Footnotes for article:
'Desmond: The Early Years, & The Career of Cormac Mac Carthy'


  1. G. MacNiocaill, Ireland before the Vikings, (Dublin 1972).
    D. Ó Corráin, Ireland before the Normans, (Dublin 1972).
    F.J. Byrne, Irish kings and high-kings, (London 1971).


  2. Ó Corráin, op. cit., pp. 142-150.


  3. S. Mac Airt, (ed.), Annals of Inisfallen, (Dublin 1951), s.a. 1114.


  4. S. Ó hInnse, (ed.), Miscellaneous Irish Annals, (Dublin 1947), s.a. 1114.


  5. John MacErlean 'The Synod of Raith Breasail' in Archivium Hibernicum, III, (1914), pp. 3-4.


  6. The following survey was derived from the various Irish annals.


  7. cf. John O'Donovan, (ed.), Annals of the Four Masters, (Dublin 1848/51), s.a. 1102.  In this year we see the men of Uí Echach attack the Corca Laoigde in revenge for the latter's killing of an O'Donaghue.
    For Mael Seachlainn O'Callaghan cf. AFM 1121.


  8. Corca Laoigde coincided with the C. of I. diocese of Ross which, unlike the later R.C. diocese, retains Béarra.  Indeed the Corca Laoigde genealogies indicate that the O'Driscolls are descended from the Uí Boilc of Béarra.  cf. J. O'Donovan, Miscellany of the Celtic Society, (Dublin 1846), pp. 8-9 and 12-13.


  9. See Ó Corráin, 'Regnal succession in Ciarraighe Luachra', Journal of the Kerry Archaeological and Historical Society, 1968.


  10. I interpret AI 1118 as indicating that the O'Falveys atttempted to oust the O'Sheas from the kingship with Ostman support.


  11. These Mac Carthys are descended from Cárthach son of Saerbhreathach, † 1045.  He was quite a formidable character who captured the kingship of Cashel and held it against an O'Donaghue rebellion supported by Ossory and Ara. Cárthach met a fiery death at Cashel in 1045.  cf. AFM 1042, 1045.


  12. AI 1115.


  13. A. Bugge, (ed.), Caithréim Cheallacháin Chaisil, Christiana 1905.  See the prominence of the O'Sullivans and O'Riordans, especially in chap. 7.  For a critical analysis see Ó Corráin, 'C.C.C.: History or Propaganda?', ÉRIÚ xxv (1974), pp. 9-10.
    For the date of the composition see ÉRIÚ pp. 57-60.  I would tie the date more specifically to 1128-31 on the grounds that the original text appears to pre-date the submission of Leinster ro Munster in 1131.  Note for instance the measures outlined in Chap. 46 to protect Munster against Leinster.  The capture of Leinster and Dublin in the text (Chaps. 90-100) seems to have been a later addition (ÉRIÚ p. 51) refleting the submission of Mac Murrough in 1131.


  14. See Chap. 21 of C.C.C., and discussion by Ó Corráin, ÉRIÚ, pp. 16-18.


  15. MIA 1118.


  16. Note for instance how Mac Carthy's Book takes care to distinguish them from the king of Desmond, and also that the 'vassals' deposed Tadhg and Cormac in 1123 and 1127 respectively.


  17. Note that the O'Bricks and O'Callaghan were replaced by dynasties favourable to Mac Carthy, viz. O'Phelan and O'Mahony.


  18. AI 1120.


  19. AFM 1121.  For what follows see also AI, MIA and Whitley Stokes, (ed.), 'Annals of Tigernach', Révue Celtique XVIII, (1879), under the same year.


  20. AFM 1123.


  21. MIA 1123, which names the sub-kings as O'Mahony, O'Sullivan, O'Keefe, O'Moriarty and O'Phelan.


  22. C.C.C., p.61.


  23. By contrast the inauguration ceremony of the kings of Connacht remained 'purely pagan' throughout the middle ages.  cf. K.W. Nicholls, Gaelic and Gaelicised Ireland, (Dublin 1972), p. 29.


  24. C.C.C. p. 76.


  25. Register of St Thomas, Charter 242 (1183 A.D.), p. 205.


  26. As well as St Bernard's Life of Malachy, see AFM and MIA 1138.


  27. B. Scott, Malachy, (Dublin 1976), p. 43.


  28. Alternatively they may heve been alienated by Mac Cacthy's invasion of neighbouring Muskerry.


  29. Here I follow Professor J. Ryan's identification of Áth Caille with Limerick.


  30. AT 1124.


  31. AI 1124 and MIA 1124.


  32. AT, AI and MIA 1124 all intimate that Cormac led the allies.


  33. AT 1125.


  34. AI 1125.


  35. MIA 1125.


  36. Ó Corráin, ÉRIÚ xxv, p. 13.


