The Dáirine (Dárine, Dáirfine, Dáirfhine, Dárfine, Dárinne, Dairinne), later known dynastically as the

Corcu Loígde The Corcu Loígde (Corcu Lóegde, Corco Luigde, Corca Laoighdhe, Laidhe), meaning Gens of the Calf Goddess, also called the Síl Lugdach meic Itha, were a kingdom centred in West County Cork who descended from the proto-historical rulers of Mun ...

and associated, were the proto-historical rulers of

Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following t ...

before the rise of the Eóganachta in the 7th century AD. They were derived from or closely associated with the

Darini The Darini (Δαρῖνοι) (manuscript variant: Darnii �άρνιοι were a people of ancient Ireland mentioned in Ptolemy's 2nd century '' Geography'' as living in south Antrim and north Down. Their name implies descent from an ancestor calle ...

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...

and were also related to the

Ulaid Ulaid (Old Irish, ) or Ulaidh ( Modern Irish, ) was a Gaelic over-kingdom in north-eastern Ireland during the Middle Ages made up of a confederation of dynastic groups. Alternative names include Ulidia, which is the Latin form of Ulaid, and in ...

and Dál Riata of

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

and

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

.O'Rahilly 1946 Their ancestors appear frequently in the Ulster Cycle. In historical times the Dáirine were represented, as stated, by the

, the

Uí Fidgenti The Uí Fidgenti, Fidgeinti, Fidgheinte, Fidugeinte, Fidgente, or Fidgeinte ( or ;In the pronunciation, the -d- is silent, and the -g- becomes a glide, producing what might be anglicized ''Feeyenti'' or ''Feeyenta''. "descendants of, or of the ...

and Uí Liatháin, as well as a few other early historical kindreds of both Munster and Ulster. In ancient genealogical schemes, the historical Dál Fiatach of Ulaid also belong to the Dáirine.

History

Dáirine can sometimes refer to the Érainn dynasties as a whole instead of the distinct royal septs mentioned above. The Dáirine of Munster were said to descend from a certain

Dáire Dáire is an Old Irish name which fell out of use at an early period, remaining restricted essentially to legendary and ancestral figures, usually male. It has come back into fashion since the 18th century. The anglicised form of this name is D ...

(''*Dārios''), both

Dáire Doimthech Dáire Doimthech (Dáire "poor house"), alias Dáire Sírchréchtach ("the ever-wounded"), son of Sithbolg, was a legendary King of Tara and High King of Ireland, and one of the eponymous ancestors of the proto-historical Dáirine and historical ...

(Sírchrechtach), ancestor of the Corcu Loígde, and from

Dáire mac Dedad Dáire mac Dedad (Dáire, son of Dega) is the eponymous ancestor of the Dáirine of Munster and father of the legendary Cú Roí mac Dáire. These further associate him with the prehistoric Darini of Ulster. He is probably identical with Dáire Do ...

, father of

Cú Roí Cú Roí mac Dáire (Cú Ruí, Cú Raoi) is a king of Munster in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He is usually portrayed as a warrior with superhuman abilities and a master of disguise possessed of magical powers. His name probably means "hou ...

. The two are quite probably identical.Pokorny 1918 The medieval genealogists were aware of the confusion and noted it in the

Book of Glendalough Oxford, Bodleian Library, Rawlinson B 502 is a medieval Irish manuscript which presently resides in the Bodleian Library, Oxford. It ranks as one of the three major surviving Irish manuscripts to have been produced in pre-Norman Ireland, the tw ...

(Rawlinson B 502). At some point the pedigree tradition of the Corcu Loígde diverged in its forms and ceased to closely match those more common elsewhere in Ireland. The Clanna Dedad take their name from Cú Roí's grandfather Dega, son of Sen (the Old). Notable is that the Dáirine were greatly renowned as a warlike military

caste Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultur ...

, in contrast to their agricultural and relatively peaceful successors. According to the Táin Bó Flidais, the Clanna Dedad were one of the three warrior-races (laech-aicmi) of Ireland, the others being the Clanna Rudraige (their Ulaid cousins), and the Gamanrad of Irrus Domnann, who were related to the

Laigin The Laigin, modern spelling Laighin (), were a Gaelic population group of early Ireland. They gave their name to the Kingdom of Leinster, which in the medieval era was known in Irish as ''Cóiced Laigen'', meaning "Fifth/province of the Leinsterm ...

