Who Were the ‘Coolcarney’

[BuckeyeMike]

Uí Fiachroí, Calraige, Calry, Callraidhe, Mael Ruinaid?
All the above?
I am going to think out loud again. I'm still studying all the other relevant posts, please forgive me if I repeat what I’m sure you already know.

The early mentions of Coolcarney often point to the use of “Calraige’, ‘Callraidhe‘ sometimes interchanged within the same texts, and ‘Calry’ used for either or both. I’m trying to sort out this conflagration to determine if; as goes with other ancient documentation; “the ancient Calraige tribe, who lived in Calraidhe, also called Coolcarney, intermingled genetically with the Ui Fiachroi. Later Maelruanaid,- son of Tadg of the White Horse, by a partition with O'Conor got the great kingdom of Moylurg, which was made up at the expense of the Kerry of Artech, of the former Calry landowners of Moylurg, and of the Hy Ailella. And this new tribe had a great offshoot in the Mac- Donoghs. Thus the Hy Fiachrach spread from Carra and Tirawley over Tireragh, obliterating the Calry except in Coolcarney where they relied on the support of the Calraige to maintain power.

I wonder at what point this fellowship of Fiachroi and Calraige could have produced a genetic anomaly which now connects them, and baffles us today. How could this connect the BY20593 group, including the Donohoe gentleman I have located? I have to include him, his ancestor could be of the new, great offshoot tribe, of the MacDonoghs who descended from Maelruanaid,- son of Tadg.

To further muddy the waters, “Gaileanga, a territory in the county of Mayo, originally belonging to O’Gara and his correlatives, compromising the whole of present baroney of Gallen, except Coolcarney, which was part of Hy-Fiachrach.” The Genealogies, p. 491

Implied as a Tribe

The Calraige seem to gradually intermingle with the Ui Fiachroi in the mid 6th century. The mid 8th century saw “an ancient tribe called Calraige” were “absorbed” into the Sil Murray clans. Whether this was before, during, or after the “crushing” by the Ui Briuin or the later “slaughter” by the Ui Fiachroi I have yet to ascertain.

“The History of the County of Mayo to the Close of the 16th Century” – Herbert Thomas Knox, 1908 :

AD 430-461 : Calry of Coolcarney in St Patrick’s time (@430-461) . “He (St. Patrick) was opposed and threatened by the Calry of Coolcarney on one occasion.

AD 500+ : “During the first half of the 6th century, when they (Hy Fiachrach) no longer attain to the sovereignty of Ireland, they keep the sovereignty of Connaght in the line of Ailill Molt after which their power declines quickly.
At this time their power seems to have been based upon their immediate possessions of great extent, which were in my opinion the countries of Carra and Tirawley and Erris, inhabited by Ferdomnonn clans, whose names do not appear, save that of of the Corcu Temne in the north of Carra, and a clan of Calry about Magh Eleog, now represented by Moylaw in Crossmolina parish, and the mass of Calry who occupied Coolcarney in Mayo and all Tireragh and Carbury in Sligo, and the baronies of Rossclogher and Dromahaire in Leitrim, and the country of Moylurg in Rosscommon, and a part of Corran.
The power of Fiachra, Dathi, Ailill Molt and their immediate succesors seems to have been based on the support of the Calry, as the royal tribe which had grown up during their period of obscurity.”

AD 752-777 : “Moylurg was the country of an ancient tribe called Calraige that, over the centuries, had been absorbed by the expanding Sil Murray (later MacDermott) clan. MacNiacaill, in Ireland Before the Vikings, described the Calraighe of Moylurg as having been “crushed” by the Ui Briun in 752 AD, and “slaughtered” by the Ui Fiachrach in 777 AD.” ( see also Dynasties & Territories of Connacht Series )

AD 1105 : “An entry for 1105 reads: “MagRiabhaig (McGreevy), Nail, son of, lord of Callraighe, died, which seems to indicate that the McGreeveys were still the cheifs. - “Celtic Ireland West of the River Shannon “ by Patrick Lavin, 2003, p. 91

AD 1208? : “O'Moran, now Moran, a name still respectable in this district. It is stated in the Annals of the Four Masters, at the year 1208, that Amhlaoibh O'Rothlain, chief of Calruidhe Cuile Cearnadha, was slain by O'Moran. The O'Morans of this race are to be distinguished from the O'Morans of Clann Cathail, near Elphin, in the county of Roscommon.” The Genealogies, Tribes, and Customs of Hy-Fiachrach, commonly called O'Dowda's Country , p. 245

Implied as a Territory

The Genealogies, p. 491 refer to the area of Coolcarney as a part of the principality of Hy-Fiachrach. O’Donovan mentions that Calraidhe Cuile is often translated as Cuil Cearnadha, or Coolcarney. In the poetry of The Genealogies, Cuil Cernogha is a place of the “knotty hazels”, and “In Callraidhe of beautiful fruit-trees”. From The History of Sligo, Town and County · Volume 1 pg. 328: “The most charming, as well as the most historical spot IN Calry, is Hazelwood.” There is good evidence that the whole parish of Calry went occasionally by the name of Annagh, for in the Commonwealth Census of 1659, it is so designated.”

