The O'Donovan family is an ancient Irish noble family. Their patronymic surname derives from Irish Ó Donnabháin, meaning the grandsons or descendants of Donnubán, referring to the 10th century ruler of the Uí Fidgenti, Donnubán mac Cathail. During the 12th and 13th century, O'Donovan relations relocated from the Bruree/Croom area south to the Kingdom of Desmond and to Carbery, where they were a ruling family for centuries and played a role in the establishment of a feudal society under the MacCarthys. Other septs retreated into the southeast corner of the Ui Fidgheinte territory, reaching from Broadford/Feenagh to the Doneraile area. The northern septs of the O'Donovans did not use a White Rod as the family's position in their original territory was vastly eroded, while several septs of O'Donovans in the southwest territories were semi-autonomous flatha under the MacCarthy Reagh dynasty in Carbery, with the most notable being local petty kings.Dillon, Myles, "The consecration of Irish kings", in Celtica 10 (1973): 1–8. Dillon refers to O'Donovan as a petty king under MacCarthy. See also Elizabeth FitzPatrick, Royal Inauguration in Gaelic Ireland, passim. The family were counted among the leading Gaelic nobility of Ireland.
Foundation According to historian C. Thomas Cairney, the O'Donovans were one of the chiefly families of the Uí Fidgenti who were a tribe of the Erainn who were the second wave of Celts to settle in Ireland between about 500 and 100 BC.
The Donovans were an ancient Gaelic Irish sept, ÓDonnubán; anglicised O'Donovan. The Clans can be traced back to the descendants of the 10th century Donnubán mac Cathail (t980), son of Cahall, ruler of the Irish regional or sub-provincial kingdom of Ui-Fidgenti. The Ui-Fidgheinte reached from Muscry Ganogh, west of Kilmallock through the plains of the Shannon, and included Adare, Askearton, Croom, Bruree and [Newcastle] Kenry. Donnubán mac Cathail, Lord of Uí Fidgenti married the daughter of his norse ally, Ivar of Limerick of the Uí Ímair. His son Cathal mac Donnubán also ruled the smaller kingdom of Uí Chairbre Áebda. From Donnubán mac Cathail accession to the kingship in 962 to the death of Amlaíb Ua Donnubáin in 1201, the family operated as a semi-independent to sometimes fully independent regional ruling house within the kingdom of Munster.
Two Carberys An ancient race in Munster, a portion of the O'Donovans became Cairbre Eva (or Uí Chairpre, see map) within the ancient regional kingdom of the Uí Fidgenti, once approximately co-extensive with the modern County Limerick,Begley and were for many centuries allies of the Eóganachta, to whom they were related by common descent from Ailill Flann Bec (or Ailill Aulom). Although allowed to be princely in multiple ancient sources,See Charles-Edwards. in the Irish class structure the Uí Fidgenti were only middle tier among the ruling septs of the land, as they never contested for the kingship of the greater provincial kingdom of Munster, in which they were located. However, the Uí Fidgenti did not pay tribute to the Eóganachta kings of Cashel.See Byrne. The Book of Rights,O'Huidhrin, Topeg. Poems, page 119 transcribed as a medieval topographical poem set forth the rights of the O'Donovans: pp. 118–9
Their extensive territory followed Limerick's River Maigue, before the Dál gCais and O'Brien dynasty, and later the FitzGerald dynasty, forced them out of their territory between the late 12th and mid-13th century. O'Donovans were noted as taking refuge in 1169 in County Kerry, but were also noted as being in their historical territory near Bruree and Croom in the mid-1200s. The relocation of some O'Donovans to Carbery in the later County Cork, appears to have occurred during the mid to late 13th century, primarily through their association with the MacCarthy Reagh sept. The majority of O'Donovans were associated with the MacCarthy Reagh sept, although considerable documentation exists that some O'Donovans maintained relations with groups hostile to the MacCarthy Reaghs, including other MacCarthy septs (MacCarthy Mor and MacCarthy of Muscry) and Anglo-Irish rulers (Earls of Desmond and Kildare). Only the O'Donovan chiefs of territories south of Kilmallock were inaugurated by the MacCaarthy Reagh; the O'Donovan chiefs of Bruree and territories north of Kilmallock were inaugurated by their Fidgheinte kinsmen.Irish Family History by Richard Cronnelly, p 253 The O'Donovans in Carbery may have been joined by a junior sept of their Ó Coileáin kinsmen from Uí Chonaill Gabra. A large number of O'Donovans of Carbery and Cork may also descend from the Dunavans of the Corca Laidghe, which was a completely different, and perceived as inferior (less royal) race than the descendants of Eoghan Mor.
