Cairbre Cinnchait
Encyclopedia
Cairbre Cinnchait or Caitchenn ("cat-head" or "hard head") was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland
. There is considerable differences in the sources over his ancestry and his place in the traditional sequence of High Kings.
According to the Lebor Gabála Érenn
, he succeeded to the throne after the previous incumbent, Conchobar Abradruad
, was killed by Crimthann Nia Náir
, and ruled for five years. The Lebor Gabála is unsure of his origins: it says "the learned reckon" he was of either the Luaigne of Tara
, the Tuatha Dé Danann
, the Catraige of Connacht
, the Corcortri (descendants of the former High King Cimbáeth), or a descendant of Ír, son of Míl Espáine
. His father's name is said to be Duthach. His wife was Mani, daughter of the king of the Ulaid
, and they had a son, Morann mac Máin. He was succeeded by Feradach Finnfechtnach
. His reign is synchronised with that of the Roman emperor
Domitian
(AD 81-96).
According to the Annals of the Four Masters
, Crimthann became High King after he killed Conchobar, and Cairbre succeeded Crimthann "after he had killed all the nobility". Cairbre is here the leader of an uprising of the aithech-tuatha or "subject peoples". Three pregnant women of the nobility escaped the massacre: Baine, daughter of the king of Alba, who was the mother of Feradach Finnfechtnach; Cruife, daughter of the king of Britain, who was the mother of Corb Olum, ancestor of the Eóganachta
of Munster
; and Aine, daughter of the king of Saxony, who was the mother of Tibraide Tirech, ancestor of the Dál nAraidi
. During Cairbre's reign crops failed, cows did not give milk, and there were no fish in the rivers. He died after ruling for five years, and was succeeded by Feradach Finnfechtnach, who must have been less than five years old. The chronology of the Annals dates his reign to AD 9-14.
Geoffrey Keating
agrees that Crimthann succeeded Conchobar, but was succeeded by Feradach Finnfechtnach, Fíatach Finn
and Fíachu Finnolach. Here it is Fíachu who is overthrown by Cairbre's uprising of subject peoples, and the pregnant noblewomen who escape are: Fiacha's wife Eithne, daughter of the king of Alba, the mother of Tuathal Techtmar; Beartha, daughter of the king of Britain and mother of Tibraide Tirech; and Aine, daughter of the king of the Saxons, mother of Corb Olom. Keating says Cairbre was either the descendant of a Scandinavian prince who came to Ireland with Labraid Loingsech
, or of the Fir Bolg
. He ruled for five years, died of plague, and was succeeded by Elim mac Conrach, who would eventually be overthrown by Fiacha's son Tuathal. The chronology of Keating's Foras Feasa ar Éirinn dates his reign to AD 55-60.
High King of Ireland
The High Kings of Ireland were sometimes historical and sometimes legendary figures who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over the whole of Ireland. Medieval and early modern Irish literature portrays an almost unbroken sequence of High Kings, ruling from Tara over a hierarchy of...
. There is considerable differences in the sources over his ancestry and his place in the traditional sequence of High Kings.
According to the Lebor Gabála Érenn
Lebor Gabála Érenn
Lebor Gabála Érenn is the Middle Irish title of a loose collection of poems and prose narratives recounting the mythical origins and history of the Irish from the creation of the world down to the Middle Ages...
, he succeeded to the throne after the previous incumbent, Conchobar Abradruad
Conchobar Abradruad
Conchobar Abradruad , son of Find File, son of Ros Ruad, son of Ferhus Fairgge, son of Nuadu Necht, of the Laigin, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. He succeeded to the throne after the death of Lugaid Riab nDerg, and ruled for a year, at the...
, was killed by Crimthann Nia Náir
Crimthann Nia Náir
Crimthann Nia Náir , son of Lugaid Riab nDerg, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland...
, and ruled for five years. The Lebor Gabála is unsure of his origins: it says "the learned reckon" he was of either the Luaigne of Tara
Hill of Tara
The Hill of Tara , located near the River Boyne, is an archaeological complex that runs between Navan and Dunshaughlin in County Meath, Leinster, Ireland...
, the Tuatha Dé Danann
Tuatha Dé Danann
The Tuatha Dé Danann are a race of people in Irish mythology. In the invasions tradition which begins with the Lebor Gabála Érenn, they are the fifth group to settle Ireland, conquering the island from the Fir Bolg....
