The O’Boylans were, after the Anglo-Norman invasion (1166), lords of all Oriel, a widespread territory stretching from Fermanagh to Louth (Diocese of Derry). hroughout the 11th and 12th centuries the Kings of Fermanagh - O'hEignigh, O'Maolruanaidh and O'Dubhdara - were drawn from the Airghialla, its Clann Lugainn branch.

Donnell Mac Gillapatrick now Fitzpatrick, Lord of Ossory, died in 1176. The earliest known reference to a bearer of the surname O'Duigennan dates to 1296, when, according to the Annals of the Four Masters "Maelpeter O'Duigennan, Archdeacon of Breifny, from Drumcliff to Kells, died." Less than thirty years later in the year 1323 (according to the same source) - "Gillapatrick O'Duigennan, Chief Historian of Conmaicne, and Lucas, his son, were slain by Conor, the son of Garvey Maguire."

About the middle of the 12th century, a tribe of the Mac Mahons emigrated from Cremorne, and settled in the south of the present County of Down, to which they gave their tribe name of Mughdorna, and which is now known as the barony of Mourne. The barony of Mourne, in the County of Down (which originally bore the appropriate appellation of Beanna Boirche) was so called from a tribe of the inhabitants of Chrioch-Mughdhorna in Oirgiall, who emigrated from Monaghan to the former in the reign of Niall the Haughty, the son of Hugh, who was the son of Manus Mac Mahon. Until the 12th century, when the Mc Dermott’s became predominant in Roscommon, the Neary’s where chiefs of a sizeable territory near Boyle.

Later, in the thirteenth century, their power in Oriel was subdued by the MacMahons, and their territory was reduced to what is now the barony of Dartry in the west of County Monaghan. About the middle of the 12th century, a tribe of the Mac Mahons emigrated from Cremorne, and settled in the south of the present county of Down, to which they gave their tribe name of Mughdorna, and which is now known as the barony of Mourne, a quo Mourne Mountains.

The Maguires rose to great power in the later part of the thirteenth century, and became lords of Fermanagh.

1239 - Mac Mathghamha (Mac Mahon) 1273 - Eochy, Lord of Oriel (-1273) 1283 - Brian 1297 - Aengus 1314 - Roolbh (Rodolph) 1316 - Murrough, son of Murrough
1323 - Rory, son of the Lord of Oriel
1326 - Turlough
1328 - Edwina, daughter of Mac Mahon, wife of Maguire (died) 1330 - Donough, son of Donnell
1331 - John, Murrough
1337 - William 1342 - John, Lord of Oriel 1342 - Hugh, son of Roolv, Lord of Oriel (-1344) succeeded by ... 1344 - Murrough Oge (1344) then ... 1344 - Manus, son of Eochy, son of Rodolph, Lord of Oriel (1344-1357)
1346 - Brian
1353 - Rory, son of John
1355 - Niall
1359 - Murrough Oge heir apparent to lordship of Corco-Vaskin 1361 - Cuconnaught, son of Philip 1365 - Brian More, son of Hugh, Lord of Oriel (1365-1372)
1369 - Melaghlin, heir (died)
1375 - Cu-uladh, Tanist of Oriel (died)
1381 - Donogh, son of Manus
1383 - Donough an-Chuil, Lord of Corco-Baiscin
1385 - Beanmithe, daughter of Mac Mahon, wife of Ó Neill (died)
1399 - Hugh 1402 - Philip, son of Brian More, Lord of Oriel (-1402) succeeded by ... 1402 - Ardgal, son of Brian More, Lord of Oriel (1402-1416)
1427 - Catherine, daughter of Ardgal, wife of Ó Neill (died) 1431 - Manus, son of Ardgal 1432 - Brian, son of Ardgal, Lord of Oriel (1432-1442) 1432 - Rory, son of Argdal More, Lord of Oriel (1442-1446) 1446 - Hugh Roe, son of Rory, Lord of Oriel (1446-)
1496 - Manus, son of Hugh Roe
1496 - Ross, son of Manus, son of Hugh Roe 1462 - Felim, son of Brian, son of Ardgal, Lord of Oriel (-1462) 1467 - Owen, son of Rury, Lord of Oriel (-1467)
1457 - town of Lis-na-nGabhar, Dartry (1457) 1475 - Redmond, son of Rury, Lord of Oriel (-1484 in captivity)
1475 - Brian, son of Rury, son of Ardgal, Lord of Dartry (d.1486)
1490 - Colla, son of Rury, son of Ardgal 1476 - Hugh Oge, son of Hugh Roe, son of Rury, son of Ardgal, Lord of Oriel (1485-1496)
1485 - Gilla-Patrick son of Hugh Oge (d.1496)
1496 - Rury son of Hugh Oge
1485 - Owen, son of James, son of Eochy More Mac Mahon
1486 - Philip, son of James, son of Rury, son of Ardgal (Coarb of Clones, Parson of Dartry) (died) 1485 - Redmond, son of Glasny, son of Redmond
1485 - Glasny, son of Redmond, son of Rury (d.1496)
1494 - Hugh Roe, son of Glasny, son of Redmond, son of Rury 1476 - Brian, son of Redmond, son of Rury, Lord of Oriel (1496-)
1492 - John Boy, son of Owen, son of Rury, son of Ardgal
1498 - Felim, son of Redmond
1498 - two sons of James, son of Eochy More
1498 - Melaghlin, son of Felim Roe, son of Con, son of Con
1498 - Hugh, son of Brian
1501 - Rury, son of Brian
1525 - Joan, daughter of Brian (died) 1524 - Glasny, son of Redmond, son of Glasny
1524 - Brian, son of Gilla-Patrick, son of Hugh Oge
1524 - Ardgal, son of Hugh Oge
1524 - Eochy, son of Hugh Oge
1524 - Brian-na-Moicheirghe
1531 - Con, son of John Boy
1560 - Art Mael, son of Redmond, son of Glasny (-1560) succeeded by his brother ...
1560 - Hugh, son of Brian-na-Moicheirge, son of Redmond, son of Glasny (1560-1562) 1577 - Art, son of Brian na Moicheirge, son of Redmond, son of Glasny
1577 - Hugh Oge, son of Hugh, son of John Boy 1585 - Ross (Rossa), son of Art, son of Brian of the Early Rising, son of Redmond, son of Glasny (-1589)
Lordship contested by
- Brian, son of Hugh Oge, son of Hugh, son of John Boy, Lord of Dartry-Oriel;
- Ever, son of Cu-Uladh, Lord of Farney; and
- Hugh Roe, brother of Rossa
1609 - Brian-na-Samhthach, son of Art, son of Brian-na-mucheirge 'O'Rourke' (sic)

