In
the 14th century, Ui Maine chief ollamh and historian Seán Mór Ó
Dubhagáin, or John O’Dugan, did Ireland and historians all over the world a
great service with his topographical poems giving an account of the chiefs,
most of whom were kings under early Irish law, and septs and territories of
Ireland in the 11th century.
He preserved a picture Gaelic Ireland before the Conquest that would
otherwise be lost.
Understandably
with a work of this magnitude, he got a few details wrong and left several out,
in this latter case many of his vacancies of information filled by historian
John O’Hart in the 19th century.
O’Hart, however, preserved most of O’Dugan’s mistakes intact.
One
of O’Dugan’s known mistakes was his placing of the O’Fahertys of Delbhna Cuile
Fabhair in the territory of Muintir Fathaigh.
The territory so-named was actually that of the O’Faheys of Pobal Muintir Ui Fathaigh, a sept of Ui Maine, which, however, proved
as obedient as the MacGregors to the Campbells of Argyll in Scotland. Since O’Dugan left out the O’Faheys entirely,
however, there was no conflict apparent to the less knowledgeable. By the way, the proper name of the territory
of the O’Fahertys was Muintir Faithartaigh.
To
cut O’Dugan some slack on this count, an early 12th century tract on
the territory of Muintir Murchada, in whose domain the O’Fahertys were, gives
the same name to their territory (Muintir Fathaigh), so O’Dugan could be
forgiven that mistake had he also included the O’Faheys. I suspect that omission was due to O’Dugan’s
recognition of the contradiction and lack of desire to deal with it. Since he was chief ollamh for the Ui Maine,
he had to have been aware of their existence and the lack of their presence in
his poem could only have been deliberate.
I
believe O’Dugan also erred in ascribing the territories of Gno Mor (Gnomore)
and Gno Beag (Gnobeg) to the MacConroys and O’Heynys. This is probably an anachronism, and the more
likely origin of the two territories lies in the division of the former
territory of the Delbhna Tir Da Locha between the two sons of Brian na
nOinseach O’Flaherty (Murrough and Gilleduff) in the mid-13th
century.
The
poet, O’Dugan, composed his magnum opus in the mid-13th century, by
which time the two territories had been defined for a century. The lands in question lie between Loch Orbsen
(Loch Corrib) and River Galway to the east and Kilkieran Bay to the west, with
Loch Orbsen and the Partry Mountains to the north and Loch Lurgan (Galway Bay)
to the south.
That
they were one territory under one ruler is evident from the death notice in the
Annals of the Four Masters from 1142, that notes the death of the Mac Mheic
Conraoi (the title of the chief of the MacConroys), who is called “lord” (or “king”
in the original source) of Delbhna Tir Da Locha. Then there is the holy well in the Rahoon
parish townland of Knocknacarragh named Tobar Mac Conraoi lying midway between
Barna and the town of Galway. Since
surnames were at the time of the notice only a recent innovation, the holy well
probably dates from the same period, and its existence argues against the south
of the afore-defined territory being split.
While
the O’Heynys of O’Dugan were an influential family, they were probably not “of
Gno Beag”. Nor was their name properly “O’Heyny”,
or “O’hAdhnaidh”. That they possessed wide lands is not
improbable if they were erenaghs of Ballynspiddal, where St. Enda of Aran had
founded an abbey which had at least three daughter churches in the immediate
area. The name O’hAdhnaidh (“descendant
of the wise one”) in that form seems to be a poetic invention of O’Dugan. Other than in his poem and the writings of
those who followed his lead, no record exists with the names O’hAdhnaidh or O’Heyny. As erenaghs of Ballynspiddal, if so they
were, the name would much more likely have been written O’hEannaidh (the Irish
form of Enda is “Eanna”) and anglicized as O’Heaney.
The
other major family of the Delbhna Tir Da Locha were the MacAneaves, from Mac Giolla
na Naomh. Clearly of clerical origin,
these may have been erenaghs of Cloghmore, an abbey founded by St. Colmcille of
Iona, or of Portnacrossan, the most likely site for the abbey founded by St.
Cuimin Fada which became the chief church of the MacConroys. The MacAneaves may have also functioned as
brehons and dalaighs, though that is only speculation.
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