MacCarthy Reagh
Encyclopedia
The MacCarthy Reagh dynasty are a branch of the great MacCarthy dynasty
, Kings of Desmond, deriving from the ancient Eóganachta
, of the central Eóganacht Chaisil
sept. The MacCarthys Reagh seated themselves as Princes of Carbery in what is now southwestern County Cork
in the 13th century. Their primary allies and vassal princes in the initially small territory itself became the O'Donovan
s, and both were recent arrivals, gaining their lands from the royal O'Mahonys of Eóganacht Raithlind
and the royal O'Driscolls of Corcu Loígde
. The historical record for this period is very confused and a precise sequence of events cannot be reconstructed. A portion of Carbery was conquered, from whomever held the territory at that time, by Donal Gott MacCarthy
, King of Desmond, from whom the dynasty descend. His son Donal Maol MacCarthy, 1st Prince of Carbery, was the first ruler of the new principality. Their descendants would expand their territories considerably and forge a small, wealthy kingdom distinct and independent from the larger Kingdom of Desmond, as well as largely independent from the Earldom of Desmond
and from England
, which would last into the early-mid 17th century.
Fínghin Mac Carthaigh, the savior of Gaelic Desmond in the Battle of Callann
and other campaigns, is considered to belong to the MacCarthys Reagh, being a son of Donal Gott.
The dynasty became very successful, accumulating great wealth and possessing what was at times the most formidable, although not the largest army in the Desmond region. MacCarthy Reagh princes such as Florence MacCarthy
were highly active in the politics and wars of Munster
. A later branch from Bansha
, County Tipperary
, descendants of Donal of the Pipes, would relocate to Toulouse
in France
and be created the Counts MacCarthy Reagh of Toulouse
(Comtes de Mac-Carthy Reagh). The renowned Jesuit preacher Nicholas Tuite MacCarthy
was from this line. From another branch of the dynasty
descended several more lines of counts and viscounts in France.
Florence MacCarthy was the compiler of Mac Carthaigh's Book
, and the Book of Lismore
was commissioned by an earlier member of the dynasty
.
The controversial Blessed Thaddeus McCarthy
is believed to have belonged to the MacCarthys Reagh.
The dynasty are no longer represented among the officially recognized Gaelic nobility of Ireland but it is possible this could change in the future. In the wake of the MacCarthy Mór scandal there remains much disorder, and a legitimate Chief of the Name of MacCarthy Reagh, Prince of Carbery, remains to be discovered.
They are to be distinguished from their kin, the also prominent MacCarthys Mór
and MacCarthys of Muskerry.
, belonging to the MacCarthy Glas and MacCarthy Duna septs, are not technically MacCarthys Reagh. However, most historians and genealogists refer to all descendants of Donal Gott as MacCarthys Reagh, and it is the case that, should the "senior line", descendants of the 5th Prince, fail, then the MacCarthys of Dunmanway would become the "new" Princes of Carbery.
MacCarthy dynasty
The MacCarthy dynasty was one of Ireland's greatest medieval dynasties. It was and continues to be divided into several great branches. The MacCarthy Reagh, MacCarthy of Muskerry, and MacCarthy of Duhallow dynasties were the three most important of these, after the central or MacCarthy Mór...
, Kings of Desmond, deriving from the ancient 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 the central Eóganacht Chaisil
Eóganacht Chaisil
Eóganacht Chaisil were a branch of the Eóganachta, the ruling dynasty of Munster during the 5th-10th centuries. They took their name from Cashel which was the capital of the early Christian kingdom of Munster...
sept. The MacCarthys Reagh seated themselves as Princes of Carbery in what is now southwestern County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
in the 13th century. Their primary allies and vassal princes in the initially small territory itself became the O'Donovan
O'Donovan
O'Donovan or Donovan is an Irish surname, as well as a hereditary Gaelic title. It is also written Dhonnabháin in certain grammatical contexts, and Donndubháin, being originally composed of the elements donn, meaning lord or dark brown, dubh, meaning dark or black, and the diminutive suffix án...
s, and both were recent arrivals, gaining their lands from the royal O'Mahonys of Eóganacht Raithlind
Eóganacht Raithlind
Eóganacht Raithlind or Uí Echach Muman are a branch of the Eóganachta, the ruling dynasty of Munster during the 5th-10th centuries. They took their name from Raithlinn or Raithleann described around the area of Bandon, in the same area...
and the royal O'Driscolls of Corcu Loígde
Corcu Loígde
The Corcu Loígde , meaning Gens of the Calf Goddess, also called the Síl Lugdach meic Itha, were a kingdom centered in West County Cork who descended from the proto-historical rulers of Munster, the Dáirine, of whom they were the principal royal sept...