“Cuil-Cearnadha is called Calraidhe Cuile from its being in the corner or angle of Fith-Gathlaidh; and, if the learned say truly, it is to it the appellation of Calraidhe Innse-Nisc should be given. These are its hereditary tribes, namely, O'Rothlain its chieftain, and Ua Cuinn, Ua Iarnain, and Ua Finain.” The Genealogy of Corca Laidhe, p. 31

“- 114. Into Callraidhe of Cuil na g-cneadh,
I shall proceed to describe it,
Cuil Cernogha of the knotty hazles,*
Not unhappy are those in whom it is hereditary.
115. Four chieftains are in this upper country,
In Callraidhe of beautiful fruit-trees,
A festive party who have entered into our catalogue,
It is proper to name the noble youths.
116. Ma Cuinn and O'Rothlainn the ready,
O'h-Iarnain of dreadful arms,
Who injures the choicest of the foreigners,
And O'Finain, a great sheltering tree.
117. [From Bel Easa of the clear cataracts,
The extent of the country which was not oppressed,
To the Brosnach of impetuous current,
Which defends the head of Calraighe.” The Genealogies, Tribes, and Customs of Hy-Fiachrach, commonly called O'Dowda's Country p. 247-9

My next quest, which, if anyone knows is irrelevant please stop me : “Eochaidh Opthach. He was monarch of Ireland according to O'Flaherty's Chronology, A.M. 3432. Keating traces his pedigree to Lughaidh Mac Ith as follows: ‘Eochaidh Opthach, son of Finn, son of Oilill, son of Flann Ruadh, son of Rothlan, son of Mairtine, son of Sithchinn, son of Riaghlan, son of Eoan Breac, son of Lughaidh, son of Ith.’ From “The genealogy of Corca Laidhe (Author: Unknown), p.5 (section 1.)

[Webmaster]

Mike,

I think you already got it, but Calraige = Calraidhe = Calry, which was a tribal name. They are just spelling variants and Anglicization. Coolcarney is the name of the territory, an Anglicization derived from the Gaelic place names you quoted. The thing to remember is that in Ireland a territory got named for the ORIGINAL inhabitants, even if the later inhabitants were of a completely different heritage. That makes it more than a little confusing.

Finally, if you have not read this section, it gives the origin of the Calraige and explains why they were scattered all over the place:

The Genealogy Of Corca Laidhe, Section 7

Re Coolcarney, I think at the time of Gilla Ísu Már Mac Firbisig's topographical poem of ~1417 AD, the inhabitants were no longer Calraige descendants, but of a different heritage or heritages because they MAY not have been a single tribal group - similar to what we seem to be seeing with the Uí Maini. That COULD explain the Ó Rothláin chieftains. We just don't have enough data yet, but hopefully in the next couple of months we will have a strong indication about the real heritage of the Cland Maíl Ruanada.

Any genealogy tracing back to Ith, uncle of Milesius, is going to be highly doubtful before the 2nd century BC to the first century AD. From that time frame forward, there is a much better likelihood the genealogy is real. Also, despite the centuries of records to the contrary, the Dál Cuinn were never Milesian. We were a later invading group probably around the time frame of the 2nd or 1st century BC. This comes from the Laud 610 genealogies.

https://lists.rootsweb.com/hyperkitty/list/dna-r1b1c7@rootsweb.com/thread/34673813/

https://celt.ucc.ie/published/G105005/text001.html#p313

Darn, the first link may be broken, so from an old email copy:

Laud 610, one of the oldest if not the oldest collection of genealogies and tribal histories, has a section on the origin of the Dál Cuinn. I just found a translation for it done by some one the Old Irish list. John Mac Neill in his notes to Laud 610 states that:

"the origin story of Dál Cuinn, p. 313, indicating an early form of the legend of Mail, ancestor here not of all the Gaedhil but only of the race of Conn, who conquered the Picts, with whom his ancestors had shared the sovereignty;"

I suspect not all of it is correctly translated but it seems close. There are a couple of odd statements. In one, the unnamed ancestor of the Dál Cuinn is called the "second" Mil Espaine. In another section it seems to say the Dál Cuinn and Dál Fiatach were related. I am unable to link Mac Neill's statements with the text as translated. However, if they were a second wave of Milesian conquerors wouldn't that imply as O'Rahilly stated that they were late arrivals in Ireland? And that the invasion leader was not Conn of the Hundred Battles but some earlier ancestor? I was also struck by the fact that the Dál Cuinn mainly mention wars with the Cruithin of the north, the Dál nAraidhi. Could that mean they settled in the north? Jerry might have an opinion on some of the translation.

