The Uí Dúnlainge, from the Old Irish "grandsons (or descendants) of Dúnlaing", were an Irish dynasty of Leinster kings who traced their descent from Dúnlaing mac Énda Niada. He was said to be a cousin of Énnae Cennsalach, eponymous ancestor of the rival Uí Chennselaig. Their claims to the kingship of

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of ...

were unopposed after the death of Áed mac Colggen in the Battle of Ballyshannon on the 19th August 738AD. Three of the sons of Murchad mac Brain (d. 727), Dunchad, Faelan, and Muiredach reigned in turn after him as kings of Leinster. These kings were progenitors of the most powerful branches of Ui Dunlainge in the following three centuries: Ui Dunchada, Ui Faelain, and Ui Muiredaig. These three kindreds rotated the kingship of Leinster between them from 750AD to 1050AD. This is unusual in early Irish history as it was the equivalent of "keeping three oranges in the air" (the east Ulster kingdom of

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 ...

also rotated the kingship between families). Fourteen Uí Muiredaig kings (from whom descend the

O'Toole family The O'Toole ( ga, Ó Tuathail) family of Leinster, formerly one of the leading Royal families of that province, descended from Tuathal Mac Augaire, King of Leinster (died 958), of the Uí Muiredaig branch of the Uí Dúnlainge dynasty. Not al ...

) were based at

Mullaghmast Mullaghmast ( ga, Mullach Maistín), (modern spelling in English is Mullamast) is a hill in the south of County Kildare, Leinster, near the village of Ballitore and near the borders with Wicklow, Laois and Carlow. It was an important site in pr ...

/Máistín. Nine Uí Faelain kings (from whom descend the O'Byrne family) were based at Naas/Nás na Ríogh and ten Uí Dúnchada kings (later known as the MacGillaMo-Cholmoc and, after the Norman invasion, renamed the FitzDermots) were based at Lyons Hill/ Líamhain nearest to Dublin city. By the end of this remarkable run, the kingship of Leinster was being rotated between 7th cousins. The Fitzdermots later gave their names to the placenames

Dolphin's Barn Dolphin's Barn () is an inner city suburb of Dublin, Ireland, situated on the Southside of the city in the Dublin 8, and partially in the Dublin 12, postal district. Etymology The district's name possibly derives from an Anglo-Norman family n ...

and Ballyfermot. Eoghan Corry and Jim Tancred; ''Annals of Ardclough'' (2004). The influence of the Uí Dúnlainge family helped secure place-myths for prominent Kildare landmarks in the heroic and romantic literature such as the Dindseanchas, '' Dinnshenchas Érenn'' as one of the "assemblies and noted places in Ireland". After the death of the last Kildare-based King of Laighin, Murchad Mac Dunlainge in 1042, the Kingship of Leinster reverted to the Uí Cheinnselaig kindred based in the south east of Leinster.

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