Mac Carthy - 8
The territory of the Heberian Dal gCais Septs in Tuadh Mumhan / Thomond / North Munster also took in the northern part of what is now Co. Limerick and Co. Tipperary, and continued all the way across to the east - coast to Co. Waterford, which they where also forced to defend against theongoing Viking raids and this all bought pressure also to bear on the Heberian Eoghanacht Septs who found that they had to begin migrating further south from out of Co. Limerick and Co. Tipperary down into Co. Cork and Co. Kerry in Des Mumha / Desmond / Southern Munster. This also meant that the Heberian Dal gCais Septs who had previously done most of their fighting on behalf of the Heberian Eoghanacht Kings of Cashel / Munster were now more then ever on their own, doing their own thing quite successfully against the Vikings and as their confidence grew in these never - ending conflicts they realized that they were also moving onwards and upwards towards re - gaining a share in the Kingship of Munster again that would enable them also to try and combine the Irish forces against the Vikings. This was mostly due to their ever growing success in taking on the surrounding Viking menace head on, as this meant that the Heberian Dal gCais Septs were becoming more confident every day now under the leadership of 104.Kennedy / Ceanedig, but after his untimely death in battle and that of their 2 older brothers previously, 105.Ahearn / Eachthighearn and 105.Donncuan, another one of his sons,105.Mahon was to become the Dal gCais King of Thomond / Tuadh Mhumhain / North Munster and together with his remaining younger brothers and their Dalcassian warriors they continued to keep up their vstrong opposition to the Vikings. This was especially so in relation to his youngest brother, *105.Brian, who was still only 16 years of age, who was fully determined to drive the Vikings out of Ireland altogether, although 105.Mahon was willing to come to some type of arrangement with them to try and settle them down. Previously before all of this latest mayhem was to come to pass, the Viking incursions and their residency had been only intermittent, and not as regular or permanent, and where then seen by the Irish Septs as just an annoyance.
Before the advent of the Heberian Dal gCais Chieftain, 104.Kennedy, the Heremonian Dal Cuinn Ui Niaill Kings who had controlled Ireland in their own right also for 600 years always had to ensure they continued to have complete authority over the rest of the Irish Septs to continue to hold their overall position of authority, but for all of this time they had still continued to share the High Kingship of Ireland, but only among their Heremonian Dal Cuinn Ui Niaill Septs / Familiy branches, both the "southern" and the "northern." To this end at that time,*104.Flann Sionna, the Dal Cuinn Clann Cholmain "southern" Ui Niaill Prince / Tanaiste, who was a son of *103.Malachy 1st / Mael Sechnaill the Ui Niaill "southern" 167th King of Tara / Ireland, who later also became the real first High King in his own right, was carrying out personal incursions into the Munster Province as a way of expressing not only his father's, but also his own personal future authority over the Heberian Eoghanacht Septs and their Heberian kinsmen the Dal gCais Septs who were renowned throughout Ireland for their natural fighting ability and their support of the Munster Eoghanacht Kings. *104.Flann Sionna had decided it was time to put the Heberian Dal gCais Sept in their place in a symbolic way, to denegrate their position in the scheme of things, and to this end he played chess on Magh Adhair (The Meadow of the Scared Oaks), which was the sacred Inauguration Mound of the Dal gCais Septs where 57 Kings of Thomond were to be crowned. (Magh Adhair is situated above the township of Quin in Co. Clare, to the west of the River Shannon.) At that time, 103.Larkin / Lorcan was the Dal gCais Chieftain, who was to be the father of 104.Kennedy the direct male line ancestor of the O Kennedys, of Clare, of Ormond and eventually of Co. Wexford in Southern Leinster, and he would also be the grandfather of *105.Brian Boru the main ancestor of the O Briains / Briens of Clare, who would become the 175th High King of Ireland in the future. At this time, 103.Lorcan went after *104.Flann Sionna with his Heberian Dal gCais warriors and captured him, taking him alive, which was no small prize, as he was the son of the Heremonian Dal Cuinn Clann Cholmain Ui Niaill 167th High King of Ireland.
Not long after this particular confrontation occurred, between the Heremonian Dal Cuinn "southern" Ui Niaill and Heberian Dal gCais Septs, early in the 10th Century AD, 102.Cormac Mac Cuilennain was to become the very reluctant and pious Heberian Eoghanacht Chaisil 31st King of Cashel / Munster, and he had no great personal ambitions, other then to be a fully committed man of God and because of his attitude he was well respected among the Heberian Eoghanacht Septs and the Dal gCais Septs for his piety, as he was also the Catholic Bishop of Cashel in Co. Tipperary who was also well - versed in Irish Heberian history. By his time due to the upheavals to the Irish Brehon Law and the dysfunction being created by the constant Viking raids there was need of such a statesmanlike pious man to take an overall view of what had to be done to bring about order and peace once again in Ireland and this was the reason he in particular had been chosen by the Eoghanacht Septs to be their new King of Cashel / Munster, although he personally did not want to be involved with violence in any form, and it would be the cause of his untimely death.