W KSTROFP—JEart/morkK and Ring-walls in County Limerick. 485 



Mhothla (whose death is recorded a.d. 918 in the Annals of Inisfallen), as 

 successor of Finaghta, circa a.d. 630, and predecessor of Lorcan, who won the 

 battle of Magh Adhair against the High King Flann in a.d. 877. Some of 

 the gaps may spiing from " legitimatist " views, as certain annals ignore the 

 high kingship of Brian, as the Corca Laighde ignored Mathgamhain as king of 

 Cashel, and as OHuidhrin omitted allusion to the great Norman colonies in 

 Munster. 



Xow the closing at about the same time of so many lines of the dynasty 

 of Dioma, and the fact that no other kings of that race are recorded after 

 A.D. 830, bring us to an interesting inference. The Norsemen sailed up the 

 Shannon in great numbers, and established a strong colony at Limerick on 

 Inis Sibthonn. They made frightfully destructive raids inland, reduced 

 eastern Co. Limerick, attacked the Cragliath Dal Gais (who beat them back, 

 again and again, about a.d. 810-830, and defeated their fleet on Loch Derg), 

 and finally invaded western Co. J^imerick in force. At Shanid they were met 

 by the kindred tribes of the Ui Fidgeinte and the Ui Chonaill, a.d. 834, and 

 were overthrown with terrific slaughter and driven out of Ui Chonaill. They 

 had in these raids practically wiped out the Mairtinigh, Firbolgic tribes, on 

 the Shannon, and at Imleach lubhair. About ten years later King Fedliniidh 

 of Cashel recognized Lachtna of Cragliath as Chief of Thomond.' We can 

 only draw the conclusion that the Brughrigh princes were exterminated, their 

 relatives driven away, and that no efficient rival withstood the kingship of 

 the line of Cragliath. Indeed, the succession of that remote line to the 

 chieftaincy of Thomond is eloquent of how the old chief line and settlements 

 had been bled to death. The date of the poem in the " Book of Eights," giving 

 the gifts to the subordinate princes, has not been definitely fixed. In it the 

 King of Brughrigh receives from the King of Erin ten brown-red tunics and 

 ten foreign slaves.^ 



A century later we find the Ui Fidhgeinte chiefs reigning in Bruree ; 

 they had held their own against the foreigners. Mathgamhain, King of 

 Cashel, was betrayed by their chief Donnabhan at Dun Gaifi' in a.d. 976. 

 His brother Brian avenged his murder on the betrayer. Little love can have 

 existed between the races. The Ui Fidhgeinte regarded their eponymus 

 Fiacha as of the elder line of OilioU Olom ; they had held their land by the 

 sword ; the Dalcassian line of Dioma (which alone they had known as their 

 over-kings for over 300 years) was exterminated. What right had the half- 



' Supra, vol. xxix (C), p. 196. 



- The King of Bruree (of Ui Cairbre Aebhdha) is named in the " Book of Rights," 

 p. 85. 



^ " Wars of the Gaedhil," p. cxxxiv, note 8, and p. 97. 



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