Brian Boru
Jeffrey T. Chipman
usurper of the high kingship of Ireland, is unproven. What if anything
is known about his ancestry?
Jeff Chipman
jchi...@mail.orion.org
Tom Camfield
Chipman" <jchi...@MAIL.ORION.ORG> wrote:
> Weis in AR7 line 175 states that the ancestry of Brian Boru, d. 1014,
> usurper of the high kingship of Ireland, is unproven. What if anything
> is known about his ancestry?
In "The Genealogist," v. I, no. 1 (1980), David H. Kelley gives an ancestry
of Brian Boru on p. 22:
THE DALCASSIANS (MUNSTER)...subsequent kings of Munster and of Ireland but
a line not of major importance until the 10th century... briefly, it is:
1. Conall
2. Tal Cass (brother of Sain Maclaisre)
3. Blat (whose brother Setna was father of Mainchine, Bishop of Limerick)
4. Cairthenn Find
5. Eochu Ballderg
6. Conall, brother of Saint Breacan
7. Aed
8. Caidlene/Cathal
9. Tairdelbach
10. Mathgamain, brother of Saint Flannan.
11. Anluan
12. Corcc
13. Lachtnae
14. Lorccan
15. Cennetig m. Be Bind, d/o Aurchad of West Connacht
16. Brian Borama/Boroimhe/Boru "of the Tributes"...who rose from king of
the Dalcassians to king of Munster and eventually usurped the high kingship
of Ireland, b. 940.
Kelley's article is titled "The Ancestry of Eve of Leinster" and deals with
some 14 lines of ancient Irish descent (including, individually, up to 29
generations), all connected, and is certainly a MUST for anyone stomping
about in this neck of the woods in those ancient times.
I would suggest locating the article and requesting a reprint. I know it is
available at the NEHGS library in Boston, and one quite likely can find it
closer to home.
--
Tom Camfield - camf...@olympus.net
Robert W Burke
Lorcan is fiction; that it was made up in order to give Brian a tenuous
claim to the High Kingship.
Bob Burke
SeanRuad~
: Weis in AR7 line 175 states that the ancestry of Brian Boru, d. 1014,
: usurper of the high kingship of Ireland, is unproven. What if anything
: is known about his ancestry?
: jchi...@mail.orion.org
one version - from Keating's History of Ireland
Brian Boromha (of the tribute) son of Kenneidi, son of Lorcan, son of
Lactna, son of Corc, son of Anluan, son of Mathgamain, son of Tordelbach,
son of Cathal, son of Aedh Caemh, son of Conall, son of Eocaidh Bal-derg,
son of Carthann Finn, son of Blod, son of Cas, son of Conall of the Fleet
Steeds, son of Lugaidh Menn, son of Aengus Tirech, son of Fer-corb, son
of Mogh-corb, son of Cormac Cas, son of Olild Olum, of the line of Eber;
and his mother was Bebinn, daughter of Arcadh, son of Murcadh, king of
West Connaght.
Another version has him as the son of Sam and Janet.
regards, SeanRuad~ *{:-) near Boston
of the BRODERICKs of Ballymalis, Co. Kerry, near the castle, and
the WHELTONs of Desert, Clonakilty, near the quarry
Stewart L Baldwin
: In article <Pine.SOL.3.91.960103123640.26163A-100000@orionc0>, "Jeffrey T.
: Chipman" <jchi...@MAIL.ORION.ORG> wrote:
: > Weis in AR7 line 175 states that the ancestry of Brian Boru, d. 1014,
: > usurper of the high kingship of Ireland, is unproven. What if anything
: > is known about his ancestry?
: In "The Genealogist," v. I, no. 1 (1980), David H. Kelley gives an ancestry
: of Brian Boru on p. 22:
: THE DALCASSIANS (MUNSTER)...subsequent kings of Munster and of Ireland but
: a line not of major importance until the 10th century... briefly, it is:
: 1. Conall
: 2. Tal Cass (brother of Sain Maclaisre)
: 3. Blat (whose brother Setna was father of Mainchine, Bishop of Limerick)
: 4. Cairthenn Find
: 5. Eochu Ballderg
: 6. Conall, brother of Saint Breacan
: 7. Aed
: 8. Caidlene/Cathal
: 9. Tairdelbach
: 10. Mathgamain, brother of Saint Flannan.
