The Mageraghtys were part of the Ui Briuin, who traced their origins back to Niall of the Nine Hostages’ older brother Brian. Had it not been for Niall’s charismatic personality, Brian might have been king of Tara. Instead he became Niall’s chief legate in war and king of Connacht.
"The Violent Death of Crimthann mac Fidaig and of the Three Sons of Eochaid Muigmedón" gives the story of the sons of Eochaid Mugmedón. According to this saga, Brión was the favorite son of his mother Mongfind, sister of Crimthann mac Fidaig (d. 367), the king of Munster. She wanted Brión to succeed Eochaid but upon his death, war broke out with her stepson Niall Noígíallach (d. 405). When she realized the war was not going in her favor she arranged for Crimthann to become high king and sent Brión away to learn soldiering. On Brión's return after seven years, Mongfind poisoned her brother in order to get the throne for Brión.
However, Niall acquired the throne and made Brión his champion and levier of his rents and hostages. Brión took the throne of Connacht leading to war with his brother Fiachrae. Brión defeated Fiachrae at the Battle of Damchluain (near Tuam, County Galway) who was taken captive to Tara. However, Fiachrae's son Nath Í rallied forces and defeated Brión who was slain at a second Battle of Damchluain. Brión was buried at Ross Camm. Fiachrae was released and became the new king of Connacht.
This initiated a feud, between Connacht’s two royal families, that lasted for centuries. Fiacha’s son Dathi (r405-428) possesses the dubious honour of being the last pagan king of Ireland. He is said to have been killed by a flash of lightning while raiding the distant Alps. His family were overthrown by Brian’s youngest son, Duach Galach, prior to the arrival of Ireland’s patron saint.
Saint Patrick (390-460 AD)
In his CONFESSION – the first written document of Irish history - St Patrick mentions being captured by Irish raiders and forced to tend swine for six years. Then God spoke to him in a vision, telling him that he would find a ship to take him home. His 200 mile journey to the coast argues against the traditional belief that he was in Antrim. Indeed, years later he would dream of 'the voices of those who were by the Wood of Voclut, by the Western Sea' who asked him to 'walk among us AGAIN'. The Wood of Voclut, in county Mayo, is 200 miles from the eastern port of Wexford, from whence many ships left for Britain. Traditional sources agree that he stepped foot in Ireland for a second time in 432 AD.
St Patrick at Tara
According to legend, St Patrick challenged the druids of Ireland by violating one of their sacred customs. On the eve of Easter every hearth in Ireland was supposed to remain empty until the druids the sacred fire upon the royal rath at Tara. But Patrick encamped at Slaine, in view of the palace, and made a campfire. “What audacious miscreant has dared do this outrage!” the king said. The druids are said to have recalled an ancient prophecy and proclaimed that unless the flame on yonder hill be extinguished “It will outshine all fires that we light, and he who lit it will conquer us all: he will overthrow you, and his kingdom will overthrow your kingdom...”
King Laoghaire had his soldiers drag Patrick before him. The druids then attempted to best him in a demonstration of magic. They used their enchantments to create a darkness, which he easily dissipated. “They can produce darkness, but not light,” Patrick pointed out to the assembled nobles. He then preached Christ, winning the queen and many of the assembly to the new religion.
St Patrick in Connacht
Two of King Laoghaire’s daughters – Ethne “the fair” and Fedelm “the ruddy” – were his palace at Cruachan when Patrick arrived. As they proceeded to their morning bath, in the fountain of Clebach, the maidens encountered monks chanting praises of the Most High. "Who are ye, and whence do ye come? Are ye phantoms, or fairies, or friendly mortals?" they demanded. To which St. Patrick answered: "It were better you would adore and worship the one true God, whom we announce to you, than that you would satisfy your curiosity by such vain questions."
