Armagh the biggest inland settlement in Ireland was within its boundaries. They were traditionally vassals of their much stronger relations but by 1170 had orientated themselves to the more powerful force of the O’Connors in Connacht. The kingdom was a state of collapse by the time the Normans invaded.Īirgialla – Its ruling family the O’Carrols were very distantly related to the O’Neills. Meath – Once the powerful Southern O”Neill Kingdom, by 1170 it was ruled by the descendents of the last Southern O’Neill high-king Maelseachnaill II (d. Leadership within Cenel Eoghain was fought out between the McLochlainns and the O’Neills both descended from an ancestral patriarch Niall of the Black Knee (d.919). This is not strictly speaking the correct term, The O’Neill kingdom was a federation of several kingdoms ruled by the Cenel Eoghain sept. More to follow on this in upcoming shows. Tiernan was assassinated at the Hill of Ward (check out this show for more information) in 1172 and a major power struggle erupted.
After the collapse of O’Neill power in 1166 (check out the Norman Invasion part I) Rory O’Connor was unquestionably the most powerful king in Ireland.īreifne – Known as the rough third of Connacht, under the stewardship of Tiernan O’Rourke it had become an independent power in its own right. There is a brief history of the various kingdoms below.Ĭonnacht – While there were several families competing for the kingship by the 1120s the O’Connors had seen off their main rivals the O’Flahertys. While it is not exhaustive its does give a good picture of the major players competing for dominance. While most of the ancient boundaries of these kingdoms no longer exist, this map illustrates what Ireland looked like around 1170.
MAP OF A FEUDAL KINGDOMS SERIES
Much of this struggle is covered in the early episodes of my podcast series on the Norman Invasion. On the eve of the Norman Invasion, Ireland was divided into several rival kingdoms fighting a bloody and ruthless struggle to dominate the island.
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