: 11. Anluan
: 12. Corcc
: 13. Lachtnae
: 14. Lorccan
: 15. Cennetig m. Be Bind, d/o Aurchad of West Connacht
: 16. Brian Borama/Boroimhe/Boru "of the Tributes"...who rose from king of
: the Dalcassians to king of Munster and eventually usurped the high kingship
: of Ireland, b. 940.
: Kelley's article is titled "The Ancestry of Eve of Leinster" and deals with
: some 14 lines of ancient Irish descent (including, individually, up to 29
: generations), all connected, and is certainly a MUST for anyone stomping
: about in this neck of the woods in those ancient times.
: I would suggest locating the article and requesting a reprint. I know it is
: available at the NEHGS library in Boston, and one quite likely can find it
: closer to home.
: --
: Tom Camfield - camf...@olympus.net
Unfortunately, in most cases, the experts on Irish history have
not yet studied the early Irish genealogies in enough detail to
say at exactly what generation they become historical. The
writers who concocted the phony "Milesian" genealogies used a
large amount of genuine genealogical tradition for the later
generations, with the result that it is often not possible to
tell where the pseudohistory ends and the genuine genealogy
begins (although it is a good bet that 99 percent of the pre-
fifth century material is false). The article by Kelley on the
ancestry of Eve of Leinster should be read with this in mind.
While most of the ancestries given in Kelley's article will
probably stand the test of time, more detailed studies on the
individual families will probably show that the earlier
generations have to be discarded in some cases.
Brian Boru's genealogy is one of these, because it has been
proven that the earlier generations in his genealogy were a
deliberate falsification, done to hide the fact that Brian was
descended from one of the minor septs of Ireland, rather than
from the illustrious Eoganachta (whose genealogy seems to have
been itself falsified at an earlier date - see Sproule's article
cited below).
Brian was descended from the minor sept called the Deisi, and in
fact came from a branch of the Deisi called "In Deis Becc", which
could be translated "little Deisi". "In Deis Becc" was divided
into two sections, "In Deis Deiscirt", and "In Deis Tuascairt",
of which Brian belonged to a branch of the latter called "Ui
Toirdelbaig", named after Toirdelbach, an ancestor who lived in
the eighth century. The first member of Ui Toirdelbaig to become
even a minor king was Lorcan, Brian's grandfather, but the
family's fortunes rose swiftly after that to become one of the
most poweful in Ireland.
It was not good press for such a prominent dynasty of rulers to
be descended from such an obscure family, so they did what was
apparently common practice. They faked their own genealogy. A
genealogy was invented for them which tied into the Eoganact
family so far back that it was centuries beyond human memory, and
they then even gave themselves a new name, "Dal Chais" (or "Dal
Cais"), after their new phony ancestor. Fortunately for modern
scholarship, they did not cover their tracks well enough, and
enough solid evidence survives to convict them of this act of
pedigree faking (which to them was probably just good politics).
[Side note: This kind of pedigree faking is exactly the kind of
thing I was referring to when I discussed my skepticism of the
very early Celtic pedigrees in the "Old King Cole" thread.]
So, where does the fiction end and the history begin? That is a
tough one. The earliest ancestor of Brian who is anything more
than a name was his grandfather Lorcan, but there seems to be no
reason to doubt the genealogy back to Toirdelbach (8th century),
after whom the sept of Ui Toirdelbaig was named. Some of the
generations before Toirdelbach might even be genuine, but it is
difficult to tell where the real genealogy ends and the phony
link with the Eoganachta begins. Maybe future research will
clear this up.
Suggested references:
1. "Brian Boruma, King of Ireland", by John Ryan, in "North
Munster Studies" (Limerick, 1967), pp. 355-374.
2. "Origins of the Eoganachta", by David Sproule, in the journal
"Eriu", vol. 35 (Dublin, 1984), pp. 31-37.
3. "Dal Cais - Church and Dynasty", by Donncha O Corrain, in
"Eriu", vol. 24 (1973), pp. 52-63.
4. "Corpus Genealogiarum Hiberniae", ed. by M. A. O'Brien,
(Dublin, 1962), "volume 1" (There was never a second volume, as
far as I know.)
Stewart Baldwin
bal...@mail.auburn.edu
Note: Spellings of the names are inconsistent from one source
to the other. The Irish names often have accents not shown here.