The Déisi were a social class in Ireland between the ancient and early medieval period . The various peoples listed under the heading déis shared a similar status in Gaelic Ireland , and had little or no actual kinship, though they were often thought of as genetically related. During the era of Roman rule in Britain , many members of the Déisi were recorded as settling in western coastal areas (especially the areas known later as Wales , Cornwall and Devon ).
46-554: During the early Middle Ages, some Déisi groups and subgroups exerted great political influence in various parts of Ireland. For instance, in Munster , a subgroup of Déisi constituted a regional kingdom, Déisi Muman , and were part of the hegemony of the Eoganachta confederacy . Déisi is an Old Irish term that is derived from the word déis , which meant in its original sense a "vassal" or "subject" and, in particular, people who paid rent to
92-577: A great-grandson of Eochaid Allmuir, although the Harleian genealogy itself presents an entirely different version of Triphun's own ancestry in which he descends from a Roman imperial line traced back to St. Helena , whose alleged British origin the genealogist stresses. This manifest fiction apparently reflects a later attempt to fabricate a more illustrious and/or indigenous lineage for the Dyfed dynasty, especially as other Welsh genealogical material partially confirms
138-497: A landowner. As such, it denoted a specific social class. Later, however, it was more often used as a collective term for the members of particular septs , regarded as originating in that social class. The early histories of the Déisi groups are obscure. Evolving from peoples connected by social status rather than kinship, these groups had largely independent histories in different regions of Ireland. While some medieval texts attempt to give
184-633: A proposed equation of déisi – aithechthúatha – Attacotti in a late fourth-century context. Finally, MacNeill discusses the movements of the Uí Liatháin mentioned above at considerable length, arguing their leadership in the South Irish conquests and founding of the later dynasty of Brycheiniog , figures in the Welsh genealogies matching Uí Liatháin dynasts in the Irish genealogies. He argues any possible settlement of
230-503: A total area of 24,675 km (9,527 sq mi) and has a population of 1,373,346, with the most populated city being Cork . Other significant urban centres in the province include Limerick and Waterford . In the early centuries AD, Munster was the domain of the Iverni peoples and the Clanna Dedad familial line, led by Cú Roí and to whom the king Conaire Mór also belonged. In
276-672: A very early period. Oghams dating perhaps from the fifth century record unique first names associated with its kings." According to Francis John Byrne , there are certain inscriptional hints that both the Eóganachta and their Waterford Déisi vassals may have been of fairly recent Gaulish origins. The ancestors of the Eóganachta are known as the Deirgtine and they are also believed to have been active in Roman Britain , one piece of evidence being
322-671: Is Metropolitan Cork , where a number of multinational firms are located in the Cork city area, including at Little Island . The Shannon Free Zone , in County Clare and near Limerick city, is also a centre of employment. A number of television companies and studios have (or had) a Munster-focus. These include RTÉ Cork (RTÉ's regional studio in Cork), South Coast TV and Channel South . The latter transmitted local programming to Cork, Limerick, and parts of Kerry, Waterford, Clare and Tipperary. Apart from
368-468: Is Mug Ruith and Tlachtga is his daughter. Another legendary figure is Donn . The province has long had trading and cultural links with continental Europe. The Corcu Loígde had a trading fleet active along the French Atlantic coast, as far south as Gascony, importing wine to Munster. The Eóganachta had ecclesiastical ties with Germany, which show in the architecture of their ceremonial capital at
414-470: Is defined by the presence of the marker R-L226/S168. Munster Munster ( Irish : an Mhumhain [ə ˈwuːnʲ] or Cúige Mumhan [ˌkuːɟə ˈmˠuːnˠ] ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland , located in the south 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" ( Irish : rí ruirech ). Following
460-503: Is that this was a political scheme of the Uí Néill , Ireland's most dominant dynasty, whom he argues created the Kingdom of Thomond in the tenth century to further weaken the position of the already divided Eóganachta. If true, the Uí Néill were creating who would soon become their greatest military rivals in nearly the last four centuries, threatening Tara as much as Cashel. The Déisi Muman, on
506-600: Is the largest of Ireland's four provinces by land area, and the third largest by population. Munster has many large towns, including a number of growing satellite towns, and is the province with the most cities (three) in Ireland. The following is a list of urban areas in Munster in order of size (2022 census figures), with cities and county towns bolded: Urban areas over 10,000 inhabitants: Urban areas with 5,000–10,000 inhabitants: 2014 CSO figures indicated that GDP per capita in