. However, the Dáirine appear to be most remembered in the surviving corpus for their allegedly bloody and harsh rule, in some tales even coming across as monstrous. This portrayal may or may not have any basis in ancient fact, and is possibly the invention of historians and storytellers. Among the known surviving

septs A sept is a division of a family, especially of a Scottish or Irish family. The term is used in both Scotland and Ireland, where it may be translated as ''sliocht'', meaning "progeny" or "seed", which may indicate the descendants of a person (f ...

of princely origins in Munster are O'Driscoll, O'Leary,

Coffey Coffey may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Coffey (surname) * Coffey Anderson (born 1978), American country and gospel singer and songwriter Places * Coffey, Missouri, a city in Daviess County, Missouri * Coffey County, Kansas * Coffey County Airport, ...

, Hennessy and Flynn, all descendants of Lugaid Mac Con. In

the Dál Fiatach septs are Haughey/ Hoey and Donlevy/

Dunleavy Donlevy is a firstname and surname of Irish origin. Also spelt as MacDonlevy, Donleavy, Dunleavy, MacAleavey, and McAlevey, it derives from the Irish ''Mac Duinnshléibhe'', meaning "son of Donn of the mountain". ''Ó Duinnshléibhe'' is a variant ...

.The Kingdom of Ulster
by Dennis Walsh The semi-historical

Mongfind Mongfind (or Mongfhionn in modern Irish)—meaning "fair hair" or "white hair"—is a figure from Irish legend. She is said to have been the wife, of apparent Munster origins, of the legendary High King Eochaid Mugmedón and mother of his eldes ...

and

Crimthann mac Fidaig Crimthann Mór, son of Fidach , also written Crimthand Mór, was a semi-mythological king of Munster and High King of Ireland of the 4th century. He gained territory in Britain and Gaul, but died poisoned by his sister Mongfind. It is possible ...

may have derived from peripheral septs of the Dáirine, but this cannot be proved.

Figures

Legendary figures belonging to the Dáirine, descendants (and family) of

, include: * Cú Roí mac Dáire * Lugaid mac Con Roí * Conganchnes mac Dedad * Fiatach Finn *

Lugaid Loígde Lugaid Loígde "Lugaid of the Calf Goddess", also known as Lugaid mac Dáire, was a legendary King of Tara and High King of Ireland. He is a son of Dáire Doimthech, ancestor of the Dáirine, and gives his epithet to their principal royal sept, the ...

Rechtaid Rígderg Rechtaid Rígderg ("red king"), son of Lugaid Laigdech, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. He took power after killing Macha Mong Ruad, daughter of his father's killer, Áed Rúad. He ruled f ...

* Mac Con * Fothad Cairpthech and Fothad Airgthech *

Eochaid Étgudach Eochaid or Eochu Étgudach ("possessing clothes") or Etgedach ("negligent"?), son of Dáire Doimthech, son of Conghal, son of Eadaman, son of Mal, son of Lugaid, son of Íth, son of Breogán, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical ...

Óengus Bolg Óengus Bolg, son of Lugaid, son of Mac Nia, son of Mac Con, son (or descendant) of Lugaid Loígde, son of Dáire Doimthech,O'Brien, p. 262O'Donovan was a king of the Corcu Loígde, and an ancestor of the Eóganachta "inner circle" through his dau ...

Byrne 2001, p. 193Charles-Edwards 2000, p. 611 *

Aimend In Irish mythology and genealogy, Aimend is the daughter of Óengus Bolg, king of the Dáirine or Corcu Loígde. She marries Conall Corc, founder of the Eóganachta dynasties, and through him is an ancestor of the "inner circle" septs of Eóganac ...

* (

) * (

)

In the Ulster Cycle

* Fled Bricrenn *

Mesca Ulad ''Mesca Ulad'' (English: ''The Intoxication of the Ulaid''; the Ulstermen) is a narrative from the Ulster Cycle preserved in the 12th century manuscripts the Book of Leinster and in the Lebor na hUidre. The title ''Mesca Ulad'' occurs only in the ...

