Laigin

The Laigin, modern spelling Laighin (Irish pronunciation: [ˈl̪ˠainʲ]), were a population group of early Ireland. They gave their name to the province of Leinster, which in the medieval era was known in Irish as Cóiced Laigen, meaning "province of the Leinstermen" (Modern Irish Cúige Laighean). Their territory, located in south-east Ireland, is thought to have once extended from the River Shannon to the River Boyne.[1]

Royal House of Laigin
Parent houseunknown
CountryIreland
FounderLabraid Loingsech
Current headMacMurrough Kavanagh
Titles
Dissolutionstill present
Cadet branchesVarious

Etymology

Laigin is a plural noun, indicating an ethnonym rather than a geographic term,[2] but the Irish system of naming territories meant that an area tended to be named after an apical ancestor-figure even when the ruling dynasty had no links to that figure.[3] The origin of their name is uncertain; however, it is traditionally assumed to derive from the Irish word láigen, meaning 'a spear'.[1] Early texts use names Laigen and Gaileoin interchangeably.[4]

Origins

The Laigin are claimed as being descended from Labraid Loingsech.[1] Modern historians suggest, on the basis of Irish traditions and related place names, that the Laigin were a group of invaders from Gaul or Britain, who arrived no later than the 6th century BC, and were later incorporated into the medieval genealogical scheme which made all the ruling groups of early Ireland descend from Míl Espáine. Placenames also suggest they once had a presence in north Munster and in Connacht.[5]

Archaic poems found in medieval genealogical texts distinguish three groups making up the Laigin: the Laigin proper, the Gaileóin, and the Fir Domnann. The latter are suggested to be related to the British Dumnonii.[1][6]

Amongst others, some of the dynasties that claimed to belong to the Laigin include: Uí Failge, Uí Biarrche, Uí Dúnlainge, Uí Ceinnselaig, Uí Garrchon, and the Uí Máil.[1]

In medieval literature

In the legendary tales of the Ulster Cycle, the king of the Connachta, Ailill mac Máta, is said to belong to the Laigin. This is thought by Byrne (2001) to be related to a possible early domination of the province of Connacht by peoples related to the Laigin, the Fir Domnann and the Gamanrad.

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See also

References
  1. Connolly, p. 308.
  2. Byrne, p. 46.
  3. Duffy, pp. 7-8.
  4. John T. Koch, Celtic culture: a historical encyclopedia. Vols 1-4, p. 1079.
  5. Byrne 2001, pp. 130-164
  6. Dáibhí Ó Cróinín, "Ireland, 400-800", in Dáibhí Ó Cróinín (ed.), A New History of Ireland Vol 1, 2005, pp. 182-234

Bibliography
  • Byrne, Francis J. (2001). Irish Kings and High Kings. Four Courts Press.
  • Connolly, S.J. (2007). Oxford Companion to Irish History. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-923483-7.
  • Duffy, Seán (2014). Brian Boru and the Battle of Clontarf. Gill & Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-7171-6207-9.
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