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#1733085876525552-599: The Earls of Ormond remained closer to England. The O'Brien of Thomond and MacCarthy of Desmond surrendered and regranted sovereignty to the Tudors in 1543 and 1565, joining the Kingdom of Ireland . The impactful Desmond Rebellions , led by the FitzGeralds, soon followed. The area of Munster was then colonized in the mid to late 16th century by the British plantations of Ireland during
598-616: The Kingdom of Mide ) and the Déisi Tuisceart (the Northern Déisi; a sept of which would become famous as the Dál gCais ). Today, 'Déisi' is an informal term for County Waterford and its people. The Déisi Muman were a prominent enough power to form their own regional kingdom in Munster from a fairly early date. In a recent title, Paul MacCotter states "The regional kingdom of Déisi Muman must have existed in roughly its present location from
644-699: The League of Ireland : Waterford FC in the League of Ireland Premier Division ; and Cobh Ramblers , Cork City F.C. , Treaty United F.C. and Kerry F.C. in the First Division . In Cricket, the province is represented by the Munster Reds in the Inter-Provincial Cup one-day competition and the Inter-Provincial Trophy Twenty20 competition. Munster does not currently participate in
690-615: The MacCarthy dynasty (Eóganachta), and the short-lived Kingdom of Ormond under the O'Kennedys (another Dalcassian sept). The three crowns of the flag of Munster represent these three late kingdoms. There was Norman influence from the 14th century, including by the FitzGerald , de Clare and Butler houses, two of whom carved out earldoms within the Lordship of Ireland , the Earls of Desmond eventually becoming independent potentates, while
736-616: The Norman invasion of Ireland , the ancient kingdoms were shired into counties for administrative and judicial purposes. In later centuries, local government legislation has seen further sub-division of the historic counties. Munster has no official function for local government purposes. For the purposes of the ISO , the province is listed as one of the provincial sub-divisions of the State ( ISO 3166-2:IE ) and coded as "IE-M". Geographically, Munster covers
782-631: The Rock of Cashel . The majority of Irish ogham inscriptions are found in Munster, principally in areas occupied by the Iverni, especially the Corcu Duibne . Later, Europe's first linguistic dictionary in any non-Classical language, the Sanas Cormaic , was compiled by Munster scholars, traditionally thought to have been directed by the king-bishop Cormac mac Cuilennáin (d. 908). The School of Ross in Munster
828-682: The United Rugby Championship competition, winning in 2003, 2009, 2011 and 2023 and in the Heineken Cup , winning in 2006 and 2008. Until 2016, the Munster side was the only Irish side to have defeated the New Zealand All Blacks . Association football is also a popular game in Munster, with the Munster Football Association governing a number of aspects of the game in the province. In 2024 five Munster clubs play in
874-640: The first-class inter-provincial tournament, though Cricket Ireland does have plans to include Munster in the format. The Irish language , or more specifically Munster Irish , is spoken as a first language in Gaeltachtaí (Irish speaking areas) in a number of areas in the province. This includes West Kerry ( Corca Dhuibhne ), South Kerry ( Uíbh Ráthach ), West Cork ( Múscraí ), south-west Cork ( Oileán Cléire ), and parts of Waterford ( Gaeltacht na Rinne or Gaeltacht na nDéise ). There are about 35,000 Irish language speakers in Munster, with 9,737 native speakers in
920-772: The 5th century, Saint Patrick spent several years in the area and founded Christian churches and ordained priests. During the Early Middle Ages , most of the area was part of the Kingdom of Munster , ruled by the Eóganachta dynasty. Prior to this, the area was ruled by the Dáirine and Corcu Loígde overlords. Later rulers from the Eóganachta included Cathal mac Finguine and Feidlimid mac Cremthanin . Notable regional kingdoms and lordships of Early Medieval Munster were Iarmuman (West Munster), Osraige (Ossory), Uí Liatháin , Uí Fidgenti , Éile , Múscraige , Ciarraige Luachra , Corcu Duibne , Corcu Baiscinn , and Déisi Muman . By
966-498: The 9th century, the Gaels had been joined by Norse Vikings who founded towns such as Cork , Waterford and Limerick , for the most part, incorporated into a maritime empire by the Dynasty of Ivar , who periodically would threaten Munster with conquest in the next century. Around this period Ossory broke away from Munster. The Eóganachta dominated Munster until the 10th century, which saw
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#17330858765251012-586: The Déisi (i.e. shortly after the blinding of Cormac mac Airt, traditionally dated AD 265), but must have begun during the second half of the fourth century at the earliest, while commencement in the sub-Roman period in the early fifth century cannot be excluded. It is further entirely possible that the historians and genealogists of the Déisi Muman were guilty of lifting these "verified" ancestors, who could have originally belonged to another Irish kindred entirely. Genealogical feats of this kind were famously performed by