* Táin Bó Cúailnge * Táin Bó Flidhais

Mac Con Cycle

* Cath Maige Mucrama

Notes

References

* Best, R.I., Osborn Bergin, M.A. O'Brien and Anne O'Sullivan (eds)
The Book of Leinster, formerly Lebar na Núachongbála
6 vols. Dublin: DIAS, 1954–83
Fland mac Lonain cecinit.
* Byrne, Francis John, ''Irish Kings and High-Kings''. Four Courts Press. 2nd revised edition, 2001. * Charles-Edwards, T.M., ''Early Christian Ireland''. Cambridge. 2000. * Hull, Vernan
"Conall Corc and the Corcu Loígde"
in ''Proceedings of the Modern Languages Association of America 62'' (1947): 887–909. * Geoffrey Keating, with David Comyn and Patrick S. Dinneen (trans.)
The History of Ireland by Geoffrey Keating
4 Vols. London: David Nutt for the Irish Texts Society. 1902–14. * MacNeill, Eoin
"Early Irish Population Groups: their nomenclature, classification and chronology"
in ''Proceedings of the

Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ga, Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier learned society and one its leading cultural ...

(C) 29''. 1911. pp. 59–114 * Meyer, Kuno (ed.)
"The Laud Genealogies and Tribal Histories"
in ''Zeitschrift für Celtische Philologie 8''. Halle/Saale, Max Niemeyer. 1912. Pages 291–338. * Ó Corráin, Donnchadh, "Corcu Loígde: Land and Families", in ''Cork: History and Society. Interdisciplinary Essays on the History of an Irish County'', edited by Patrick O'Flanagan and Cornelius G. Buttimer. Dublin: Geography Publications. 1993. * Ó Corráin, Donnchadh (ed.)
Genealogies from Rawlinson B 502
University College, Cork: Corpus of Electronic Texts. 1997. * Ó Corráin, Donnchadh, "Prehistoric and Early Christian Ireland", in Foster, Roy (ed.), ''The Oxford Illustrated History of Ireland''. Oxford University Press. 2001. pgs. 1–52. * O'Donovan, John (ed. and tr.), Annala Rioghachta Eireann. Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters, from the Earliest Period to the Year 1616. 7 vols. Royal Irish Academy. Dublin. 1848–51. 2nd edition, 1856. * O'Donovan, John (ed.), "The Genealogy of Corca Laidhe", i
Miscellany of the Celtic Society
Dublin. 1849
alternative scan
* O'Hart, John
Irish Pedigrees
Dublin. 5th edition, 1892. * O'Rahilly, Thomas F., ''Early Irish History and Mythology''. Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. 1946. * Pokorny, Julius
"Beiträge zur ältesten Geschichte Irlands (3. Érainn, Dári(n)ne und die Iverni und Darini des Ptolomäus)"
in '' Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie 12'' (1918): 323–57. * Sproule, David
"Origins of the Éoganachta"
in ''Ériu 35'' (1984): pp. 31–37. * Sproule, David
"Politics and pure narrative in the stories about Corc of Cashel"
in ''Ériu 36'' (1985): pp. 11–28.

DIL

eDIL – Dictionary of the Irish Language
Letter: D1 (D-Degóir), Columns 35 and 36

Ulster Cycle

* Cross, Tom Peete and Clark Harris Slover (eds.), ''Ancient Irish Tales''. Henry Holt and Company. 1936. * Gantz, Jeffrey (tr.), ''Early Irish Myths and Sagas''. Penguin. 1981. * Hellmuth, Petra Sabine, "A Giant Among Kings and Heroes: Some preliminary thoughts on the character Cú Roí mac Dáire in medieval Irish literature", in ''Emania 17'' (1998): 5–11. * Kinsella, Thomas (tr.), ''The Tain''. Oxford. 1969.

Mac Con

Ailill Aulom, Mac Con, and Find ua Báiscne

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dairine Munster Kingdoms of ancient Ireland Tribes of ancient Ireland Celtic kingdoms Historical Celtic peoples O'Donovan family