Uí Ímair
Encyclopedia
The Uí Ímair iː ˈiːvˠaɾʲ, or Dynasty of Ivar, were an enormous royal and imperial Norse
dynasty
who ruled Northern England
, the Irish Sea
region and Kingdom of Dublin, and the western coast of Scotland
, including the Hebrides
, from the mid 9th century, losing control of the first in the mid 10th, but the rest at variously disputed times, depending on whom may be counted among their descendants, which has proven a difficult task for scholars to determine because reliable pedigrees do not survive. Additionally, for between three and four decades they were probably overkings of the Kingdom of Scotland
itself, distinct from the Kingdom of Strathclyde
of which they may also have been overkings, and later briefly the Irish province of Munster
, dominated from Waterford
, and later still, briefly the English kingdom of Mercia
. In the west of Ireland, the dynasty also supplied at least two kings of Limerick
, from which they may have attempted to conquer Munster again. On the female side two members are styled Queens of Ireland in the Irish annals
(each was also Queen of Mide
and Queen of Munster respectively), while another was Queen of Leinster
(and Osraige), and in the Norse sources another was Queen consort of Norway. Finally another may have been Queen of Brega
. The name is Old Irish, and means "grandchildren" or Descendants of Ivar, but the dynasty include their progenitor and his sons. Ivar is described in the Irish annals as the brother of Amlaíb Conung
and Auisle
, and his obituary
is recorded in the Annals of Ulster
under the year 873, reading Imhar, rex Nordmannorum totius Hibernie & Brittanie, uitam finiuit., or "Ivar, king of all the Norse of Ireland and Britain, ended his life". He may have been the inspiration for the legendary Ivar Ragnarsson, one of the leaders of the Great Heathen Army
. A positive association would mean Uí Ímair dynasts were also overkings of East Anglia.
Alex Woolf
points out it would be a mistake to view the lordship as a "unitary empire", but instead a collection of lordships ruled by the same kindred, with only varying degrees of unity depending on the political circumstances of the moment and the charisma of individual leaders. Especially in the early period, a great portion of the dynasty's wealth, probably the majority, came from the international slave trade
, both as slavers themselves and from the taxation of it, for which they were infamous in their time. In this role they star as the principal antagonists in the early 12th century Irish epic political tract The War of the Irish with the Foreigners, although the account is exaggerated.
One of the first great dynasties of the Viking Age
, the Uí Ímair were at their height the most fearsome and wide-reaching power in the Anglo-Celtic Isles and perhaps beyond. However, unlike the contemporary Rurikids in the East they ultimately failed to make any long-lasting territorial gains of significance and are considered a strategic failure, despite their considerable economic and political influence. Today the dynasty are probably no longer survived in the male line, but some of their maternal descendants can still be found in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
It is possible the Uí Ímair were peculiar in that early members, and possibly the entire known later dynasty, might have descended from the founder in the female line.
and other reliable and semi-reliable sources, such as the Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib, and among those only the ones who can be placed in the pedigree with relative confidence. Thus it is by no means complete. Among recent developments in scholarship it has been argued that the historical king of Northumbria contributing to the character of Eric Bloodaxe
was actually an Uí Ímair dynast.
After various authors. Birthdates are unknown. mac = son of; ingen = daughter of; ua = grandchild of; Ua (h)Ímair = surname (descendant of Ímar).
The precise lineage of one of the very last widely agreed upon members of the dynasty, Echmarcach mac Ragnaill
, is uncertain. He was either a descendant of Ivar of Waterford
(died 1000) or Gofraid mac Arailt
(died 989). That of Cacht ingen Ragnaill
, Queen of Donnchad mac Briain
, may or may not depend upon Echmarcach's.
Given names
(died 1000) cannot be linked genealogically to the 'central' line of Dublin kings, but James Henthorn Todd
gave him a descent from Ragnall ua Ímair
, who never ruled there. Their claim to Dublin and the names of their dynasts suggest they did belong to the dynasty.
Like in the case of the late Waterford dynasty, the pedigree of the last Norse to rule in Limerick is also uncertain. Ivar of Limerick
(died 977), and surnamed Ua hÍmair, features prominently in the early 12th century saga Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib, although he appears less in the annals, which are lacunose
and in general poorer for western Ireland. In any case he and/or the Waterford dynasty are probably survived today through intermarriage with the O'Donovan family, verifiably associated with both and known for their use of Uí Ímair dynastic names in medieval times. A notable sept of the O'Donovans known as the Sliocht Íomhair
or "Seed of Ivor" survived into early modern times. It is also periodically claimed that some of the family may even be male line descendants of Ivar of Waterford, a variant of which (through his son Donndubán) actually appeared in the Encyclopædia Britannica
for a few decades. This remains unverified and the family do not make this last claim themselves. All (surviving) septs profess a Gaelic lineage.
in 1052 is unknown. Following the death of Diarmait mac Maíl na mBó
in 1072 the kingship appears to have been held by one Gofraid mac Amlaíb meic Ragnaill, who may or may not have been a candidate supported by Toirdelbach Ua Briain. While it has been argued he was installed by Toirdelbach, the annals themselves make no such statement, which but for one only briefly report Gofraid's death in 1075, and variously style him King of the Foreigners and King of Dublin. But according to the Annals of Inisfallen
"Gofraid grandson of Ragnall, king of Áth Cliath, was banished over sea by Tairdelbach Ua Briain, and he died beyond the sea, having assembled a great fleet [to come] to Ireland." So Gofraid, regardless of how he took the throne, thought he had some chance of reestablishing the dynasty independent in Dublin in spite of the Gaels. Godred Crovan
may have been successful for a period after him.