Here's the Laud 610 text:

35. Co fessaid bunad Dáil Chuind & a n-imthechta.

36. Trí maic Búain maic Loegairi Birnd ótá Ossirge, .i. Ailill, Óengus, Fíacc, ciatarochlannsat cletha hi Temuir.

37. Is hí amser indatánic in Míl Espáne tánaise ind-hÉirind, trí cóicit fer a llín.

38. Gabais Trácht Delossath & doforbertatar hi tír & adrartatar inreth már & gabsit tír and ar chlaideb.

39. Is amlaid rogabsat flaith ar chiumd & bid samlaid dogrés, tria hécin gabait flaith.

40. Is hí a chland Dál Cuind & Dál Fíachach. Asberat alaili bed di lucht na luinge forácabsat hi tír Amazonum .i. lasna cíchloiscthi in tEugan Táidlech.

41. In Míl Espáne dedenach immurgu, ba dóich lind bid din lucht forácaibset som hi cathir Breogaint.

42. Ocus is íarum dollotar dochum hÉirenn co nhúraib cathrach Themis leó.

43. Itt é side húra doléicthe hi Temair íar tóchil hÉirenn, conid Temair a hainm ind aird sin .i. theme .i. úr dind húir a Themis alacheill in sin.

44. Is hé in bith deédenach diand ebrath bith síl Chuind & Muman ind fhlaith co bráth.

45. Cruithnig conasensat in flaith friu. Is de dogéni Fínán mac Fíachrach di Dál Aride:

Manud báig ar Thipraite
báithum arber do suidiu,
secht cathae at chetharchait
ar secht cétaib is huilliu.

46. Conarnic cenél Cuinn, mebdatar an-nói díib, ar ba la Cruithniu ind fhlaith, conidtánic ind longes dedenach forsin lith tuaiscertaig sin.

47. Adroat doib dano cach la flaith conidtánic Conn Cétchathach.

48. Rofich trá Cond Cétchathach cét catha & cét n-imairec immon flaith sin frí Dál nAraide.

Translation:

35. So that ye may know the origin of Dál C. and their exploits.

36. Three sons of Búan mac Lóegaire Birn, from whom are [descended] the Osraige; i.e. Ailill, Óengus [and] Fíacc, who first planted house-posts in Tara.

37. It is the time in which the second Míl Espáine in Ireland came to them. Three fifties of men their number.

38. He reached Delossath Beach and advanced inland and wreaked great devastation and captured land there by the sword. {Alternate -- He seized the shore by fury etc. }

39. Thus they took lordship from then on, and thus it will be always, (that it is) by force they take lordship.

40. His progeny is this: Dál Cuind and Dál Fíachach. Some say that the Shining Éogan is [one] of the mariners that they left in the land of the Amazons, i.e. among the breast-cauterised ones.

41. The last Míl Espâne, however, it seems to us that he was of the people whom they left in (the) city of Breogan.

42. And it is after that [i.e. after they left the land of the Amazones] that they came to Ireland, with the clays of the city of Themis in their possession.

43. It is those clays which were thrown down in Tara after reaching Ireland, so that Tara is the name of that high place, i.e. theme [? = Latin thema 'that which is set down'?].

44. It is [now] the final era, of which it was said: the sovereignty will be Síl Cuinn's and Mumu's forever.

45. Cruithni contested the sovereignty with them. It is for that reason Fînán mac Fîachrach composed [the following] concerning the Dál nAraidi:

Provided he didn't fight for Tipraite
I raised an army for the latter.
Seven battles and forty
and seven hundred more.

46. Cenél Cuinn gave battle, they broke upon them in a ship. For sovereignty had belonged to the Cruithni, and the final invasion fell to it [i.e. to Cenél Cuinn] on that northern shore (northern side?).

47. However, sovereignty was conceded to them alternately until it came to him, namely Conn Cétchathach.

48. Indeed Conn Cétchathach fought a hundred battles and a hundred conflicts concerning that sovereignty against the Dál nAraidi.

Unfortunately, not all the passage was translated from the second link. I hope this helps a little bit.

[RGwinn57]

Wouldn't Túathal Techtmar be a good fit for the "second Míl Espáne" in the sense that they were both foreign invaders? [Or at least T. F. O'Rahilly theorized that Túathal was a foreign invader and not a returned exile.]

Conn was his grandson. Túathal Techtmar's father was Fíachu Finnolach, who overthrew his predecessor Fíatach Finn founder of the Dál Fiatach. The connections seem to be there.

[Webmaster]

Ron,

The implication from Laud 610 is that it was several generations after the Second Milesius before Cond Cétchathach. I think it goes back to at least the 2nd or 1st century BC. I base this partly on the Doon Of Drumsna and the fact that its construction technique is similar to fortifications found in the La Tène region from around the same time frame. It has been identified with Queen Medb for centuries; and she in turn has been associated as contemporaneous with the Tuatha Dé.

Based on that, then perhaps a better candidate is Crimthand Nia Nar. The whole 2 or 3 generations of incest, etc. makes a good way to introduce an outsider into the Milesian genealogies. Plus the tales of the First Battle of Moytura have a resonance with an invasion of Connacht, especially if Mag Nia is an old name for Co. Leitrim, as I have read somewhere, but cannot find now. And finally, the Tuatha Dé make for an interesting distortion of the invasion of the Second Milesius. Something to ponder, at any rate.