They were immediately converted, and thus among the first of his converts in Connacht. Patrick is said to have baptised all but one of Brian’s 24 sons. King Duach Galach gave his disciple Grellan the land on which Ballinasloe monastery was built in South Roscommon. The saint’s legendary banishment of snakes from Ireland is said to have taken place after a forty day fast on Mount Croagh. After seven years, Patrick moved on to Armagh where he founded the monastery most closely associated with his name.
The Brehon Laws
Irish law was derived from a system of pre Christian traditions known as the Brehon laws. St Patrick is said to have initiated the revision of these ancient judgements after listening to a recital. “What did not clash with the word of God .. and the consciences of believers was confirmed.” Three kings, three churchmen and three historians are supposed to have worked on the project for 3 years. The resulting laws decreed that a miller carrying material to build his mill had the same right of way as a king transporting stones for his castle. Prior to proceeding against a debtor, the courts warned him that he must pay. Should he not respond, a portion of his livestock would be seized. A series of seizures would follow, with intervening periods to allow the debtor a chance of paying off his obligations. Many pledged their own sons as a surety, and subsequently saw them taken into slavery. Ireland’s rigid cast system was reflected by the relative values of each member being reflected by the payment required to prevent a blood feud after someone’s murder: 21 cows for one of the bonded class, 42 for a freeman. To erase the shame of unfairly killing Mogh Nuadat through a night attack on his camp, Conn of the Hundred Battles paid a ring of gold, a carved broach, his sword and shield, 200 horses, 200 chariots, 200 ships, 200 spears, 200 swords, 200 cows, 200 slaves and was forced to give his daughter to Mogh’s heir in marriage.
The Fine
Society was defined by the “fine” or joint family. This included all male relatives – back to your great grandfather’s brothers and their descendants - for five generations. All members of a fine were responsible for any misdeeds committed by a member, and were required to seek blood-vengeance should someone be slain. Under normal circumstances, when a man died his sons inherited his property. But if anyone died without immediate heirs his property was distributed throughout the fine in well defined proportions. All members of a royal fine were eligible to be elected king, but if one branch was able to monopolise the kingship for five generations the others lost their claim forever.
Kings
There were four levels of kingship: the ruler of a tuath; “Overking” of several tuatha; “king” of a province; and (at least after the 9th century) High King of all Ireland. The ruler of a tuath paid tribute to his Overking, but usually had a free hand in governing his own territory. While the higher level kings were at the top of society, both bishops and chief poets were considered equal to the ruler of a tuath.
Freemen
All “freemen” were in a “clientship” relationship with their local lord. “Base clients” were mere tenants, who rented a piece of land or some livestock. For a herd of 20 dairy, they may have paid an annual rent of a cow, three calves, a vessel of cream, 20 loaves of bread, and some other produce. “Free clients” paid a lower rent, were generally wealthier, took an oath of allegiance that included a promise to fight their clan’s battles and were entitled to a share of any booty. Both free and base clients could terminate their clientship by simply returning the land or livestock to their lord. An eighth century legal document describes a typical “free client’s” farm:
“There are always two vessels in his house, a vessel of milk and a vessel of ale. He is a man of three snouts: the snout of a rooting hog which banishes shame at all times, the snout of a bacon pig on the hook, and the snout of a plough under the sod, so that he is able to receive king or bishop or scholar or judge from the road, against the arrival of every party of guests. He is a man who has three sacks in his house always for each season: a sack of malt; a sack of sea salt for the salting up of his beasts, and a sack of charcoal for iron working. He has seven houses: a corn-kiln, a barn (his share in a mill so that it grinds for him) a dwelling house of 27 ft, a lean to of 17 ft, a pigsty, a calf fold and a sheep fold. He has 20 cows, two bulls, six oxen, 20 pigs, 20 sheep, four farmyard hogs, two sows, a riding horse with enamelled bridle and sixteen sacks of seed corn in the ground. He has a bronze caldron into which a hog fits. He has parkland on which there are always sheep, without need to change ground. He and his wife have four outfits. His wife is the daughter of his equal, wedded in lawful matrimony.”