and later Tudor conquest destroyed the vast majority of the medieval Norse-Irish and Gaelic aristocracy alike. Dense clusters of given names strongly associated with the Norse dynasty can be found in professedly Gaelic families in the great genealogical compilations of Duald Mac Firbis and Cú Choigcríche Ó Cléirigh
, and in various other sources. However, a strange phenomenon becomes apparent, that while the dynasty were concentrated in Dublin, Waterford and Limerick, and thus in the southern half of Ireland, these professedly Gaelic families later using their given names with great frequency are found mainly in the northern half of the island, their pedigrees associating them with the Connachta
, Uí Maine, and Northern Uí Néill
. On top of this, none of these northern dynasties have a documented history of willing association with the Uí Ímair, or in the case of the first two any association at all. The Uí Ímair are only documented intermarrying with the Osraige (FitzPatricks, see below), Laigin
, O'Brien dynasty, the Southern Uí Néill Clann Cholmáin
and Síl nÁedo Sláine
, and the aforementioned O'Donovans. In any event, the one long surviving source that might have contained pedigrees of surviving septs of the Uí Ímair themselves was a section in the Great Book of Lecan
. This section, specifically focused on the pedigrees and doings of the Norse families of Ireland, was still in existence in the 17th century, as reported by Mac Firbis himself, but has since become lost.
From his daughter Máel Muire, the FitzPatrick dynasty are descendants of Gofraid mac Arailt
, probable grandson of Sihtric Cáech, emperor of the Norse of Ireland and Britain. Their ancestor Cerball mac Dúnlainge
counted Ímar I (died 873) as an ally.
, King of Dublin and King of Mann and the Isles, although his ancestry is not agreed upon and may very well be different. If he in fact was then he was mostly likely a son or nephew of Ímar mac Arailt above, one of the last certain Uí Ímair kings of Dublin and a grandson of Amlaíb Cuarán. Godred's descendants, although vassals of the Kings of Norway, continued to rule into the 1260s, the last being Magnus Olafsson (to 1265), or briefly his son Godred VI (1275).
believes the Clann Somhairle
(Clan Donald
and Clan MacDougall
) or the Lords of the Isles can be regarded as a "cadet branch
" of the Uí Ímair, as they apparently based their claim to the Isles on this descent (according to Woolf). Their founder Somerled
married Ragnhild
, daughter of Olaf I Godredsson, King of Mann and the Isles and son of Godred Crovan. This of course assumes these dynasts belonged to the Uí Ímair. Sir Iain Moncreiffe attempted to reconstruct a male line descent from Echmarcach mac Ragnaill
himself to Somerled, but this has received little attention. More recently it has been suggested by Richard Oram
that Somerled may actually have been a male line descendant of the Jarl Gilli
, whose lineage apart from being Norse is uncertain.
Nevertheless, both the descendants of Godred and Somerled favoured and continue to favour the Uí Ímair dynastic names Ragnall and Gofraid/Godred. One great sept are the Mac Domhnaill of Clann Raghnaill.
It must be pointed out that the Clann Somhairle do not claim to be Norse themselves and profess an Irish lineage.
, a son of Sigtrygg Silkbeard, became an ancestor of the Kings of Gwynedd, through his daughter Ragnhild, wife of Cynan ab Iago and mother of the famous Gruffydd ap Cynan
.
Norsemen
Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
dynasty
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers considered members of the same family. Historians traditionally consider many sovereign states' history within a framework of successive dynasties, e.g., China, Ancient Egypt and the Persian Empire...
who ruled Northern England
Northumbria
Northumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
, the Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
region and Kingdom of Dublin, and the western coast of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, including the Hebrides
Hebrides
The Hebrides comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. There are two main groups: the Inner and Outer Hebrides. These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic and the culture of the residents has been affected by the successive...
, from the mid 9th century, losing control of the first in the mid 10th, but the rest at variously disputed times, depending on whom may be counted among their descendants, which has proven a difficult task for scholars to determine because reliable pedigrees do not survive. Additionally, for between three and four decades they were probably overkings of the Kingdom of Scotland
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland was a Sovereign state in North-West Europe that existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England...
itself, distinct from the Kingdom of Strathclyde
Kingdom of Strathclyde
Strathclyde , originally Brythonic Ystrad Clud, was one of the early medieval kingdoms of the celtic people called the Britons in the Hen Ogledd, the Brythonic-speaking parts of what is now southern Scotland and northern England. The kingdom developed during the post-Roman period...
of which they may also have been overkings, and later briefly the Irish province 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...
, dominated from Waterford
Waterford
Waterford is a city in the South-East Region of Ireland. It is the oldest city in the country and fifth largest by population. Waterford City Council is the local government authority for the city and its immediate hinterland...