  37. AT 1126.


  38. AI 1126.


  39. Such ships were quite small of course, cf. AT 1124.


  40. AI 1127.


  41. MIA 1127 (corrected from 1126).


  42. AT 1127.


  43. AFM 1127.


  44. That Viking church stood on the site of St Nicholas' Church.  The entry is almost certainly derived from a local source, and this would explain why it was displaced into AFM 1126.


  45. Wm. Hennessy, (ed.), Chronicum Scotorum, 1119 (recte 1127); MIA 1126 (recte 1127).


  46. A. Gwynn, 'St Malachy of Armagh', Irish Ecclesiastical Record 71, p.145.


  47. MIA 1126 (recre 1127), and see note 49.


  48. Gwynn, op. cit., p. 145.  But O'Brien made him king of Munster.


  49. For Connacht possession of Co. Clare cf. annals for 1131 when the area is preyed upon by the Munster forces and defended by Connacht.  One can dismiss suggestions thar Clare sought to remain neutral; it was after all the homeland of the Dál Cais.  Note also that Limerick is the only Ostman port not supporting Munster against Connacht in 1133.


  50. C.C.C., Chap. 60.


  51. Ó Corráin, ÉRIÚ p. 22.


  52. C.C.C., P. 60.


  53. For these disturbances cf. AI 1127 and Gwynn, op. cit., p. 59.


  54. cf. AI 1128.


  55. AT 1127.


  56. AI 1128 and MIA 1128.


  57. AFM 1130 and AT 1130.


  58. See note 13 and also the bizarre episode of the thief who stole the valuables of Clonmacnoise -- AFM 1130.


  59. See note 12 and MIA 1125.


  60. Ó Corráin, ÉRIÚ pp. 8-9.


  61. I would also read significance into the comment in C.C.C. (Chap. 22) (ÉRIÚ xxv, p. 18), where the 'hero', having plundered the Eóghanacht Locha Léin, takes the booty 'back to Muskerry' i.e. an implied 'back to base'.


  62. E. Bolster, History of the diocese of Cork I, (Shannon 1972), pp. 75-6.


  63. See for instance, how quickly Ossory submits in the Caithréim and observe that there is no reference to Ossory in 1131 when O'Brien exacts hostages from Mac Murrough.


  64. MIA 1131 and AT 1131.


  65. AFM 1131.


  66. D. Murphy, Annals of Clonmacnoise, Dublin 1896. s.a. 1131.


  67. A.F.M. 1131.  Lough Sewdy seems to have been the Connacht base of operations.


  68. A. Clon. 1131 and AT 1131.


  69. AT 1132.


  70. AFM 1132.


  71. MIA 1132.


  72. MIA 1134 (recte 1133).


  73. AFM 1133.


  74. For the rehabilitation of the ex-rebels cf. Donnchadh Mac Carthy of Decies surrendering hostages for that kingdom in 1137, and his continued domicile there -- MIA 1142.
    Finguine O'Keefe regained his kingship and died fighting for Cormac in 1135.  The O'Moriartys too regained their kingship from the O'Carrolls.


  75. C. Webster, The diocese of Cork, (Cork 1920), pp. 73-5.  Bolster, op. cit., pp. 96-7.


  76. Gwynn, op. cit., p. 147 and MIA 1138.


  77. See Byrne, op. cit., p. 191.


  78. Kuno Meyer, (ed.), The Vision of Mac Conglinne, (London 1898), p. 48.  The original version of the 'Vision' was written by an Ulster cleric who savagely criticizes the monks of St Fin Barre's of Cork for their poor hospitality.  But the version preserved in the Leabhar Breac was written by a Cork cleric c. 1133 when the story of king of Munster possessed by a demon of gluttony took on immediate relevance.  But not only does the Corkman liken Cormac to the king in the 'Vision', he also transforms the 'hero-martyr' of the original version into a veritable villain!


  79. Meyer, op. cit., p. 6.


  80. AT 1134.


  81. MIA 1134.


  82. MIA 1135 and AFM 1135.  The casualties included Finguine O'Keefe, king of Fermoy, Mathgamain O'Donaghue, king of Cinél Laoghaire, Cian son of Donnchadh Donn O'Mahony, king of Uí Echach, Lochlann Ua Cineadha, king of Imokilly, O'Kinneally of Connello and O'Ring.


  83. Note Donnchadh's submission of Decies in 1137, his return there after the abortive coup of 1142, and subsequent Mac Carthy control of the Lismore district until 1185.


  84. MIA 1136.


  85. MIA 1137.


  86. AFM 1137.


  87. MIA 1138.


  88. A. Clon. 1139 (corrected from 1131).