. The historical record for this period is very confused and a precise sequence of events cannot be reconstructed. A portion of Carbery was conquered, from whomever held the territory at that time, by Donal Gott MacCarthy
Donal Gott MacCarthy
Donal Gott MacCarthy was the ancestor of the MacCarthy Reagh dynasty of Carbery in the south of Munster in Ireland, and King of Desmond from 1247 or 1248 until the time of his death, after holding the position of tánaiste from 1230. He was a younger son of Donal Mor na Curra, King of Desmond ,...
, King of Desmond, from whom the dynasty descend. His son Donal Maol MacCarthy, 1st Prince of Carbery, was the first ruler of the new principality. Their descendants would expand their territories considerably and forge a small, wealthy kingdom distinct and independent from the larger Kingdom of Desmond, as well as largely independent from the Earldom of Desmond
Earl of Desmond
The title of Earl of Desmond has been held historically by lords in Ireland, first as a title outside of the peerage system and later as part of the Peerage of Ireland....
and from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, which would last into the early-mid 17th century.
Fínghin Mac Carthaigh, the savior of Gaelic Desmond in the Battle of Callann
Battle of Callann
The Battle of Callann was fought in 1261 between the Normans, under John FitzGerald, 1st Baron Desmond, and the Gaelic forces of Fínghin Mac Carthaigh, King of Desmond, ancestor of the MacCarthy Reagh dynasty. MacCarthy was victorious...
and other campaigns, is considered to belong to the MacCarthys Reagh, being a son of Donal Gott.
The dynasty became very successful, accumulating great wealth and possessing what was at times the most formidable, although not the largest army in the Desmond region. MacCarthy Reagh princes such as Florence MacCarthy
Florence MacCarthy
Finnian or Fínghin mac Donnchadh Mac Cárthaigh , known to the English as Florence MacCarthy, was an Irish prince of the late 16th century and the last credible claimant to the MacCarthy Mór title before its suppression by English authority...
were highly active in the politics and wars 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...
. A later branch from Bansha
Bansha
Bansha is a village in the barony of Clanwilliam, South Tipperary in Ireland. The village is part of the parish of "Bansha and Kilmoyler" in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly. Bansha is co-extensive with the pre-Reformation parish of Templeneiry of which the townland name of...
, County Tipperary
County Tipperary
County Tipperary is a county of Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster and is named after the town of Tipperary. The area of the county does not have a single local authority; local government is split between two authorities. In North Tipperary, part of the Mid-West Region, local...
, descendants of Donal of the Pipes, would relocate to Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and be created the Counts MacCarthy Reagh of Toulouse
Counts of Toulouse
The first Counts of Toulouse were the administrators of the city and its environs under the Merovingians. No succession of such royal appointees is known, though a few names survive to the present...
(Comtes de Mac-Carthy Reagh). The renowned Jesuit preacher Nicholas Tuite MacCarthy
Nicholas Tuite MacCarthy
Nicholas Tuite MacCarthy was a renowned Jesuit preacher in late eighteenth and early nineteenth century France. He was known also as the Abbé de Lévignac. He was of noble birth, being a member of the MacCarthy Reagh family of Springhouse, Bansha, Co...
was from this line. From another branch of the dynasty
Owen MacCarthy Reagh, 12th Prince of Carbery
Owen MacCarthy Reagh was the 12th Prince of Carbery from 1576 to 1592. He belonged to the MacCarthy Reagh dynasty. Owen is commonly called "Sir" Owen MacCarthy in the English records but this may have been only for convenience, for the MacCarthys Reagh were foreign princes at this time, if...
descended several more lines of counts and viscounts in France.
Florence MacCarthy was the compiler of Mac Carthaigh's Book
Mac Carthaigh's Book
Mac Carthaigh’s Book is a collection of annals of the period AD 1114-1437 inclusive. It was compiled from earlier material by Fínghin Mac Carthaigh Mór an Irish nobleman who was imprisoned for years in London. He was a patron of learning and a scholar in his own right...
, and the Book of Lismore
Book of Lismore
The Book of Lismore is a Medieval Irish manuscript.-Overview:The Book of Lismore is an Irish vellum manuscript, compiled in early 15th century, Lismore, Ireland. Its original name was Leabhar Mhic Cárthaigh Riabhaigh...
was commissioned by an earlier member of the dynasty
Finghin MacCarthy Reagh, 8th Prince of Carbery
Finghin MacCarthy Reagh was the 8th Prince of Carbery from 1477 to his death in 1505. He belonged to the MacCarthy Reagh dynasty, and was the eldest son of Dermod an Duna MacCarthy Reagh, 7th Prince of Carbery...