, and later still, briefly the English kingdom of Mercia
Mercia
Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
. In the west of Ireland, the dynasty also supplied at least two kings of Limerick
Limerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
, from which they may have attempted to conquer Munster again. On the female side two members are styled Queens of Ireland in the Irish annals
Irish annals
A number of Irish annals were compiled up to and shortly after the end of Gaelic Ireland in the 17th century.Annals were originally a means by which monks determined the yearly chronology of feast days...
(each was also Queen of Mide
Kingdom of Mide
Mide , spelt Midhe in modern Irish and anglicised as Meath, was a medieval kingdom in Ireland for over 1,000 years. Its name means "middle", denoting the fact that lay in the middle of Ireland....
and Queen of Munster respectively), while another was Queen of Leinster
Leinster
Leinster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the east of Ireland. It comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Mide, Osraige and Leinster. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the historic fifths of Leinster and Mide gradually merged, mainly due to the impact of the Pale, which straddled...
(and Osraige), and in the Norse sources another was Queen consort of Norway. Finally another may have been Queen of Brega
Kings of Brega
-Overview:Brega took its name from Mag Breg, the plain of Brega, in modern County Meath, County Louth and County Dublin, Ireland. They formed part of the Uí Néill kindred, belonging to the Síl nÁedo Sláine branch of the southern Uí Néill. The kingdom of Brega included the Hill of Tara, the site...
. The name is Old Irish, and means "grandchildren" or Descendants of Ivar, but the dynasty include their progenitor and his sons. Ivar is described in the Irish annals as the brother of Amlaíb Conung
Amlaíb Conung
Amlaíb Conung was a Norse or Norse-Gael leader in Ireland and Scotland in the years after 850. Together with his brothers Ímar and Auisle he appears frequently in the Irish annals....
and Auisle
Auisle
Auisle , in Old Norse either Ásl or Auðgísl, was a Scandinavian, or perhaps Norse-Gael, king active in Ireland and north Britain in the 850s and 860s....
, and his obituary
Obituary
An obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
is recorded in the Annals of Ulster
Annals of Ulster
The Annals of Ulster are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years between AD 431 to AD 1540. The entries up to AD 1489 were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, under his patron Cathal Óg Mac Maghnusa on the island of Belle Isle on Lough Erne in the...
under the year 873, reading Imhar, rex Nordmannorum totius Hibernie & Brittanie, uitam finiuit., or "Ivar, king of all the Norse of Ireland and Britain, ended his life". He may have been the inspiration for the legendary Ivar Ragnarsson, one of the leaders of the Great Heathen Army
Great Heathen Army
The Great Heathen Army, also known as the Great Army or the Great Danish Army, was a Viking army originating in Denmark which pillaged and conquered much of England in the late 9th century...
. A positive association would mean Uí Ímair dynasts were also overkings of East Anglia.
Alex Woolf
Alex Woolf
Alex Woolf is a medieval historian based at the University of St Andrews. He specialises in the history of the British Isles and Scandinavia in the Early Middle Ages, especially in relation to the peoples of Wales and Scotland. He is author of volume two in the New Edinburgh History of Scotland,...
points out it would be a mistake to view the lordship as a "unitary empire", but instead a collection of lordships ruled by the same kindred, with only varying degrees of unity depending on the political circumstances of the moment and the charisma of individual leaders. Especially in the early period, a great portion of the dynasty's wealth, probably the majority, came from the international slave trade
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
, both as slavers themselves and from the taxation of it, for which they were infamous in their time. In this role they star as the principal antagonists in the early 12th century Irish epic political tract The War of the Irish with the Foreigners, although the account is exaggerated.
One of the first great dynasties of the Viking Age
Viking Age
Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the late 8th to 11th centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
, the Uí Ímair were at their height the most fearsome and wide-reaching power in the Anglo-Celtic Isles and perhaps beyond. However, unlike the contemporary Rurikids in the East they ultimately failed to make any long-lasting territorial gains of significance and are considered a strategic failure, despite their considerable economic and political influence. Today the dynasty are probably no longer survived in the male line, but some of their maternal descendants can still be found in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
It is possible the Uí Ímair were peculiar in that early members, and possibly the entire known later dynasty, might have descended from the founder in the female line.
Dynasts
The following list contains only members mentioned in the Irish annalsIrish annals
A number of Irish annals were compiled up to and shortly after the end of Gaelic Ireland in the 17th century.Annals were originally a means by which monks determined the yearly chronology of feast days...
and other reliable and semi-reliable sources, such as the Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib, and among those only the ones who can be placed in the pedigree with relative confidence. Thus it is by no means complete. Among recent developments in scholarship it has been argued that the historical king of Northumbria contributing to the character of Eric Bloodaxe
Eric Bloodaxe
Eric Haraldsson , nicknamed ‘Bloodaxe’ , was a 10th-century Scandinavian ruler. He is thought to have had short-lived terms as the second king of Norway and possibly as the last independent ruler of the kingdom of Northumbria Eric Haraldsson (Eric, anglicised form of ; died 954), nicknamed...
was actually an Uí Ímair dynast.
After various authors. Birthdates are unknown. mac = son of; ingen = daughter of; ua = grandchild of; Ua (h)Ímair = surname (descendant of Ímar).