These small fortified farmsteads were found throughout Ireland.
Cultivated lands were usually close to the houses. Cropland was usually ploughed in March. “Free clients” would use an ox drawn plough, and their poorer neighbours spades. They would sow oats (for porridge and a crude bread) barley (for beer and bread) wheat (to make bread that was sold to the rich) and corn. Apples were the only cultivated fruit, though wild berries and nuts were gathered. Women tended the stock: grazing them in the moors during the hot months, and in the farmer’s reserve during winter. While “Free clients” and their betters drank cow’s milk, sheep’s milk sufficed for the poor. The women made butter and cheese.
Lower Classes
A mass of unfree classes – slaves, labourers, workmen and lower grades of entertainers – formed the lowest level of society. While the lowest unit of Irish currency was a young heifer, six heifers could buy a female slave. Slaves were usually taken in war, or the children of people who had fallen into such desperate straits that they had been forced to sell their offspring to avert starvation. Slightly above these, in the social scale, were serfs bound to their local lords. Yet the Irish had a maxim that a man was better than his birth, and someone could acquire his freedom by learning a skilled trade such as metalworking, playing a harp or becoming a physician.
The cursing of Tara
High King Dairmuid’s legendary quarrel with St Ruadan is said to have begun with an attempt to thwart the growing independence of Ireland’s provincial kings. Ironically, it was the Celtic church that defeated him. Dairmuid is said to have been a “peace-lovng defender of his country, who helped the churches and the poor, was truthful, just in judgement and absolutely trustworthy.” He “upheld the peace so strongly that no man dare even strike another man’s face.” Yet he dispatched officials throughout the nation, “boasting of the king’s authority in lands not his own.” Guaire the Hospitable (655-663), greatest of the U Fiacha to rule Connacht, was not at home when the royal officials arrived. Returning to find his gate broken, Guaire killed the royal officer responsible, and then fled “for fear of the king.” He hiding in several places before finally being arrested in St Ruadan’s monastery near Clonmacnois. Enraged at this violation of their sanctuary, the monks at once marched on Tara where St Ruadan cursed the king: “Your kingdom shall fail, and none of your seed shall ever reign ... This your royal town of Tara, whence the kingdom of Ireland has been ruled these many years, shall be left empty.” The saint’s words came true: Another branch of the Ui Neill assumed the kingship after Dairmuid’s death in 565, and "each High King dwelt in his own ancestral territory, at Aileach in the north and Dún-na-Sciath (in Midhe)."
Tara ceased to be the capital.
Expansion of the Ui Briuin
Guaire’s clan, the Ui Fiacha, were soon eclipsed by their Ui Briuin cousins. We were mainly clustered around Carnfree, just south of Cruachan, during the reign of king Muireadhach Muilleathan of Connacht (r 697-701). Our branch of the Ui Briuin took the name Sil Murray, or 'the seed of Muireadhach', from him. Five kings are cited as succeeding him during the next 22 years. Two of them were Ui Fiacha, whose reigns whose combined reigns amount to no more than four years. They returned to power for a brief interlude during the mid 8th century, but Connacht was effectively a Ui Briuin province after the accession of Cathal macMuiredaig Muillethain (r 728-735).
Founding of Roscommon Abbey
St Comman of Ross, from whom our county, it’s most central barony and principle town all derive their names, founded the first Abbey of Roscommon around this time. The BOOK OF THE FOUR MASTERS simply states that he was an Abbot of Clonmacnois “full of the grace of God”, who died in 742. Some of my ancestors undoubtedly visited this place, which was close to Carnfree.
Expansion of the Ui Briuin
We appear to have been expanding our personal holdings during the later part of this century. The ANNALS OF THE FOUR MASTERS record our bazttle with the Cinel Cairbre” in 749 and “slaughter” of the Calraighe in 752. To the south, we slew “numbers of the Conmaicne” in 761. Some of my non Mageraghty ancestors probably lived in that part of Southern Roscommon that was part of “Ui Maine”, and would have shared in that kingdom’s defeat at the hands of my Ui Briuin in 770.
