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Thomond Tuamhain | |||||||||
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| 1118–1543 | |||||||||
 Coat of arms
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 Thomond before the Norman invasion of Ireland | |||||||||
| Capital | Clonroad | ||||||||
| Common languages | Middle Irish, Early Modern Irish, Latin | ||||||||
| Religion | Catholic Christianity | ||||||||
| Government | Tanistry | ||||||||
| Rí | |||||||||
• 1118–1142 | Conchobhar Ó Briain | ||||||||
• 1539–1543 | Murchadh Carrach Ó Briain | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | 1118 | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 1543 | ||||||||
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| Today part of | Ireland | ||||||||
Thomond (Classical Irish: Tuadhmhumhain; Modern Irish: Tuamhain), also known as the Kingdom of Limerick,[2] was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Clare and County Limerick, as well as parts of County Tipperary around Nenagh and its hinterland. The kingdom represented the core homeland of the Dál gCais people, although there were other Gaels in the area such as the Éile and Eóganachta, and even the Norse of Limerick. It existed from the collapse of the Kingdom of Munster in the 12th century as competition between the Ó Briain and the Mac Cárthaigh led to the schism between Thomond ("North Munster") and Desmond ("South Munster"). It continued to exist outside of the Anglo-Norman-controlled Lordship of Ireland until the 16th century.
The exact origin of Thomond, originally as an internal part of Munster, is debated. It is generally held that the Déisi Muman pushed north-west starting from the 5th to the early 8th century, taking the area from the Uí Fiachrach Aidhne of the Connachta. Eventually, the Dál gCais rose to power in all of Munster, to the detriment of the Eóganachta. The person most famously associated with this is Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, best known for his feats at the Battle of Clontarf. Four generations down the line and after providing three more High Kings, the Dál gCais were unable to hold onto all of Munster and so Thomond came into being as a separate entity.
Between the mid-12th and late 13th century, when much of Ireland came under direct English control and/or settlement, Thomond too came into the Anglo-Irish sphere. The de Clare family established a colony at Bunratty, while the Butler and FitzGerald families also made inroads. However, from the time of the Battle of Dysert O'Dea, Thomond was restored as a kingdom, with its rulers reinstating Limerick within their overrule. Not until the 1540s did the ruling O'Brien dynasty come under English rule.
- ^ "O'Brien (No. 1.) King of Thomond". LibraryIreland.com. Retrieved on 26 July 2009.
- ^ Duffy, Sean. Medieval Ireland An Encyclopedia. p. 58.