- Ímar/Ívar/Ivar/Ívarr (died 873)
- Bárid mac Ímair (died 881)
- Sichfrith mac Ímair (died 888)
- Sitric mac Ímair (died 896)
- ? mac/ingen Ímair, and/or among the above sons
- Amlaíb ua Ímair (died 896)
- Ímar ua Ímair (died 904)
- Ragnall ua ÍmairRagnall ua ÍmairRagnall was a Norse overlord or emperor of northern Britain, including Northumbria, the entire Irish Sea region including the Isle of Man, south to Waterford and briefly much of the Irish province of Munster, and then returning to Britain, briefly York as distinct from Northumbria at this time...
(died 920/1)- ? mac Ragnaill (died 942)
- Ímar (died 950)?
- probably Ímar of WaterfordIvar of WaterfordIvar of Waterford was the Norse king of Waterford from at least 969 until his death in the year 1000, and also reigned as King of Dublin, possibly from 989 to 993, and certainly again for less than a year between 994 and 995, returning after his expulsion from the city in 993 by Sigtrygg...
(died 1000)- Gilla Pátraic mac Ímair (died 983)
- Ragnall mac Ímair (died 995)
- Donndubán mac Ímair (died 996)
- Ragnall mac Ímair II (died 1018)
- ? mac Ragnaill (died 1015)
- Ragnall mac Ragnaill (died 1035)
- Sihtric mac Ímair (died 1022)
- probably Ímar of Waterford
- Sihtric Cáech (died 927)
- Sichfrith mac Sitric (died 937)
- Ausle mac Sitric (died 937)
- Aralt mac Sitric (died 940)
- probably Maccus mac ArailtMaccus mac ArailtMaccus mac Arailt or Maccus Haraldsson was a Scandinavian or Norse-Gael king. He and his brother Gofraid were active in the lands around the Irish Sea in the 970s and 980s...
(died 984/7) - probably Gofraid mac ArailtGofraid mac ArailtGofraid mac Arailt , in Old Norse Guðrøðr Haraldsson, was a Scandinavian or Norse-Gael king. He and his brother Maccus were active in the lands around the Irish Sea in the 970s and 980s.-Origins:...
(died 989)- Ragnall mac GofraidRagnall mac GofraidRagnall mac Gofraid was a Norse-Gael King of the Isles of Scotland during the early eleventh century. Ragnall's Norse name was Røgnvaldr Guðrøðsson and he was titled rí na nInnsi meaning that he ruled over the Hebrides. It is also possible his territory included the Isle of Man...
(died 1005) - Lagmann mac Gofraid (died ?)
- Amlaíb mac Lagmann (died 1014)
- ? Donnchadh mac Amlaíb (died 1014)
- Amlaíb mac Lagmann (died 1014)
- Máel Muire ingen Gofraid (died ?)
- Ragnall mac Gofraid
- probably Maccus mac Arailt
- Gofraid mac SitriucGofraid mac SitriucGofraid mac Sitriuc , in Old Norse Guðrøðr Sigtryggsson, was King of Dublin. He was the son of Sihtric ua Ímair and a great-grandson of Ímar, founder of the Uí Ímair kindred which dominated much of the Norse-Gael and Scandinavianised parts of Britain and Ireland in the 10th century.Gofraid became...
(died 951) - Amlaíb Cuarán (died 981)
- Ragnall mac Amlaíb (died 980)
- GlúniairnGlúniairnGlúniairn , in Old Norse Járnkné, was a Norse-Gael king of Dublin of the Uí Ímair kindred which ruled over much of the Scandinavianised and Norse-Gael parts of Great Britain and Ireland in the tenth century....
(died 989)- Gilla Ciaráin mac Glúniairn (died 1014)
- Sitric? mac Glúniairn (fl. 1036))
- Aralt mac Amlaíb (died 999)
- Ímar mac Arailt (died 1054)
- Dubgall mac Amlaíb (died 1014)
- Ragnailt ingen Amlaíb (died ?)
- Máel Muire ingen AmlaíbMáel Muire ingen AmlaíbMáel Muire was Queen of Ireland, being actually styled so in the Annals of Clonmacnoise. The wife of Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill, High King of Ireland, she was a daughter of Amlaíb Cuarán, King of Dublin until 980/1 and formerly King of York, making her a member of the Norse-Irish Uí Ímair dynasty...
(died 1021) - Gytha ingen Amlaíb (died ?)
- Sigtrygg SilkbeardSigtrygg SilkbeardSigtrygg II Silkbeard Olafsson was a Hiberno-Norse King of Dublin of the Uí Ímair dynasty...
(died 1042)- Artalach mac Sitric (died 999)
- Amlaíb mac Sitric I/II (died 1013)
- Glúniairn mac Sitric (died 1031)
- Amlaíb mac SitriucAmlaíb mac SitriucAmlaíb mac Sitriuc was the son of the Hiberno-Norse King of Dublin, Sigtrygg Silkbeard, a member of the Uí Ímair dynasty. His ancestors included Brian Boru, Olaf Cuaran, and Gormflaith, who were influential in medieval Ireland...
II/I (died 1034)- Ragnailt ingen Amlaíb (died ?)
- Gofraid mac Sitric (died 1036)
- Cellach ingen Sitric (died 1042)
- Gofraid ua ÍmairGofraid ua ÍmairGofraid was a Norse-Gael king of Dublin and, for a short time, king of Northumbria...