Royal Descent of clan Mageraghty
The last king of Connacht from whom the Mageraghty’s claim descent is Tomaltach. Only a quarter of us are probably direct male descendants, but my Garrettys had a quarter of a billion potential male ancestors during Tomaltach’s generation! As there were probably less than half a million people in Ireland at this time, it seems virtually certain that we are descended from him at least along a female lineage.
Muirgheas
The little we know of Tomaltach is mostly connected with his sons: the first to achieve prominence being Muirgheas. He led a contingent of Connachtmen to assist one of Meath’s clans then struggling against the High King. As a result, Muirgheas was among those defeated at Tir An Aenaigh, and driven away “as if they were goats and sheep”. He was also involved in the battles which enabled our clan to retain control of Connacht. He “demolished” Loch Riach (in Galway) during 797. We do not know if Muirgheas was among the Ui Briuin who slaughtered the Calraighe Luirg in 807, but he did lay waste the territory of the Luighni (from county Sligo), in revenge for the deaths of two of his sons.
Muirgheas died soon after that, leaving two sons. The Mageraghtys are descended from Cathal, and thus would be numbered among the four royal tribes of the Sil Murray. Most subsequent kings of Connacht, however, trace their lineage through his brother Tadgh Mor whose murder inspired one of the Luighni to boast:
“Muirgheas slew my son,
which very much wounded me;
It was I that struck the sword
into the throat of (his son) Tadhg afterwards.”
Remainder of Tomaltach’s reign
At least one reconstruction of Tomaltach’s reign has him on the throne until 836. This would mean he witnessed his son Diarmaid’s triumphs over the Ui Fiacha and U Maine. These were the last of his domestic victories: his final years were consumed by external threats. The first of these was from bishop Feidlich of Cashel in Tipperary. He massacred the monks of Clonmacnois during one of his raids across our borders. The warrior cleric was forced to retreat from U Maine, after being beaten by that kingdom’s army. Our ancestor Cathal is mentioned in the ANNALS OF THE FOUR MASTERS in connection to Feidlich’s foray of 836: “victory was gained over the Munstermen by Cathal, son of Muirghius” and “Cathal, son of Muirghius, son of Tomaltach, King of Connaught, died soon after”.
Tuirgeis’ kingdom
A greater threat came from the North. The Norwegian Tuirgeis led 120 Viking ships to Athlone, on the southern extremity of Loch Rhee. There was “a most cruel devastation of all the lands of Connacht by the heathens." The Airchinnech of Roscommon Abbey was killed. Clonmacnois was sacked again, and Tuirgeis’s wife violated the sanctuary by uttering pagan prophecies from the alter. The Vikings extended their control into Armagh, where Tuirgeis transformed St Patrick’s monastery into a pagan temple. King Malachy of Meath terminated viking rule after a three month long battle amidst the islands of Loch Rhee. Half of the raider’s 60 longships were sunk. Tuirgeis was captured and drowned.
External Threats
Connacht continued to suffer attacks from our neighbours. King Feidlimid pillaged our farms and took hostages in 837 and 840, but then attempted to conquer Leinster and was so soundly defeated by the High King that he remained within Cashel for the duration of his reign. With him out of the way, the Vikings felt safe enough to found a Limerick at the mouth of the Shannon.
Descent of the Mageraghtys
At this time, the paternal ancestors of clan Mageraghty were still within the royal fine. Counting five generations from king Tamaltach, we find:
(1) King Tamaltach (who may have been alive as late as 836)
(2) Muirgheas (died 810) – leader in several clan battles
(3) Cathal Mac Muirgius, (died 836) – who defeated Feidlich of Cashel
(4) Cathal
(5) Aodh – contemporary with the Viking Turgeis