Eóganacht Áine or Eóganacht Áine Cliach was a princely house 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...

, dynasty 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...

 during the 5th–12th centuries. They took their name from the Hill of Aine

Áine

Áine is an Irish goddess of love, summer, wealth and sovereignty. She is associated with the sun and midsummer, and is sometimes represented by a red mare. She is the daughter of Egobail, the sister of Aillen and/or Fennen, and is claimed as an ancestor by multiple Irish clans...

  near the present day village of Knockainy, County Limerick

County Limerick

It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...

. This region of Cliú is centred around the barony

Barony (Ireland)

In Ireland, a barony is a historical subdivision of a county. They were created, like the counties, in the centuries after the Norman invasion, and were analogous to the hundreds into which the counties of England were divided. In early use they were also called cantreds...

 of Small County in in eastern Limerick. The nearby village of Emly

Emly

Emly or Emlybeg is a village in South Tipperary, Ireland. It is a civil parish in the historical barony of Clanwilliam. It is also an Ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly....

 was the ecclesiastical center of Munster at the time.

The clan was descended from Ailill mac Nad Froích, the brother of Óengus mac Nad Froích

Óengus mac Nad Froích

Óengus mac Nad Froích was an Eoganachta and the first Christian king of Munster. He was the son of Nad Froich mac Cuirc by Faochan, a British lady...

 (died 489), the first Christian King of Munster. The Eóganacht Áine were considered part of the inner circle of Eoganachta dynasties which included the Chaisil and Glendamnach branches. These three branches rotated the kingship of Munster in the 7th and much of the 8th centuries.

The main clan in the 7th and 8th centuries were known as the Ua nÉnna, descended from Énda mac Crimthainn, the grandson of Ailill. One of the last Kings of Munster from this house was Cenn Fáelad hua Mugthigirn

Cenn Fáelad hua Mugthigirn

Cenn Fáelad hua Mugthigirn was a King of Munster of the Eoganachta, the ruling dynasty of Munster. He ruled from 861-872. He was also abbot of Emly from 851-872, an important monastery in County Tipperary where he succeeded a previous King of Munster, Ólchobar mac Cináeda .He was originally...

. By the 12th century, the ruling house was the Ui Ciarmiac, or O'Kirwick/Kerwick and Kirby

Kirby (surname)

Kirby is a surname, and may refer to:* Alan Kirby * Andy Kirby* Bill Kirby* Bruce Kirby * Bruno Kirby, American film and television actor* Chauncy Kirby, Canadian ice hockey player* David Kirby * David Kirby...

. They were ruined by the Norman invasion of Ireland

Norman Invasion of Ireland

The Norman invasion of Ireland was a two-stage process, which began on 1 May 1169 when a force of loosely associated Norman knights landed near Bannow, County Wexford...

.