(died 934)- Alpdann mac Gofraid (died 927)
- Amlaíb mac Gofraid (died 941)
- Cammán mac AmlaíbCammán mac AmlaíbCammán mac Amlaíb was a Norse-Gaelic viking who is recorded in the Irish annals as being defeated in 960. He has been identified as being a son of Amlaíb mac Gofraid , as well as possibly being Sitriuc Cam, who was defeated in battle by Amlaíb Cuarán two years later.-Cammán:In 960, Cammán is...
(fl. 962)
- Cammán mac Amlaíb
- Ragnall mac GofraidRagnall mac GofraidRagnall mac Gofraid was a Norse-Gael King of the Isles of Scotland during the early eleventh century. Ragnall's Norse name was Røgnvaldr Guðrøðsson and he was titled rí na nInnsi meaning that he ruled over the Hebrides. It is also possible his territory included the Isle of Man...
(fl. 943) - Blácaire mac GofraidBlácaire mac GofrithBlácaire mac Gofrith , in Old Norse Blákári Guðrøðsson, was King of Dublin. Son of Gofraid ua Ímair, he was a great-grandson of Ímar, ancestor of the Uí Ímair kindred which dominated the Scandinavianised and Norse-Gael regions of Britain and Ireland in the tenth century.According to the Annals of...
(died 948)
- ? ua Ímair (or among the above grandsons?)
- Ímar Ua hÍmairIvar of LimerickIvar of Limerick , died 977, was the last Norse king of the city-state of Limerick, and penultimate King of the Foreigners of Munster, reigning during the rise to power of the Dál gCais and the fall of the Eóganachta...
, of Limerick (died 977)- Amlaíb mac Ímair (died 977)
- Dubcenn mac Ímair (died 977)
- Osli mac Dubceinn (died 1012)
- Amond mac Dubceinn (died 1014)
- Aralt mac Ímair (died 978)
- Ímar Ua hÍmair
The precise lineage of one of the very last widely agreed upon members of the dynasty, Echmarcach mac Ragnaill
Echmarcach mac Ragnaill
Echmarcach mac Ragnaill was the Gall-Gaidhel King of the Isles, Dublin , and much of Galloway. According to Seán Duffy he was either a grandson or great-grandson of Ivar of Waterford, but an alternative exists. Benjamin Hudson has contended Echmarcach was a grandson of Gofraid mac Arailt...
, is uncertain. He was either a descendant of Ivar of Waterford
Ivar of Waterford
Ivar of Waterford was the Norse king of Waterford from at least 969 until his death in the year 1000, and also reigned as King of Dublin, possibly from 989 to 993, and certainly again for less than a year between 994 and 995, returning after his expulsion from the city in 993 by Sigtrygg...
(died 1000) or Gofraid mac Arailt
Gofraid mac Arailt
Gofraid mac Arailt , in Old Norse Guðrøðr Haraldsson, was a Scandinavian or Norse-Gael king. He and his brother Maccus were active in the lands around the Irish Sea in the 970s and 980s.-Origins:...
(died 989). That of Cacht ingen Ragnaill
Cacht ingen Ragnaill
Cacht ingen Ragnaill was the queen of Donnchad mac Briain, from their marriage in 1032 to her death in 1054, when she is styled Queen of Ireland in the Irish annals of the Clonmacnoise group: the Annals of Tigernach and Chronicon Scotorum...
, Queen of Donnchad mac Briain
Donnchad mac Briain
Donnchadh mac Briain , formerly anglicised as Donough O'Brian, son of Brian Bóruma and Gormflaith ingen Murchada, was King of Munster.-Background:...
, may or may not depend upon Echmarcach's.
Given names
- RagnallRagnall, Raghnall, and Raonull (names)Ragnall, Raghnall, Raonall, and Raonull are masculine personal names or given names in several Gaelic languages....
: seven occurrences in the above pedigree. From Ragnvald, Ragnall is a name strongly associated with the dynasty in Ireland and Britain. - AmlaíbOlafOlaf is a Germanic name of Proto-Germanic origin, meaning "ancestor's heirloom". It was borrowed into Old Irish and spelled Amlaíb. It may refer to:-Kings:Norse:*Olaf Haraldsson Geirstadalf, petty king...
: seven occurrences. From OlafOlafOlaf is a Germanic name of Proto-Germanic origin, meaning "ancestor's heirloom". It was borrowed into Old Irish and spelled Amlaíb. It may refer to:-Kings:Norse:*Olaf Haraldsson Geirstadalf, petty king...
, Amlaíb was a more common name among the Norse-Irish in general of this period. - ÍmarIvar-Ancient:*Ivar Ragnarsson, Viking king** Uí Ímair , his probable descendants*** Ragnall ua Ímair*** Sihtric ua Ímair*** Gofraid ua Ímair*Ivar Vidfamne, legendary Danish king of at least Scania and Zealand...
: six occurrences, counting the founder. From IvarIvar-Ancient:*Ivar Ragnarsson, Viking king** Uí Ímair , his probable descendants*** Ragnall ua Ímair*** Sihtric ua Ímair*** Gofraid ua Ímair*Ivar Vidfamne, legendary Danish king of at least Scania and Zealand...
