Uí Fidgenti
Early kingdom of northern Munster in Ireland
The Uí Fidgenti, Fidgeinti, Fidgheinte, Fidugeinte, Fidgente, or Fidgeinte ( or ; "descendants of, or of the tribe of, Fidgenti") were an early kingdom of northern Munster in Ireland, situated mostly in modern County Limerick, but extending into County Clare and County Tipperary, and possibly even County Kerry and County Cork, at maximum extents, which varied over time. They flourished from about 377 AD (assumption of power of Fidgheinte) to 977 (death of Donovan), although they continued to devolve for another three hundred years. They have been given various origins among both the early or proto-Eóganachta and among the Dáirine by different scholars working in a number of traditions, with no agreement ever reached or appearing reachable.
Clans
Genealogies deriving from the Uí Fidgenti include O'Billry, O’Bruadair (Brouder), O'Cennfhaelaidh (Kenneally/Kenealy), Clerkin, Collins (Cuilen), O'Connell, O'Dea, O'Donovan, Flannery, O'Heffernans, Kenealyes, Mac Eneiry, O'Quin, and Tracy. Whether a surname is distinguished with an "O'" is irrelevant, as all the old Irish families derive from their "Ui" prefix designation; the use of the "O" was discouraged during the era of the Penal Laws, and came back into vogue in connection with the rise of Irish nationalism after the 1840s.
Closely related to the Uí Fidgenti were the Uí Liatháin, who claimed descent from the same 4th century AD dynast, Dáire Cerbba (Maine Munchaín), and who in the earliest sources, such as The Expulsion of the Déisi (incidentally), are mentioned together with them.
The Uí Fidgenti descend from Fiachu Fidgenti, the second son of Dáire Cerbba, whom, it is believed, became the senior line of the Milesian race upon the death of Crimhthann in 379 AD Fiacha himself, however, never became King of Munster, for he was killed by his rival, Aengus Tireach, great-grandson of Cormac Cas, in a battle fought at Clidhna, near Glandore Harbor. As noted in the Book of Lecan, Fiacha received the designation because he constructed a wooden horse at the fair of Aenach Cholmain.
Ultimately, six hundred years after the time of Fiacha, the territories of the Uí Fidgenti divided into two principal factions or septs, the Uí Chairpre Áebda and Uí Chonaill Gabra. The latter were more often the stronger power.
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This entry incorporates text from “Uí Fidgenti” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.