Cairpre Gabra is a corruption of
Irish: Cairbre Ua gCiardha and is best translated as "the descendants of Coirpre".
Coirpre mac Néill (Modern
Irish: Cairbre) was eldest son of the
Niall of the Nine Hostages the supposed ancestor of the southern
Uí Néill. [2] Tradition claims Coirpre married a Fir Bolg princess named Mulreany and ruled all of North Longford from the Moat of Granard. Coirpre also owned tracts near Lough Erne and the Carbury barony in Sligo.[7] The first
Uí Néill successes in Leinster were probably due to this Coirpre, supposedly a
high king of Ireland.[8]
The territory was presumably a frontier colony of the
Kingdom of Meath before the seventh century. An ancient folklore called "the Revolt of the Aithech Tuatha" named "the Tuath Glasraige” as ruling the territory around Granard and Lough Sheelin ("
Irish: Tuath Glasraighe im Chairbre [Gabhra] agus im Loch Silinn") but nothing further is known about the tribe.[10][11][12] Bracan mac
Máine Mór probably resided at Rathbracken townland to the north of Granard. His descendants, the "Tuath Brecraighi", were defeated by the Cenél Coirpri in AD 751.[13]
Cairpre Gabra
Between the fifth and seventh centuries, a branch of the
Uí Néill called the Cairpre Gabhra (
Irish: Cairbré Ua Ciarrdha - descendants of
Coirpre mac Néill) settled around
Granard and
Lough Sheelin in North
Tethbae (approximately
county Longford). Three distinct sub-septs of the
Cenel Coirpri listed in the genealogies were powerful circa 700AD, namely the "Cairpri Laigin", the "Cairpri Gabra", and "
Cairpri Dromma Cliab"[14] though current thinking now believes "Cairpri Laigin" was a later construct.[15] Furthermore, various related septs under the designations of Cenel Cairpre, Cairpre Mor, and Cairpre Gabra, figure in the
annals of Ulster from the seventh, eighth, and ninth century.[16] Cairpre Gabra is first mentioned in the
Irish Annals for the year AD731.[17] It is generally believed a larger Cairpre grouping stretched from Sligo to Longford at an early date taking in Leitrim and parts of Fermanagh (Tuatha Ratha or
Magheraboy) and it was divided in two by the expansion of the
Kingdom of Breifne under the
Uí Briúin.
Cairpre Gabra lay between the
tuaths of Luigne-Gailenga to the east,[n 3] and
Conmaicne Maigh Rein to the north-west.[2][18] Centred on Granard, Cairpre Gabra lay along the northern border of the ancient
Kingdom of Meath,[19] and comprised the barony of Granard, and at least part of the barony of Longford.[16] Cairbre may have extended as far east as Cúl (Coole) in county Westmeath).[20] The north-western frontier ran from Cluain Cusa (Clooncoose) through Crott (between Slieve Carbry and Lake Naback) over as far as Lough Gowna, but excluded the most northern portion of the modern barony of Granard.[10] The Cairpre territory was probably of limited extent by the 8th century.[2]
The principal churches were at Granard and Clonbroney,[21][22] supposedly given to
Saint Patrick when he visited "Coirpre" and instructed Guasacht mac Milchu to found a church at Granard, and two sisters, Emers, to found a church at Cluain Brónaigh (ClonBroney). Cairbre Gabra was therefore among the first Christianity centres in Ireland.[22]
Cairpre Gabra was not a strong
tuath and in the 11th century the O'Cairbres were conquered by the Ó Cuinns, Ó Fearghails, and other
Conmhaícne tribes. Caipre Gabra was absorbed into the larger
Annaly kingdom, so named after "Anghaile" the great-grandfather of Fearghail O'Farrell.[7][9] Annaly became Longphoirt, now Longford, after O'Farrell's fortress of this name.[23]
It is believed a section of the dynasty were introduced as lords of
Carbury in Kildare in a 12th-century intrusion following this pressure on their original territory in north-east Longford.[15] Ó Ciardha (O'Keary or O'Carey) were established as lords of Carbury from this group about the time of the
Norman invasion of Ireland.