, Ímar is obviously strongly associated with the dynasty. - SitricSigtrygg"Sigtrygg" is a Norwegian name; in Ireland rendered as Sitric. The names may refer to any of the following people:*Sitric the Dane, founder of Waterford*Sigtrygg of Nerike, a Swede who met Saint Olaf...
: five occurrences. From SigtryggSigtrygg"Sigtrygg" is a Norwegian name; in Ireland rendered as Sitric. The names may refer to any of the following people:*Sitric the Dane, founder of Waterford*Sigtrygg of Nerike, a Swede who met Saint Olaf...
, Sitric is strongly, perhaps exclusively associated with the dynasty in Ireland and Britain. - GofraidGofraidGofraid is a masculine given name in the Old Irish, and Middle Irish/Middle Gaelic languages.Gofraid corresponds to the Old Norse Guðfriðr, and Guðrøðr. Gofraid can be Anglicised as Godfrey or Geoffrey...
: four occurrences. From GuðrøðrGuðrøðrGuðrøðr is a masculine Old Norse personal name. The name is rendered in Old Irish and Middle Irish as Gofraid; a later form of this Gaelic name is Gofraidh. A Latinised form of the Old Norse name is Godred.-Persons with the name:...
, Gofraid is associated with the dynasty put possibly also with other families. - AraltHaraldHarald or Harold is the name of several kings and lesser rulers:Kings of Denmark*Harald I of Denmark , also known as Harald Bluetooth.*Harald II of Denmark*Harald III of DenmarkKings of England...
: three occurrences. From HaraldHaraldHarald or Harold is the name of several kings and lesser rulers:Kings of Denmark*Harald I of Denmark , also known as Harald Bluetooth.*Harald II of Denmark*Harald III of DenmarkKings of England...
, Aralt was used by but is not associated with the dynasty more than with others. - Glúniairn ("Iron Knee"): two occurrences
- Máel Muire ("Servant of Mary"): two occurrences
- Ragnailt: two occurrences
- Sichfrith: two occurrences
- rest: single occurrence
Later Waterford and Limerick
The independent dynasty of Waterford founded or continued by Ivar of WaterfordIvar of Waterford
Ivar of Waterford was the Norse king of Waterford from at least 969 until his death in the year 1000, and also reigned as King of Dublin, possibly from 989 to 993, and certainly again for less than a year between 994 and 995, returning after his expulsion from the city in 993 by Sigtrygg...
(died 1000) cannot be linked genealogically to the 'central' line of Dublin kings, but James Henthorn Todd
James Henthorn Todd
James Henthorn Todd was a biblical scholar, educator, and Irish historian. He is noted for his efforts to place religious disagreements on a rational historical footing, for his advocacy of a liberal form of Protestantism, and for his endeavours as an educator, librarian, and scholar in Irish...
gave him a descent from Ragnall ua Ímair
Ragnall ua Ímair
Ragnall was a Norse overlord or emperor of northern Britain, including Northumbria, the entire Irish Sea region including the Isle of Man, south to Waterford and briefly much of the Irish province of Munster, and then returning to Britain, briefly York as distinct from Northumbria at this time...
, who never ruled there. Their claim to Dublin and the names of their dynasts suggest they did belong to the dynasty.
Like in the case of the late Waterford dynasty, the pedigree of the last Norse to rule in Limerick is also uncertain. Ivar of Limerick
Ivar of Limerick
Ivar of Limerick , died 977, was the last Norse king of the city-state of Limerick, and penultimate King of the Foreigners of Munster, reigning during the rise to power of the Dál gCais and the fall of the Eóganachta...
(died 977), and surnamed Ua hÍmair, features prominently in the early 12th century saga Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib, although he appears less in the annals, which are lacunose
Lacuna (manuscripts)
A lacunaPlural lacunae. From Latin lacūna , diminutive form of lacus . is a gap in a manuscript, inscription, text, painting, or a musical work...
and in general poorer for western Ireland. In any case he and/or the Waterford dynasty are probably survived today through intermarriage with the O'Donovan family, verifiably associated with both and known for their use of Uí Ímair dynastic names in medieval times. A notable sept of the O'Donovans known as the Sliocht Íomhair
Ímar Ua Donnubáin
Ímar Ua Donnubáin or Ivor O'Donovan, and possibly nicknamed Gilla Riabach, was a legendary and celebrated petty king, navigator, trader, and reputedly necromancer of 13th century Ireland belonging to the O'Donovan family. He may or may not have been the second son of Cathal, son of Crom Ua...
or "Seed of Ivor" survived into early modern times. It is also periodically claimed that some of the family may even be male line descendants of Ivar of Waterford, a variant of which (through his son Donndubán) actually appeared in the Encyclopædia Britannica
Encyclopædia Britannica
The Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
for a few decades. This remains unverified and the family do not make this last claim themselves. All (surviving) septs profess a Gaelic lineage.