1058-595: The Déisi Tuisceart or "Dál gCais". The term déisi is also virtually interchangeable with another Old Irish term, aithechthúatha (meaning "rent-paying tribes", "vassal communities" or "tributary peoples"). From the 18th century, it had been suggested that this term might be the origin of the Attacotti who are reported attacking Roman Britain in the 360s, although the argument has been doubted on etymological grounds. This argument has recently been reopened, however, by
1104-516: The Déisi an aristocratic origin, these are later fabrications dating to the period after the Déisi had gained political power. Despite their tributary origins, representatives of at least one Déisi population would eventually achieve spectacular success, founding a powerful medieval dynasty which is still in existence. Déisi groups included the Déisi Muman (the Déisi of Munster ), Déisi Temro (Déisi of Tara ), Déisi Becc ("Little Déisi," located in
1150-558: The Déisi would have been subordinate until the ousting of the Uí Liatháin by the sons of Cunedda . Byrne later discusses how the rise of the Dál gCais sept of Déisi Tuisceart in North Munster at the expense of the Eóganachta was not unlike the rise of that dynasty at the expense of the Dáirine several centuries before, and this may in fact have been the inspiration for Dál gCais claims. An earlier and frequently cited argument by John V. Kelleher
1196-560: The Gaulish war god Segomo . According to MacNeill, the Waterford Déisi and the Eóganachta at Cashel "cannot well be disconnected". The Uí Liatháin dynasty were western neighbours of the proto-Déisi Muman along the southern Irish coast and raided and colonized parts of Wales and Cornwall. They are the best characterized of the South Irish colonists because of clear references to them by name in both early Irish and early British sources, while
1242-457: The Irish descent of Triphun. If the relocation of some of the "Déisi" to Dyfed is indeed historical, it is unclear whether it entailed a large-scale tribal migration or merely a dynastic transfer, or both as part of a multi-phase population movement. However this movement is characterised, scholarship has demonstrated that it cannot have taken place as early as the date implied in The Expulsion of
1288-572: The Munster Gaeltacht areas of Cork, Kerry and Waterford. There are also 12,219 pupils attending 45 Gaelscoils (Irish language primary schools) and 15 Gaelcholáiste (Irish language secondary schools) in the province. As of the Census of Ireland 2011 there were 13,193 daily speakers outside the education system in Munster. The province is divided into six traditional counties : Clare , Cork , Kerry , Limerick , Tipperary and Waterford . Munster
1334-569: The Tudor conquest of Ireland, a group known as the West Country Men played a role in the colonization of Munster, attempts to settle a joint stock colony at Kerrycurrihy in 1568 was made and Richard Grenville also seized lands for colonization at Tracton, to the west of Cork harbour. The Munster plantation was the largest colonial venture of the English at the time. By the mid-19th century much of
1380-665: The area was hit hard in the Great Famine , especially the west. The province was affected by events in the Irish War of Independence in the early 20th century, and there was a brief Munster Republic during the Irish Civil War . The Irish leaders Michael Collins and earlier Daniel O'Connell came from families of the old Gaelic Munster gentry. Noted for its traditions in Irish folk music , and with many ancient castles and monasteries in
1426-501: The celebrated king of Connacht Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin at the Battle of Carn Feradaig in 627. A famous early 12th-century propaganda text detailing the rise of the Dál gCais is the Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib . Recent studies suggest the Dál gCais have a genetic signature unique to themselves, referred to as Irish Type III. Belonging to Haplogroup R1b (Y-DNA) , this subclade R1b1b2a1a1b4h
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1472-498: The creation of the kingdom of Déisi Muman. The epic tells the story of a sept called the Dal Fiachach Suighe , who are expelled from Tara by their kinsman, Cormac mac Airt , and forced to wander homeless. After a southward migration and many battles, part of the sept eventually settled in Munster . At some point during this migration from Tara to Munster, one branch of the sept, led by Eochaid Allmuir mac Art Corb, sails across
1518-725: The dairy cows of the region, and Glanbia is a food producer which operates an "innovation centre" in the region. Dawn Meats also operate from County Waterford. Irish-owned retailer Dunnes Stores was founded in Cork, and Ireland's largest supermarket group, the Musgrave Group , is also based in Munster. Large employers in the region include AOL , Bausch & Lomb , Dairygold, Dell , Amazon , Motorola , Amgen, Pfizer , Analog Devices, Fexco Financial Services, Vistakon, Waterford Crystal, Apple Computer , Intel , Novartis, O2, Lufthansa Technik, Kerry Group, Siemens , Sony and Blizzard Entertainment . The largest employment hub in Munster
1564-404: The dominant teams in Munster football are Kerry GAA and Cork GAA , although Tipperary GAA and Limerick GAA have also won All-Ireland Senior Football Championships . Kerry in particular are the most successful county in the history of football. Rugby is a popular game in the cities of Limerick and Cork. Munster Rugby is an Irish Rugby Football Union representative side which competes in