Events
Dobbs (1938, 1941) summarizes many events connected to the ancient
Granard (barony) and Cairbre Gabra as follows-
A Prehistoric Battle of Cluain Cuas (Clooncose) was won by Tigernmas.[24]
AD 236 Cormac mac Airt defeated the Ulstermen at Granard.[12]
AD 581 Aed mac Brenann mac Briun mac
Máine Mór, king of Tethba, helped
Saint Columcille and the northern Uí Neill decisively defeat the Meath Uí Neill at the battle of Cúl Uinnsin, at the south end of Lough Gowna in Coirpre Gabra. The
Geas on the Kings of Tara "not to go into the dark country of North Tethba on a Tuesday" might originate from this defeat.[25]
AD 751 The "Uí Lachtnain" descendants of Eogan mac Bracan mac
Máine Mór and "kings of the Brecraighi" were annihilated by the Cenél Coirpri at "Kilfintan" (5 km south of Granard).[13]
AD 927 Ua Ruairc raided Cairbre and Taebata killing Ua Ciarrdha, the lord of Cairbre Gabhra.[26]
AD 983 Brian Boru raided the western
Kingdom of Meath and likely attacked Cairbre Gabra.[27]
AD 992 Maelruanaidh Ua Ciardha, king of Cairbre, was killed by the men of Tethba.[27]
AD 1012 Cairbre Gabhra were involved in a raid on the Gailenga in Cavan and the
Kingdom of Meath. Pursued home, Ualgharg Ua Ciardha, lord of Cairbre, and many others were killed.[28]
AD 1046 Ua Ciardha, lord of Cairbre Gabhra, was killed by the lord of Tethba (Ua Flannagain of Comar).[29]
AD 1066 Many of the Cairbre Gabhra were slaughtered probably in revenge for plundering Scrin Choluimchille (
Skreen in
County Meath).[30]
AD 1069 Cairpre Gabhra and the church of Granard were burnt by the lord of Fine-gall, possibly in revenge for the burnings of
Lusk and
Swords churches the previous year.[31]
AD 1070 The men of Tethba were defeated by Ua Ruairc of Breifne.[31]
AD 1184 Cairpre Gabra disappear as an individual principality following the Norman invasion.[32]
^Tethbae (
Latin: Teffia) originally referred to an area north of the River Inny approximating to present day County Longford.[1] County Longford was sometimes called Upper Conmaicne, to distinguish it from south Leitrim, then called Lower Conmaicne, because both districts were ruled by the descendants of Conmac, son of Fergus and Queen Meadbh of Connacht.
^Ó Duígeannáin wrote "OG. following O'Donovan wrongly locates Cairbre Ua gCiardha in the barony of Carbury, Co. Kildare. Actually it was identical with Cairpre Gabra".[9]
Ó Duígeannáin, Mícheál (1935). "Notes on the History of the Kingdom of Bréifne". The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. 5 (1). Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland: 113–140.
JSTOR25513764.
Dobbs, Margaret E. (1938). "The Territory and People of Tethba". The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. Seventh Series, Vol. 8, No. 2 (2). Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland: 241–259.
JSTOR25510138.
Secondary references
Byrne, Francis John (2001). Irish kings and High Kings (2nd ed.). Dublin: Four Courts.
ISBN9781851825523.
Mahon, William (1988).
Glasraige, Tóecraige, and Araid: Evidence from Ogam. Vol. Proceedings of the Harvard Celtic Colloquium, Volumes 8-9. Department of Celtic Languages and Literatures, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University.
O Croinin, Daibhi (1976). Theodore William Moody; Francis X. Martin; Francis John Byrne; Art Cosgrove (eds.).
A New History of Ireland: Prehistoric and early Ireland. Vol. 1 of A New History of Ireland, Theodore William Moody, Volume 1 of A New History of Ireland: Prehistoric and Early Ireland, Ed. by Daibhi O Croinin, W. E. Vaughan (illustrated, reprint ed.). Oxford University Press.
ISBN0198217374.
Dobbs, Margaret E. (1941). "The Territory and People of Tethba (Continued)". The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. Seventh Series, Vol. 11, No. 3 (3). Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland: 101–110.
JSTOR25510301.