Loss of Dublin
How long the Uí Ímair remained in Dublin after losing it to the Uí CheinnselaigUí Cheinnselaig
The Uí Ceinnselaig , from the Old Irish "grandsons of Cennsalach", are an Irish dynasty of Leinster who trace their descent from Énnae Cennsalach, a supposed contemporary of Niall of the Nine Hostages...
in 1052 is unknown. Following the death of Diarmait mac Maíl na mBó
Diarmait mac Mail na mBo
Diarmait mac Maíl na mBó was King of Leinster, and also High King of Ireland .He was one of the most important and significant Kings in Ireland in the pre-Norman era...
in 1072 the kingship appears to have been held by one Gofraid mac Amlaíb meic Ragnaill, who may or may not have been a candidate supported by Toirdelbach Ua Briain. While it has been argued he was installed by Toirdelbach, the annals themselves make no such statement, which but for one only briefly report Gofraid's death in 1075, and variously style him King of the Foreigners and King of Dublin. But according to the Annals of Inisfallen
Annals of Inisfallen
The Annals of Inisfallen are a chronicle of the medieval history of Ireland. There are more than 2,500 entries spanning the years between AD 433 and AD 1450, but it is believed to have been written between the 12th and 15th centuries...
"Gofraid grandson of Ragnall, king of Áth Cliath, was banished over sea by Tairdelbach Ua Briain, and he died beyond the sea, having assembled a great fleet [to come] to Ireland." So Gofraid, regardless of how he took the throne, thought he had some chance of reestablishing the dynasty independent in Dublin in spite of the Gaels. Godred Crovan
Godred Crovan
Godred Crovan was a Norse-Gael ruler of Dublin, and King of Mann and the Isles in the second half of the 11th century. Godred's epithet Crovan may mean "white hand" . In Manx folklore he is known as King Orry.-Ancestry and early life:...
may have been successful for a period after him.
Later Ireland in general, and intermarriage
Certainly the Uí Ímair, an enormous dynasty, were once survived by a number of Gaelic families, or in their own right in Ireland, but the combination of the Norman invasion of IrelandNorman 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...
and later Tudor conquest destroyed the vast majority of the medieval Norse-Irish and Gaelic aristocracy alike. Dense clusters of given names strongly associated with the Norse dynasty can be found in professedly Gaelic families in the great genealogical compilations of Duald Mac Firbis and Cú Choigcríche Ó Cléirigh
Cú Choigcríche Ó Cléirigh
Cú Choigcríche Ó Cléirigh was an Irish historian and genealogist, known in English as Peregrine O'Clery.-Life and work:Ó Cléirigh was a son of Diarmaid Ó Cléirigh, and thus a third-cousin once removed to Brother Mícheál Ó Cléirigh, whom he assisted in compiling the Annals of the Four...
, and in various other sources. However, a strange phenomenon becomes apparent, that while the dynasty were concentrated in Dublin, Waterford and Limerick, and thus in the southern half of Ireland, these professedly Gaelic families later using their given names with great frequency are found mainly in the northern half of the island, their pedigrees associating them with the Connachta
Connachta
The Connachta are a group of medieval Irish dynasties who claimed descent from the legendary High King Conn Cétchathach...
, Uí Maine, and Northern Uí Néill
Uí Néill
The Uí Néill are Irish and Scottish dynasties who claim descent from Niall Noigiallach , an historical King of Tara who died about 405....
. On top of this, none of these northern dynasties have a documented history of willing association with the Uí Ímair, or in the case of the first two any association at all. The Uí Ímair are only documented intermarrying with the Osraige (FitzPatricks, see below), Laigin
Laigin
The Laigin, modern spelling Laighin , were a population group of early Ireland who gave their name to the province of Leinster...
, O'Brien dynasty, the Southern Uí Néill Clann Cholmáin
Clann Cholmáin
Clann Cholmáin is the name of the dynasty descended from Colmán Mór , son of Diarmait mac Cerbaill. Part of the Southern Uí Néill — they were the kings of Mide — they traced their descent to Niall Noígiallach and his son Conall Cremthainne.Related dynasties descended through Conall...
and Síl nÁedo Sláine
Síl nÁedo Sláine
Síl nÁedo Sláine is the name of the descendants of Áed Sláine , son of Diarmait mac Cerbaill. Part of the Southern Uí Néill—they were the kings of Brega—they claimed descent from Niall Noígiallach and his son Conall Cremthainne....
, and the aforementioned O'Donovans. In any event, the one long surviving source that might have contained pedigrees of surviving septs of the Uí Ímair themselves was a section in the Great Book of Lecan
Great Book of Lecan
The Book of Lecan is a medieval Irish manuscript written between 1397 and 1418. It is in the possession of the Royal Irish Academy....
. This section, specifically focused on the pedigrees and doings of the Norse families of Ireland, was still in existence in the 17th century, as reported by Mac Firbis himself, but has since become lost.
From his daughter Máel Muire, the FitzPatrick dynasty are descendants of Gofraid mac Arailt
Gofraid mac Arailt
Gofraid mac Arailt , in Old Norse Guðrøðr Haraldsson, was a Scandinavian or Norse-Gael king. He and his brother Maccus were active in the lands around the Irish Sea in the 970s and 980s.-Origins:...
, probable grandson of Sihtric Cáech, emperor of the Norse of Ireland and Britain. Their ancestor Cerball mac Dúnlainge
Cerball mac Dúnlainge
Cerball mac Dúnlainge was king of Osraige in south-east Ireland. The kingdom of Osraige occupied roughly the area of modern County Kilkenny and lay between the larger provincial kingdoms of Munster and Leinster....
counted Ímar I (died 873) as an ally.