The Oirghialla were closely related to the Ui Maine and were the Laiginian allies of the North-Gaelic tribe of Ui Neill, which virtually monopolized the high-kingship of Ireland during the post-fifth century historical period. The Oirghialla helped the Ui Neill effect the conquest of most of Northern Ireland from the Ulster Erainn, and later they settled a vast territory there including the counties of Louth, Armagh, Monaghan and Fermanagh, a territory which is called after them, Oriel.

A branch of the Gaelic O’Beolains became hereditary abbots (erenaghs) of the Columban church at Drumcliffe in Sligo, and were famous for their hospitality. The O’Boylans (O Baoigheallain) were of the same stock as the O’Flanagans (O Flannagain) of the Cenél nEoghain of northwest Fermanagh. The O’Boylans were, after the Anglo-Norman invasion, lords of all Oriel, a widespread territory stretching from Fermanagh to Louth. Later, in the thirteenth century, their power in Oriel was subdued by the MacMahons, and their territory was reduced to what is now the barony of Dartry in the west of County Monaghan, an area then known as Dartraighe. They rose to preeminence in Oriel on the decline of the O’Carrolls of Leitrim in the thirteenth century, having subdued the O’Boylans in the process. By the late 12th century the ancient bishopric of Roscrea was united to the See of Killaloe. The Diocese of Roscrea was coextensive with the territory of the O'Carrolls (Eile), along with that of the O'Kennedys. The parish of Seir Kieran in King's County, though in Thomond, was allowed to remain subject to the Diocese of Ossory, out of respect to the memory of St. Kieran. At the same time the See was transferred from Seir-Kieran (named for the patron of Ossory, St. Kieran) to Aghaboe, but at the end of the twelfth century the See was transferred to Kilkenny city. The Maguires (Mag Uidhir) are first mentioned in the Annals in A.D. 956. They rose to great power in the later part of the thirteenth century, and became lords of Fermanagh.

Toward the close of the 15th Century, the family and the kingdom had split into three distinct groups: The family of Eoghan MacMahon ruled Dartry from their fort at Lisnagore, near Clones. Livingstone describes these as the Dartry MacMahons. The descendents of Reamonn MacMahon ruled the northern part of MacMahon's Countrie, also known as the Lucht Tighe, from Monaghan. Livingstone calls them the Monaghan MacMahons. The descendents of Red Hugh MacMahon remained powerful in Farney, headquartered at Lurgans and then at Lisanisk, near Carrickmacross. These became known as the Farney MacMahons. The English and the Ó Neills of Ulster sometimes treated these three divisions as three distinct kingdoms. The Ó Neills imposed an overlordship on the lands of Oriel and tried to exact tribute from the MacMahons. Often the MacMahons took arms against one another in shifting alliances with or against different branches of the Ó Neills. The Monaghan MacMahons tended to align with the fiercely Irish Ó Neills of the north. The Farney MacMahons adopted some English customs, began speaking English and even aligned with the English against their MacMahon cousins to the West.

The Three Baronies: Dartry, Farney, and the Lucht Tighe

The origins of the island town of Enniskillen go back to prehistory when this short nexus was the main highway between Ulster and Connaught. Enniskillen Castle was the medieval seat of the Maguires, chieftains of Fermanagh, who policed the lough with a private navy of 1,500 boats. The later medieval Maguire lordship of Fermanagh, which began in the late 13th century and ended in the first years of the 17th century. Other branches of the Maguires include the Clann Fearghaile or MacKernans (Mac Thighearnain), chiefs of the territory called Clann Fearghaile in central Fermanagh, and the MacAuleys (Mac Amhlaoibh), who gave their name to the barony of Clanawley in west-central Fermanagh. Throughout the 16th century the junior branch of the Maguires ruled Fermanagh from Enniskillen Castle, their stronghold being captured and retaken many times by the O'Donnells, Ó Neills and the English.

 

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