1610-616: The four most successful teams in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship are from Munster; Cork GAA , Tipperary GAA and Limerick GAA . The final of the Munster Senior Hurling Championship is one of the most important days in the Irish GAA calendar. Munster is Ireland's only province whose every single county has won at least one All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship . Traditionally,
1656-433: The historical reality that the kingdom's origins lay among the indigenous tributary peoples of Munster . To this end it attributes to "the Déisi" an entirely fictive royal ancestry at Tara . The term "Déisi" is used anachronistically in The Expulsion of the Déisi , since its chronologically confused narrative concerns "events" that long predate the historical development of déisi communities into distinct tribal polities or
1702-633: The local city or regional newspapers, a number of print outlets focus or market themselves on a provincial basis. These include the Avondhu (covering parts of Cork, Waterford, Limerick and Tipperary), the Nationalist & Munster Advertiser , the Munster Express , and others. Dal Fiachrach Suighe The Dal Fiachrach Suighe (English: Seed of Fiachra Suighe ) were an Irish lineage claiming descent from Fiachra Suighe (also spelled Fiacha Suidhe ),
1748-534: The name of their capital Cashel , thought to be inspired by the Roman castella they observed on raids. The Déisi Muman enjoyed a position in the later Eóganachta overkingdom suggesting of a special relationship. Byrne mentions it was noticed by Eoin MacNeill that a number of the early names in the Eóganachta pedigrees are found in oghams in the Déisi country of Waterford, among them Nia Segamain ( NETASEGAMONAS ), after
1794-419: The other hand, remained prominent supporters of the Eóganachta throughout their career. The movement of the Déisi Tuisceart into the modern County Clare is not documented, but it is commonly associated with the "annex" of the region to Munster after the decline of Uí Fiachrach Aidhne power in south Connacht . Byrne suggests this dates from the victory of the king of Cashel, Faílbe Flann mac Áedo Duib , over
1840-509: The presence of the Déisi Muman cannot actually be confirmed. Also noted are the Laigin , particularly in North Wales. The Déisi Muman are the subjects of one of the most famous medieval Irish epic tales, The Expulsion of the Déisi . This literary work, first written sometime in the eighth century, is a pseudo-historical foundation legend for the medieval Kingdom of Déisi Muman, which seeks to hide
1886-743: The province ranged from €28,094 in the South Tipperary/Waterford (South-East) region, to €50,544 in Cork and Kerry (South-West). Disposable income in the province was approximately €22,000 per person in 2008 - behind the Eastern and Dublin region (€25,000 per person) and ahead of the Border, Midland and Western regions (€20,000 per person). Munster's agricultural industry centres around the Golden Vale pasturelands which cover counties Cork, Limerick and Tipperary. Kerry Group manufactures dairy products from
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1932-448: The province, Munster is a tourist destination. During the fifth century, St. Patrick spent seven years founding churches and ordaining priests in Munster, but a fifth-century bishop named Ailbe is the patron saint of Munster. In Irish mythology , a number of ancient goddesses are associated with the province including Anann , Áine , Grian , Clíodhna , Aimend , Mór Muman , Bébinn , Aibell and Mongfind . The druid-god of Munster
1978-517: The rise of the Dalcassian clan, who had earlier annexed Thomond , north of the River Shannon to Munster. Their leaders were the ancestors of the O'Brien dynasty and spawned Brian Boru , perhaps the most noted High King of Ireland , and several of whose descendants were also high kings. By 1118, Munster had fractured into the Kingdom of Thomond under the O'Briens, the Kingdom of Desmond under
2024-557: The sea to Britain where, it is said, his descendants later ruled in Demed , the former territory of the Demetae (modern Dyfed ). The Expulsion of the Déisi is the only direct source for this "event". The historicity of this particular passage of the epic apparently receives partial "confirmation" from a pedigree preserved in the late tenth-century Harleian genealogies , in which the contemporary kings of Dyfed claim descent from Triphun ( fl. 450),
2070-543: The youngest of six sons of Fedlimid Rechtmar . His oldest brother was the legendary High King Conn Cétchathach . They are the ancestors of the Déisi Muman and the Déisi Tuisceart (later known as the Dál gCais ). Fiachra's great-great-great-great grandsons, the four sons of Art Corb, were expelled from Tara , a story told in The Expulsion of the Déisi . One group, led by Eochaid Allmhuir, settled in Dyfed c. 270, while
2116-504: Was one of Europe's leading centres of learning in the Early Middle Ages. Several sports in Munster are organised on a provincial basis, or operate competitions along provincial lines. This includes traditionally popular sports such as hurling , Gaelic football , rugby union and soccer, as well as cricket ( Munster Cricket Union ), hockey ( Munster Hockey Union ), and others. Munster is noted for its tradition of hurling . Three of
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