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Dysert O'Dea and the O'Briens of Arra


We probably all remember the story of Robert Bruce and the spider in Rathlin Island. For me it was one of the stories told, maybe in our primary school history books.

He had suffered defeat in Scotland in 1306 and was licking his wounds supposedly in a cave on Rathlin Island off the Irish coast where he saw a spider building his spider web over and over again, never giving up. This is in legend is thought to have inspired him to try and free Scotland from the English again even after a number of set-backs. This he succeeded following the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 and he was proclaimed King of Scotland.

Robert's brother Edward then proceeded to Ireland to help open up a 2nd front against the English. The Bruces had some claim to the Kingship of Ulster through their mothers side. He landed in Ulster with a large army and with the help of the O'Neills, Edward was proclaimed High King of Ireland.
The Scots and their Irish allies went to have some major victories over the Anglo-Norman magnates that were in control of the English colony and this encouraged the Gaelic Irish across the island to rebel.

For more detail on the above events
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_the_Bruce
http://www.culturenorthernireland.org/article/1313/robert-the-bruce-on-rathlin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bruce

One clan that did rebel so a sept of the O'Briens in Clare who at this time had lost much of their lands to the de Clares who were Anglo-Norman.
The de Clares were supported by one branch of the O'Briens know as "Clann Brian Rua" who wished to benefit by supporting them in receiving territory / land.

From "The History of Medieval Ireland" by Edward Curtis (pg194-195)

"Muchertach O'Brien succeeded his father Turloch 'of the Triumphs' who died in 1306, and in August 1317 his young brother Dermot slew Donnchad, chief of Clann Brian Rua, in a battle at Corcomroe.
Richard de Clare then invaded Thomond from his strong castle at Bunratty along with the next heir of Clann Brian Rua, Brian Bán, but at Dysert O'Dea was attacked first by Felim O'Connor of Corcomroe and Connor O'Dea, and then overwhelmed by Murchertach O'Brien himself, coming to the aid of his vassals, on May 10th 1318. According to the vivid account in the Cathréim, the Normans proved worthy of their old military repute. 'So stubborn was the hand-to-hand encounter that neither noble nor commander of the English left the field, but the greater part of them fell where they stood.' Brian Bán, however cut his way out, crossed the Shannon, and survived to found a branch of the royal race of Duithcre Arra which was called MacBrien of Arra."


Some of the knock-on effects of Dysert O'Dea are as follows:

As stated in Curtis (pg 195) "Thomond, which had been dominated by the Anglo-Irish since 1240, was now cleared of them at one stroke and till 1540 it remained a purely Irish country, the kingship of O'Brien".
What the effects were in Arra is not dealt with in Curtis's book.

However in Gleeson (1915, 7) (who isn't always the most accurate), records that the O'Donegans were the chiefs of Arra up to at least the 11th century. He describes them as being of Leinster stock.

He states that in the 11th century they supported "Donogh, King of Munster, and son of Brian Boroimhe. During Donogh's absence from Munster on a military expedition a rival of Donogh's Turlough O'Brien, severely punished the O'Donegans. It must have been after that time that the O'Ryans of Idrone, in Co. Carlow, obtained the Lordship of Owney, probably by inheritance. O'Donegans ancestors having came from the same district."  

Others state that the O'Donegans are actually from Cork
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donegan_(surname)

So I have yet to find exactly what occurred in Owney & Arra during this period where the Mac I Briens and O'Mulryans begain to dominate
.
However from Curtis we do seem to have a definite "push" factor for why the "Clann Brian Rua" branch of the O'Briens moved to Arra after Dysert O'Dea (becoming the Mac I Briens of Arra).

(This is complicated again by the fact that Gleeson (1915, 501) puts some of that clan in Arra as early as 1207 according to the Annal of Clonmacnoise & Four Masters. However I think he has misread this evidence.)


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