Crovan dynasty
Descendants of the Dublin Uí Ímair may have persisted into the 13th century in the line of Godred CrovanGodred Crovan
Godred Crovan was a Norse-Gael ruler of Dublin, and King of Mann and the Isles in the second half of the 11th century. Godred's epithet Crovan may mean "white hand" . In Manx folklore he is known as King Orry.-Ancestry and early life:...
, King of Dublin and King of Mann and the Isles, although his ancestry is not agreed upon and may very well be different. If he in fact was then he was mostly likely a son or nephew of Ímar mac Arailt above, one of the last certain Uí Ímair kings of Dublin and a grandson of Amlaíb Cuarán. Godred's descendants, although vassals of the Kings of Norway, continued to rule into the 1260s, the last being Magnus Olafsson (to 1265), or briefly his son Godred VI (1275).
Clann Somhairle
Although their descent from Godred Crovan is through the female line, Alex WoolfAlex Woolf
Alex Woolf is a medieval historian based at the University of St Andrews. He specialises in the history of the British Isles and Scandinavia in the Early Middle Ages, especially in relation to the peoples of Wales and Scotland. He is author of volume two in the New Edinburgh History of Scotland,...
believes the Clann Somhairle
Clann Somhairle
Clann Somhairle refers to those Scottish and Irish dynasties descending from the famous Norse-Gaelic leader Somerled, King of Mann and the Isles. Primarily they are the Clan Donald, formerly known as the Lord of the Isles, and the mainland Clan MacDougall, and all their numerous branches...
(Clan Donald
Clan Donald
Clan Donald is one of the largest Scottish clans. There are numerous branches to the clan. Several of these have chiefs recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms; these are: Clan Macdonald of Sleat, Clan Macdonald of Clanranald, Clan MacDonell of Glengarry, Clan MacDonald of Keppoch, and Clan...
and Clan MacDougall
Clan MacDougall
Clan MacDougall is a Highland Scottish clan consisting of the descendants of Dubgall mac Somairle, son of Somerled, who ruled Lorne and the Isle of Mull in Argyll in the 13th century...
) or the Lords of the Isles can be regarded as a "cadet branch
Cadet branch
Cadet branch is a term in genealogy to describe the lineage of the descendants of the younger sons of a monarch or patriarch. In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets – titles, realms, fiefs, property and income – have...
" of the Uí Ímair, as they apparently based their claim to the Isles on this descent (according to Woolf). Their founder Somerled
Somerled
Somerled was a military and political leader of the Scottish Isles in the 12th century who was known in Gaelic as rí Innse Gall . His father was Gillebride...
married Ragnhild
Ragnhild
Ragnhild of Tälje is a local saint whose veneration is attested in late Medieval Sweden and whose name was particularly associated with the church in Södertälje in the province of Södermanland and the diocese of Strängnäs. According to tradition, she was also Queen, married to King Inge II of Sweden...
, daughter of Olaf I Godredsson, King of Mann and the Isles and son of Godred Crovan. This of course assumes these dynasts belonged to the Uí Ímair. Sir Iain Moncreiffe attempted to reconstruct a male line descent from Echmarcach mac Ragnaill
Echmarcach mac Ragnaill
Echmarcach mac Ragnaill was the Gall-Gaidhel King of the Isles, Dublin , and much of Galloway. According to Seán Duffy he was either a grandson or great-grandson of Ivar of Waterford, but an alternative exists. Benjamin Hudson has contended Echmarcach was a grandson of Gofraid mac Arailt...
himself to Somerled, but this has received little attention. More recently it has been suggested by Richard Oram
Richard Oram
Professor Richard D. Oram F.S.A. is a Scottish historian. He is a Professor of Medieval and Environmental History at the University of Stirling and an Honorary Lecturer in History at the University of Aberdeen. He is also the director of the Centre for Environmental History and Policy at the...
that Somerled may actually have been a male line descendant of the Jarl Gilli
Gilli (jarl)
Gilli, also known as Gilla, was an early 11th century Norse-Gaelic lord. According to Njáls saga, Gilli was a Hebridean jarl, centred at on the island of Coll, who paid tribute to his brother-in-law, Sigurðr 'the Stout', Jarl of Orkney . Historian Barbara E. Crawford suggested that Gilli must have...
, whose lineage apart from being Norse is uncertain.
Nevertheless, both the descendants of Godred and Somerled favoured and continue to favour the Uí Ímair dynastic names Ragnall and Gofraid/Godred. One great sept are the Mac Domhnaill of Clann Raghnaill.
It must be pointed out that the Clann Somhairle do not claim to be Norse themselves and profess an Irish lineage.
Gwynedd
OlafAmlaíb mac Sitriuc
Amlaíb mac Sitriuc was the son of the Hiberno-Norse King of Dublin, Sigtrygg Silkbeard, a member of the Uí Ímair dynasty. His ancestors included Brian Boru, Olaf Cuaran, and Gormflaith, who were influential in medieval Ireland...
, a son of Sigtrygg Silkbeard, became an ancestor of the Kings of Gwynedd, through his daughter Ragnhild, wife of Cynan ab Iago and mother of the famous Gruffydd ap Cynan
Gruffydd ap Cynan
Gruffydd ap Cynan was a King of Gwynedd. In the course of a long and eventful life, he became a key figure in Welsh resistance to Norman rule, and was remembered as King of all Wales...
.