Later, the title Prince of Carbery (Cairbre) would be adopted by the MacCarthy Reaghs, although there is significant doubt as to whether this is actually derived from the former tribal name of the O'Donovans (Ui Chairpre of the Ui Fidgente), and if so, then what circumstances led to it being extended well beyond the territories belonging to the O'Donovans. In any case, the Carberry septs of the Donovans were junior to the MacCarthy Reaghs, from whom they received the White Wand. The leading family of the Carbery O'Donovans, Clann Cathail, paid to their overlords a surprisingly small, economically insignificant rent, but the precise reason for this is lost to history.Butler, "The Barony of Carbery" Possibly earlier times were recalled, or it may be due to the special relationship they developed with Fíngin Reanna Róin Mac Carthaig (see below).
Reverend John Begley (see references), of St. Munchin's, gives an account of the Christianization of the Norse of Limerick by the O'Donovans, and their long intermarriage. Mainchín of Limerick is the patron saint of the Diocese of Limerick and Bruree, and he may have been adopted by the Norse of Limerick city from the family. Begley argues that he was, but the O'Briens also claimed him indirectly at some point and obviously have their own supporters.
The longphorts were the Viking ship fortresses and later settlements, although the term soon enough came to mean simply encampment. However, the original meaning remained in usage and in the 10th century there were at least two Norse longphuirt, extensions of Limerick, which were deep in Uí Chairpre controlled territory.Valante, Mary A., The Vikings in Ireland: Settlement, Trade and Urbanization. Four Courts Press. 2008.
Many Irish families intermarried with the Scandinavians, but it was a question of degree. In their case the O'Donovans simply took a particularly large dose. Nearly all of the long history of the Danes in Munster has been lost, although those living in Uí Chairpre are not known to have left, being last noted in Donnubán's company in 978.Annals of the Four Masters and Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib The later advent of the Norman invasion of Ireland ruined them as a political class. For the fate of the Limerick Norse see History of Limerick. Only the Cotter family of East Cork continue to prosper today in Ireland,Ó Murchadha, p. 261 but they are not of Limerick provenance.
From the later 16th century Scandinavian names have been very little used by the O'Donovan family, when once they were as popular as the Gaelic. But see the important Ímar Ua Donnubáin.
Final ancient deeds
The O'Donovans are first found associated with the MacCarthys only four years after the death of Amlaíb. The Annals of Inisfallen report that in 1205Annals of Inisfallen
The political influence of the O'Donovans with the Ui Chairbre decreased as the Mac Carthy influence increased, and then splintered. By 1232, certain septs of the MacCarthys ruled from where they had relocated to the south of the historical territory of the Ui Fidghente, and controlled the Ui Chairbre. In 1260 the O'Donovans are found raiding Norman lands alongside none other than Fíngin Reanna Róin Mac Carthaig, according to Norman documents. This was one year before his famous victory at the Battle of Callann, where the O'Donovans of Ui Chairbre are also believed to have been at his side.Ó Murchadha, p. 125 In 1259 he aided them in a fight against the O'Mahonys, who appear to have been blamed for the slaying of Crom Ua Donnubáin.Mac Carthaigh's Book and Annals of Inisfallen
Up until this period the O'Donovans and O'Mahonys are generally regarded to have been allies, their ancestors Máel Muad mac Brain and Donnubán having joined forces against the Dál gCais in the 10th century. In 1283, following an attempted coup within the MacCarthy, a number of MacCarthys and some O'Donovans migrated into new territory adjacent to the O'Sullivans, which commenced a long and tumultuous relationship between O'Donovans and both major septs of the O'Sullivans, and which has included both minor warfare as well as intermarriage over the next four centuries.
Later history
Following an active 13th century, and after their move south the O'Donovans of Ui Chairbre fall into relative obscurity for approximately two centuries, primarily because the records for .Munster during this period are few. Fragmenting into several smaller-sized lordships, they became subordinate to their overlord, MacCarthy Reagh, who was at odds with the MacCarthy Mor, who was at odds with the MacCarthys of Muscrery, who were at odds with both the Norman settlers (Barrys) and the old Irish (O'Callahan, O'Keefe), and with Gaelicized Normans (Fitzgeralds- Earls of Desmonds, FitzGibbons – Earls of Kildare and the White Knight), all of whom were or were not, depending on changing politics, at odds with the English monarchs.
O'Donovans of Ui Chairpre reappeared in various annals and records about 1500. Domhnall Ó Donnabháin was Bishop of Ross in the mid-late 15th century, while Donal mac Melaghlin O'Donovan, was killed for piracy, along with his O'Driscoll accomplices, by the lords of the O'Driscolls in 1551.Ó Murchadha, p. 126
However, despite similar obscurity for an extended period, an O'Donovan sept (the remnants of the Ui Donabhain of the Ui Fidghente, holding territory in Synnagh-Donovan near Doneraile, were still counted among the 64 leading Gaelic families in all of Ireland in the mid-16th century Book of Howth list, with their Chief noted as being the Chief Irish of his countrie (i.e. region).Book of Howth, p. 255
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