The Kingdom of Ormond (

Modern Irish Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...

: - "East Munster") was a short-lived kingdom in medieval Ireland. It existed in 12th century AD, comprising the eastern part of

Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...

, in what is now

County Tipperary County Tipperary () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary (tow ...

, with parts of

County Kilkenny County Kilkenny () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the City status in Ir ...

and

County Waterford County Waterford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the city of Waterford. ...

. The kingdom was formed from a partition of the preceding

Kingdom of Munster The Kingdom of Munster () was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland which existed in the south-west of the island from at least the 1st century BC until 1118. According to traditional Irish history found in the ''Annals of the Four Masters'', the kingdom ...

. It was a fief of the

O'Kennedy The O'Kennedy family (Irish language, Irish: ''Ó Cinnéide''), sometimes Kennedy, were an Irish royal dynasty, a sept of the Dál gCais, founded in the Middle Ages who were Kings of Ormond. Their founder was the nephew of High King of Ireland ...

family and later invaded by the

Anglo-Normans The Anglo-Normans (, ) were the medieval ruling class in the Kingdom of England following the Norman Conquest. They were primarily a combination of Normans, Bretons, Flemings, French people, Frenchmen, Anglo-Saxons and Celtic Britons. Afte ...

, who created the Earldom of Ormond as part of the

Lordship of Ireland The Lordship of Ireland (), sometimes referred to retrospectively as Anglo-Norman Ireland, was the part of Ireland ruled by the King of England (styled as "Lord of Ireland") and controlled by loyal Anglo-Norman Lords between 1177 and 1542. T ...

, under the suzerainty of the Butler family. However, the O'Kennedys, now styled "Lords of Ormond",

Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' () or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' () are chronicles of Middle Ages, medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Genesis flood narrative, Deluge, dated as 2,242 Anno Mundi, years after crea ...

long struggled with the Butlers for control of the region. In 1336 a peace treaty was signed between the two families, but in 1347 the O'Kennedys were able to drive out the Butlers from Nenagh Castle and install there, keeping the manor for more than two hundred years. Two modern Irish baronies, Ormond Upper and

Ormond Lower Ormond Lower ( Irish: ''Urumhain Íochtarach'') is a barony in County Tipperary, Ireland. This geographical unit of land is one of 12 baronies in County Tipperary. Its chief town is Nenagh. The barony lies between Ormond Upper to the south-east ...

, are named after the kingdom.

Kings of Ormond

* Olaf Húa Ua Cennétig (...-1164) * Domnall Húa Ua Cennétig (...-1181) * Brian Ua Cennétig * Tomás Ua Cennétig, half-king of Ormond

References

{{Ireland-hist-stub History of County Tipperary Geography of County Tipperary Historical geography of Ireland Kingdoms of medieval Ireland