.
The controversial Blessed Thaddeus McCarthy
Thaddeus McCarthy
Blessed Thaddeus McCarthy was an Irish ecclesiastic, who was appointed Bishop of Ross, Ireland in 1482 and Bishop of Cork and Cloyne in 1490. His feast day is 25 October.- Early life :...
is believed to have belonged to the MacCarthys Reagh.
The dynasty are no longer represented among the officially recognized Gaelic nobility of Ireland but it is possible this could change in the future. In the wake of the MacCarthy Mór scandal there remains much disorder, and a legitimate Chief of the Name of MacCarthy Reagh, Prince of Carbery, remains to be discovered.
They are to be distinguished from their kin, the also prominent MacCarthys Mór
MacCarthy dynasty
The MacCarthy dynasty was one of Ireland's greatest medieval dynasties. It was and continues to be divided into several great branches. The MacCarthy Reagh, MacCarthy of Muskerry, and MacCarthy of Duhallow dynasties were the three most important of these, after the central or MacCarthy Mór...
and MacCarthys of Muskerry.
Princes of Carbery
- Donal Gott MacCarthyDonal Gott MacCarthyDonal Gott MacCarthy was the ancestor of the MacCarthy Reagh dynasty of Carbery in the south of Munster in Ireland, and King of Desmond from 1247 or 1248 until the time of his death, after holding the position of tánaiste from 1230. He was a younger son of Donal Mor na Curra, King of Desmond ,...
- King of Desmond and founder of the dynasty- Fínghin Mac Carthaigh, King of Desmond - victor at the Battle of CallannBattle of CallannThe Battle of Callann was fought in 1261 between the Normans, under John FitzGerald, 1st Baron Desmond, and the Gaelic forces of Fínghin Mac Carthaigh, King of Desmond, ancestor of the MacCarthy Reagh dynasty. MacCarthy was victorious...
- Fínghin Mac Carthaigh, King of Desmond - victor at the Battle of Callann
- Donal Maol MacCarthy, 1st Prince of Carbery - 1st prince sovereign
- Donal Caomh MacCarthy, 2nd Prince of Carbery
- Donal Glas MacCarthy, 3rd Prince of Carbery - eldest son of Donal Caomh
- Cormac Donn MacCarthy, 4th Prince of Carbery - second son of Donal Caomh, and ancestor of the DunmanwayDunmanwayDunmanway is a town in County Cork, in the southwest of Ireland. It is the geographical centre of the region known as West Cork. It is probably best known as the birthplace of Sam Maguire, an Irish Protestant republican, for whom the trophy of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship is...
branch - Donal Reagh MacCarthy, 5th Prince of Carbery - a quo MacCarthy Reagh, son of Donal Glas
- Donogh of Iniskean MacCarthy Reagh, 6th Prince of Carbery - eldest son of Donal Reagh
- Dermod an Duna MacCarthy Reagh, 7th Prince of Carbery - second son of Donal Reagh
- Finghin MacCarthy Reagh, 8th Prince of CarberyFinghin MacCarthy Reagh, 8th Prince of CarberyFinghin MacCarthy Reagh was the 8th Prince of Carbery from 1477 to his death in 1505. He belonged to the MacCarthy Reagh dynasty, and was the eldest son of Dermod an Duna MacCarthy Reagh, 7th Prince of Carbery...
- commissioner of the Book of LismoreBook of LismoreThe Book of Lismore is a Medieval Irish manuscript.-Overview:The Book of Lismore is an Irish vellum manuscript, compiled in early 15th century, Lismore, Ireland. Its original name was Leabhar Mhic Cárthaigh Riabhaigh... - Donal MacCarthy Reagh, 9th Prince of CarberyDonal MacCarthy Reagh, 9th Prince of CarberyDonal MacCarthy Reagh was the 9th Prince of Carbery from 1505 to his death in 1531. He belonged to the MacCarthy Reagh dynasty, and was the son of Finghin MacCarthy Reagh, 8th Prince of Carbery, and Lady Catherine FitzGerald, daughter Thomas FitzGerald, 7th Earl of Desmond.In some sources and...