, the Catraige of Connacht
Connacht
Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...
, the Corcortri (descendants of the former High King Cimbáeth), or a descendant of Ír, son of Míl Espáine
Míl Espáine
In Irish origin legends, Míl Espáine or Míl Espáne is the ancestor of the final inhabitants of Ireland, the "sons of Míl" or Milesians, who represent the vast majority of the Irish Gaels....
. His father's name is said to be Duthach. His wife was Mani, daughter of the king of the Ulaid
Ulaid
The Ulaid or Ulaidh were a people of early Ireland who gave their name to the modern province of Ulster...
, and they had a son, Morann mac Máin. He was succeeded by Feradach Finnfechtnach
Feradach Finnfechtnach
Feradach Finnfechtnach , son of Crimthann Nia Náir, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland...
. His reign is synchronised with that of the Roman emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Domitian
Domitian
Domitian was Roman Emperor from 81 to 96. Domitian was the third and last emperor of the Flavian dynasty.Domitian's youth and early career were largely spent in the shadow of his brother Titus, who gained military renown during the First Jewish-Roman War...
(AD 81-96).
According to the Annals of the Four Masters
Annals of the Four Masters
The Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland or the Annals of the Four Masters are a chronicle of medieval Irish history...
, Crimthann became High King after he killed Conchobar, and Cairbre succeeded Crimthann "after he had killed all the nobility". Cairbre is here the leader of an uprising of the aithech-tuatha or "subject peoples". Three pregnant women of the nobility escaped the massacre: Baine, daughter of the king of Alba, who was the mother of Feradach Finnfechtnach; Cruife, daughter of the king of Britain, who was the mother of Corb Olum, ancestor of the Eóganachta
Eóganachta
The Eóganachta or Eoghanachta were an Irish dynasty centred around Cashel which dominated southern Ireland from the 6/7th to the 10th centuries, and following that, in a restricted form, the Kingdom of Desmond, and its offshoot Carbery, well into the 16th century...
of Munster
Munster
Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...
; and Aine, daughter of the king of Saxony, who was the mother of Tibraide Tirech, ancestor of the Dál nAraidi
Dál nAraidi
Dál nAraidi was a kingdom of the Cruthin in the north-east of Ireland in the first millennium. The lands of the Dál nAraidi appear to correspond with the Robogdii of Ptolemy's Geographia, a region shared with Dál Riata...
. During Cairbre's reign crops failed, cows did not give milk, and there were no fish in the rivers. He died after ruling for five years, and was succeeded by Feradach Finnfechtnach, who must have been less than five years old. The chronology of the Annals dates his reign to AD 9-14.
Geoffrey Keating
Geoffrey Keating
Seathrún Céitinn, known in English as Geoffrey Keating, was a 17th century Irish Roman Catholic priest, poet and historian. He was born in County Tipperary c. 1569, and died c. 1644...
agrees that Crimthann succeeded Conchobar, but was succeeded by Feradach Finnfechtnach, Fíatach Finn
Fiatach Finn
Fiatach Finn mac Dáire, a distant descedant of Óengus Tuirmech Temrach, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a king of the Ulaid, later a High King of Ireland, and the eponymous ancestor of the early Medieval Ulster dynasty of the Dál Fiatach...
and Fíachu Finnolach. Here it is Fíachu who is overthrown by Cairbre's uprising of subject peoples, and the pregnant noblewomen who escape are: Fiacha's wife Eithne, daughter of the king of Alba, the mother of Tuathal Techtmar; Beartha, daughter of the king of Britain and mother of Tibraide Tirech; and Aine, daughter of the king of the Saxons, mother of Corb Olom. Keating says Cairbre was either the descendant of a Scandinavian prince who came to Ireland with Labraid Loingsech
Labraid Loingsech
Labraid Loingsech , also known as Labraid Lorc, son of Ailill Áine, son of Lóegaire Lorc, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. He was considered the ancestor of the Laigin, who gave their name to the province of Leinster...
, or of the Fir Bolg
Fir Bolg
In Irish mythology the Fir Bolg were one of the races that inhabited the island of Ireland prior to the arrival of the Tuatha Dé Danann.-Mythology:...
. He ruled for five years, died of plague, and was succeeded by Elim mac Conrach, who would eventually be overthrown by Fiacha's son Tuathal. The chronology of Keating's Foras Feasa ar Éirinn dates his reign to AD 55-60.