Eóganachta

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Eóganachta (or Eoghanachta), by tradition founded by Eógan, king of Munster, the firstborn son of the semi-mythological third-century king Oilill Ollum, was an Irish dynasty centred around Cashel which dominated southern Ireland from the 5th to the 16th century. Eógan had a younger brother, Cas, who is said to have originated the rival Dál gCais dynasty of Ireland. The Dál gCais displaced the increasingly divided Eóganachta during the course of the 10th century.[1]

Ó Scannail of Munster must have been a sept of some significance, for it is recorded that in 1014, Eocha, son of Dunadbach, Chief of Clann Scannail, and Scannail son of Cathal, Lord of Eoghanacht Locha Léin (the most powerful clan grouping in Munster at the time), were killed at the battle of Clontarf.

Eóganachta surnames include MacCarthy, O'Donovan, O'Sullivan, O'Mahony, O'Donoghue, O'Moriarty, O'Keefe, O'Callaghan and Scannell.

The septs or branches of the Eóganachta and some of their more notable members include:

[edit] References

  1. ^ Lalor, Brian (2003). The Encyclopedia of Ireland. Yale University Press, 360. ISBN 0-300-09442-6.