
Invasion Theory
Another explanation expressed by historians was that a branch of the Ua Riains left for the wooded areas of Ara, the lands of the O'Dwyer and Ua Donnagain, where they, because of their similar heritage to Breasal Belach, were welcomed. The breakup of Gaelic society caused many families to leave their homes, and this movement was noted by the ancient annalists which showed that within the first 30 years after the invasion "great numbers also of the superior tenants of the Irish order had been violently expelled and their lands confiscated."[5] Edmund Curtis, the great Irish historian, put it more simply: "The native losses were overwhelming."[6] The O'Mulrian's flight from Leinster may probably be more in line with the flight of their neighbors - the Ui Bairrache or the O'Gorman's - who left Carlow shortly after the invasion. The O'Gormans were the hereditary 'owners' of the Irish church at Clonmacnoise, and only from among their kind would the abbot be chosen.
After the establishment of surnames, the chief family took the name of "O'Gorman," or "Mac Corman" but they were driven out of their original territory, shortly after the English invasion, by the Baron Walter de Riddlesford, who became master of all the territory about Carlow. . . they possessed the territories of Crioch O m - Bairrche and Crioch O m Buidhe in Leinster, but, being driven from thence by the English, a party of them proceeded into Ulster and another into Vaithne where they settled at a place called Doire Seinliath, where they became very numerous.[7]
This journey may be a similar to how the O'Rians, or O'Mulrians as they were called in Munster, departed for Tipperary, but unlike the O'Gorman's settled permanently in Uaithne. The O'Gorman's journey was not unlike others who came before them. In the rich lands of Ormond located east of Lough Derg, lay an array of petty kingdoms such as Eli, Araid, and Tacraige. Historians have suspected that several Leinster tribes moved into upper Tipperary after widespread upheavals caused by more powerful tribes of Leinster displaced their weaker neighbors. This upheaval may have been going on as early as the 6th and 7th century, and was accelerated after the Normans pushed the Gaelic aristocracy into the wooded sections of Ireland.
Not all the O'Rians left Idrone. The O'Rians maintained a small lordship in Idrone until the mid seventeenth century. However, their lands were greatly reduced because of the harassment of greedy colonists and the high demands made from the English Crown.
Of the Irish, including those O'Rian's, which continued to live among the Norman settlers, their status became greatly reduced. Many had become enslaved by these early settlers or simply reduced to the status of indentured servants, or betaghs, which literally meant "food gatherers". The Norman settlers knew that without servile labor, the lands they claimed would be of no value to them; therefore in 1214 a writ of 'villeins and fugitives' was introduced in Ireland so that landlords could claim and recover their serfs. The new landlords, now empowered with this writ, forced the dispossessed natives to return to their old homes, but unlike before, these Irish citizens were forced to abide by feudal laws. Along with this loss of land came a loss of rights. The new tenants expelled the existing Irish freeman and claimed that they were "hibernici" and thus not entitled to hold land. One only need look at the mistreatment of the O'Toole family to see the depredations the defeated Irish suffered. After the invasion, they held onto their lands, although greatly reduced; still when this land became more valuable, "Walter O'Toole had to defend himself against two Englishmen who had dispossessed him and who answered to the writ of attachment, that he was hibernicus, i .e., an Irishman and a serf, and therefore they had committed no felony."[8]
The loss of rights for the natives of Hibernia likewise occurred within the Catholic Church of post-Norman Ireland. In 1216, King John "directed the Justiciar of Ireland not to allow any Irishman to be promoted to a cathedral church in that country."[9] It is quite likely, however, that the clergy initially resisted the English Crown's intervention of dictatating who would be promoted to offices at the Cathedrals of Ireland, but the resistance varied whether they were Gaelic clergy or English clergy. In 1228, the Irish abbot of Mellifont resigned due to charges that the Cistercians racially discriminated against the native Celts. The Cistercians had mandated that the Irish were not allowed to enter English monasteries, and the English were not allowed to enter Irish monasteries. Upon receiving this resignation, Stephen of Lexington dissolved a number of Irish monasteries, leaving most of those remaining under English superiors. The attempt to segregate the races was eventually enacted into law by the 1310 English parliament which legislated that 'no mere Irishman shall be received into a religious order among the English in the land of peace.'[10] This began an isolation process which would continue almost to present times, and it would become a hallmark as being one of the first manifestations of Gaelic discrimination in Ireland.
With the loss of their ancient lands and their liberties as free holders, the hibernici banded together in belligerent defiance against the foreign intruders. According to Douglas Hyde, the encroachment of England into Ireland's affairs "began that permanent war-very different, indeed, from what the Irish tribes waged among themselves."[11] The legacies of Norman abuses ignited a period of chronic warfare that would continue to rock Ireland for the next 500 years. In 1257, the Irish chieftains of the North and West armed themselves for battle, marched south to Cael-Uisce where they defeated the English near Carbury, burned Sligo, and finally returned home as victors. Victories, such as these, were possible because the Irish began to contract for professional Scottish mercenaries which gave the Irish the same advantages the Normans had in their conquest in 1169. These soldiers were known as "Gall-Oglaich," "foreign" or "Norse warriors" and later became known simply as gallowglass in later centuries. These gallowglass traced their heritage to a Gaelic-Norse origin, and their cultural beliefs, great courage and fighting skills made them a formidable foe on the battlefield. As indicated from a verse attributed to Gillabride MacCommidhe, poet to Conor Rua O'Brien from Thomond, they were distinguishable from the Irish in the battlefield:
Unequal they came to the battle
The Foreigners and the race of Tara;
Fine linen shirts on the race of Conn,
The Foreigners one mass of iron.[12]
The following year, in 1258, the greatest English defeat occurred under the leadership of Walter de Burgo when Aedh O'Conor aided by Turloch O'Brien met at Athan-Chip. Here these two great Irish armies completely defeated the feared Norman horsemen and their archery. The Annals of Ulster claim "that no greater defeat had been given to the Foreigners of Ireland up to that time," and also declared that "in an instant nine of the chieftest of the English were killed."[13] Shortly after this defeat, Walter de Burgo died in Galloway apparently depressed over this great loss. His son Richard was to become heir to the Earldom of Ulster and Lordship of Connaught; however, because of the great turmoil within the country he did not assume this lordship until 1280. Although the Irish had great military successes, the English continued to hold onto lands acquired in Connacht, Ulster, and Munster.
By 1295 the Gaelic chiefs now had assembled their private armies, maintained castles, and made treaties and other alliances with the Norman lords. The landowners who emerged after the Gaelic revival were members of newly expanding lineages: the old Gaelic who managed to maintain their independence in the forests or mountains of Ireland and descendants of the new Norman conquerors. Within the next century, the Gaelic chieftains recovered most of their former lordships in countless petty battles of which few details remain. Throughout the 14th century, English settlers were pushed back into the populated areas along Ireland's eastern seaboard, and ancient septs such as the O'Mulrians, began to expand their presence in Munster carving out a sizeable lordship along the River Shannon.