![]() ![]() Francis John Byrne suggests that it may date from the time of Cerball mac Dúnlainge. O'Rahilly believed that the Lagin pedigree of the Osraige is a fabrication, invented to help them achieve their goals in Leinster. In either case it would appear they should properly be counted among the Érainn. The Osraige were probably either a southern branch of the Ulaid or Dál Fiatach of Ulster, or close kin to their former Corcu Loígde allies. The tribal name Osraige means "people of the deer", and is traditionally claimed to be taken from the name of the ruling dynasty's semi-legendary pre-Christian founder, Óengus Osrithe. Another ancient road, the Slighe Cualann cut into southeast Osraige west of present-day Ross, before turning south to present-day Waterford city.Ĭnoc Bhréanail, aka Brandon Hill, the highest elevation in Kilkenny The ancient Slige Dala road ran southwest through northern Osraige from the Hill of Tara towards Munster which later gave its name to the medieval Ballaghmore Castle. Some of the highest points of land are Brandon Hill (County Kilkenny) and Arderin (on the Laois-Offaly border). The kingdom's most significant neighbours were the Loígis, Uí Ceinnselaig and Uí Bairrche of Leinster to the north and east and the Déisi, Eóganacht Chaisil and Éile of Munster to the south and west. Like many other Irish kingdoms, the tribal name of Osraighe also came to be applied to the territory they occupied thus, wherever the Osraige dwelt became known as Osraige. These three principal rivers- the Nore, the Barrow, and the Suir, which unite just north of Waterford City, were collectively known as the "Three Sisters" ( Irish: Cumar na dTrí Uisce). To the west and south, Osraige was bounded by the River Suir and what is now Waterford Harbour to the east, the watershed of the River Barrow marked the boundary with Leinster (including Gowran) to the north, it extended into and beyond the Slieve Bloom Mountains. The ancient Osraige inhabited the fertile land around the River Nore valley, occupying nearly all of what is modern County Kilkenny and the western half of neighbouring County Laois. The northern part of the kingdom, eventually known as Upper Ossory, survived intact under the hereditary lordship until the reign of King Henry VIII of England, when it was formally incorporated as a barony of the same name. The Normans under Strongbow invaded Ireland beginning in 1169, and most of Osraige collapsed under pressure from Norman leader William Marshal. In the early 12th century, dynastic infighting fragmented the kingdom, and it was re-adjoined to Leinster. ![]() Osraige's rulers remained major players in Irish politics for the next three centuries, though they never vied for the High Kingship. The Dál Birn returned to power in the 7th century, though Osraige remained nominally part of Munster until 859, when it achieved formal independence under the powerful king Cerball mac Dúnlainge. In the 5th century, the Corcu Loígde of Munster displaced the Dál Birn and brought Osraige under Munster's direct control. It was ruled by the Dál Birn dynasty, whose medieval descendants assumed the surname Mac Giolla Phádraig.Īccording to tradition, Osraige was founded by Óengus Osrithe in the 1st century and was originally within the province of Leinster. The home of the Osraige people, it existed from around the first century until the Norman invasion of Ireland in the 12th century. Osraige (Old Irish) or Osraighe (Classical Irish), Osraí (Modern Irish), anglicized as Ossory, was a medieval Irish kingdom comprising what is now County Kilkenny and western County Laois, corresponding to the Diocese of Ossory. ![]()
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