- Cormac na Haoine MacCarthy Reagh, 10th Prince of CarberyCormac na Haoine MacCarthy Reagh, 10th Prince of CarberyCormac na Haoine was the 10th Prince of Carbery from 1531–1567. He belonged to the MacCarthy Reagh dynasty.He was the eldest son of Donal MacCarthy Reagh, 9th Prince of Carbery Cormac na Haoine (1490–1567) was the 10th Prince of Carbery from 1531–1567. He belonged to the MacCarthy Reagh...
- Donogh MacCarthy Reagh, 11th Prince of Carbery
- Florence MacCarthyFlorence MacCarthyFinnian or Fínghin mac Donnchadh Mac Cárthaigh , known to the English as Florence MacCarthy, was an Irish prince of the late 16th century and the last credible claimant to the MacCarthy Mór title before its suppression by English authority...
and Dermod Maol MacCarthy
- Florence MacCarthy
- Owen MacCarthy Reagh, 12th Prince of CarberyOwen MacCarthy Reagh, 12th Prince of CarberyOwen MacCarthy Reagh was the 12th Prince of Carbery from 1576 to 1592. He belonged to the MacCarthy Reagh dynasty. Owen is commonly called "Sir" Owen MacCarthy in the English records but this may have been only for convenience, for the MacCarthys Reagh were foreign princes at this time, if...
- last effective sovereign - Donal of the Pipes, 13th Prince of Carbery - victim of the Nine Years' WarNine Years' War (Ireland)The Nine Years' War or Tyrone's Rebellion took place in Ireland from 1594 to 1603. It was fought between the forces of Gaelic Irish chieftains Hugh O'Neill of Tír Eoghain, Hugh Roe O'Donnell of Tír Chonaill and their allies, against English rule in Ireland. The war was fought in all parts of the...
- Donal MacCarthy Reagh, Prince of Carbery - his grandson
- Cormac MacCarthy Reagh, Prince of Carbery - last nominal Prince of Carbery
MacCarthy Glas/Duna
As patrilineal descendants of the 4th Prince, but not the 5th Prince, the MacCarthys of DunmanwayDunmanway
Dunmanway is a town in County Cork, in the southwest of Ireland. It is the geographical centre of the region known as West Cork. It is probably best known as the birthplace of Sam Maguire, an Irish Protestant republican, for whom the trophy of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship is...
, belonging to the MacCarthy Glas and MacCarthy Duna septs, are not technically MacCarthys Reagh. However, most historians and genealogists refer to all descendants of Donal Gott as MacCarthys Reagh, and it is the case that, should the "senior line", descendants of the 5th Prince, fail, then the MacCarthys of Dunmanway would become the "new" Princes of Carbery.
- Teige-an-Fhorsa MacCarthy, Lord of Glean-na-Chroim
- Teige-an-Duna MacCarthyTeige-an-Duna MacCarthyTeige-an-Duna MacCarthy , Lord of Glean-na-Chroim, was the last hereditary Prince of the Dunmanway branch of the MacCarthy Reagh dynasty of Carbery "who exercised the rights of his position." He was Prince from 1618 to 1648, dying the following year on 24 May 1649...
, Lord of Glean-na-Chroim - ancestor of several surviving septs
See also
- Walter Butler, 11th Earl of Ormond - grandson of Cormac na Haoine, 10th Prince
- Donal II O'DonovanDonal II O'DonovanDonal II O'Donovan , The O'Donovan of Clann Cathail, Lord of Clancahill , was the son of Ellen O'Leary, daughter of O'Leary of Carrignacurra, and Donal of the Skins, The O'Donovan of Clann Cathail....
- relative through marriage, inaugurated by father-in-law Owen, 12th Prince - Sir Fineen O'Driscoll - also son-in-law of Owen, 12th Prince
- De Barry familyDe Barry FamilyThe de Barry family is an ancient family of Cambro-Norman origins which once had extensive land holdings in Wales and County Cork, Ireland. The founder of the family was a knight who assited in the Norman Conquest of England and Wales during the 11th century...
- neighboring family of Welsh-Norman origin, but with whom the MacCarthys Reagh maintained generally good relations - Muskerry WestMuskerry WestMuskerry West is one of the baronies of Ireland, an historical geographical unit of land. Its chief town is Macroom. It is one of 24 baronies in the county of Cork. It may also be viewed as a half barony because some time before the 1821 census data, it was divided from its other half - Muskerry East...
and Muskerry EastMuskerry EastMuskerry East is one of the baronies of Ireland, an historical geographical unit of land. Its chief town is Ballincollig. It is one of 24 baronies in the county of Cork. It may also be viewed as a half barony because some time before the 1821 census data, it was divided from its other half -...
, baronies in central Cork that were part of the Tudor period principality of Carbery.