The Lordship of Coshmaing is an historic honorific title associated with the Gaelic nobility of Ireland. The title was created in the 14th century when the then King of Desmond, granted an appanage (estate and title) to one of his sons. As with other such titles in Ireland, it no-longer has any recognition under the law, and has not been used for several hundred years.
As a republic, the Constitution of Ireland prohibits the conferring of "titles of nobility" by the state. [2] While some titles had obtained "courtesy recognition" by the Chief Herald of Ireland, this practice was discontinued by 2003 when the Attorney General noted that such recognitions were unconstitutional and without basis in law. [3] [4] [5]
As "incorporeal hereditaments", any lands which may have historically related to such a title and long since disassociated from these (now) honorific titles - and such titles no longer attach to any territories.
The Lordship of Coshmaing (also spelled variously as "Cosmaigne," "Coshmang," "Cois Mainge," etc.) was created in the 14th century when the King of Desmond, Cormac MacCarthy Mór (d. 1359), granted an appanage [6] to his third son, Eoghan. (His second son, Diarmud, was granted the appanage of the Lordship of Muskerry.) Thus established the family/sept of Sliocht Eoghan (Owen) Mór of Coshmaing, which was located in today's County Kerry, Ireland, Barony of Magunihy, Province of Munster.
Butler described the inception of Coshmaing thusly: "Eoghan was given the lordship of Coshmaing. This district stretched from the modern boundary of Cork across the northern and western parts of the barony of Magunihy to close to Castlemaine"; [7] and, "The area of Coshmaing according to the Lambeth Survey was twenty-three quarters and a half and a third of a quarter.... Sir William Herbert estimates the area of Coshmaing at 88 ploughlands, and an inquisition of 1634 gives it as 105 ploughlands". [8]
"Coshmaing was a frontier district, forming a barrier between the lands of the Geraldines and the rest of the Kerry lands of the MacCarthys. In the same way Muskerry formed a frontier barrier to the east, and Duhallow to the north-east against the foreigner". [7]
As a "frontier" district, Coshmaing served as a buffer between the MacCarthy territories of Desmond (MacCarthys Mór, MacCarthy Reaghs of Carbery, and MacCarthys of Muskerry). It was the northernmost line of MacCarthy defence in the almost-constant conflict with the Norman-Irish family of the Earls of Desmond, the FitzGeralds (Geraldines). The MacCarthys and FitzGeralds, at least once, combined their defences against "new" invaders: the town of Castlemaine (although not technically within the territory of Coshmaing) "takes its name from a castle erected on a bridge over the river Maine by McCarthy More and the Earl of Desmond, as a defence to their frontiers". [9]
The Lordship of Coshmaing is a Paramount lordship, of comital (Count) rank (Gaelic: Ard Tiarna na Cois Mainge). The original Lord of Coshmaing, Eoghan Mór MacCarthy, head of Sliocht Eoghan of Coshmaing, granted sub-lordships to his two sons: Cormac (West Coshmaing), and Donal (East Coshmaing, known as the Lordship of Molahiffe [tiarnas/baronial-rank]). In turn, Cormac's two sons also received grants of sub-lordships (tiarnas) – Donal (Lord of Clonmeallane), and Eoghan/Owen (Lord of Fieries – in Gaelic, foithre, meaning "woods"). [10] The lordships of Molahiffe, Fieries and Clonmeallane each had castles that survived for various tenures up until the Cromwellian Confisacations (ca. 1649–53).
In The MacCarthys of Munster, Samuel Trant MacCarthy (Mór) describes the end of the original main line of Coshmaing as follows: "The Calendar of Patent Rolls of Elizabeth A.D. 1588, mentions Teige MacDermod MacCormac as apparently the last Lord of Coshmang.... slain in a skirmish near Aghadoe (ca. 1581)." [11] Among the cadet lines of the original Sliocht Eoghan of Coshmaing, only the male line of what is believed to be the Molahiffe branch descended into the 19th century. The last known possible claimant to the Coshmaing title was Brig. Gen. Sir Charles MacCarthy, who died (without issue) in an 1824 battle with the Ashantis, in Sierra Leone, Africa. [12]
Under Gaelic-Irish Brehon law, a title granted by a royal/noble house re-vests in the house of the overlordship when the male line of the title-holder becomes extinct. Thus, the title of the Lord (Ard Tiarna) of Coshmaing re-vested with the Royal House of MacCarthy Mór as of 1581, and was never claimed by any of the Coshmaing cadet line descendants of Molahiffe, Fieries, or Clonmeallane. Similarly, as those cadet lines became extinct, their baronial-rank lordship titles re-vested in the overlordship of Coshmaing. When that house became extinct, all of the sub-lordship titles also re-vested in the overlordship of MacCarthy Mór.[ citation needed ]
The Kingdom of Desmond was a historic kingdom in southwestern Ireland. It was founded in 1118 by Tadhg Mac Cárthaigh, King of Munster when the Treaty of Glanmire formally divided the Kingdom of Munster into Desmond and Thomond. It comprised all of what is now County Cork and most of County Kerry. Desmond was ruled by the Mac Cárthaigh (MacCarthy) dynasty. Other clans within the kingdom included the O'Sullivans and O'Donovans. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland in the late 12th century, the eastern half of Desmond was conquered by the Anglo-Normans and became the Earldom of Desmond, ruled by the Fitzmaurices and FitzGeralds—the famous Irish family known as the Geraldines. The king of Desmond, Diarmaid Mac Cárthaigh submitted to Henry II of England, but the western half of Desmond lived on as a semi-independent Gaelic kingdom. It was often at war with the Anglo-Normans. Fínghin Mac Carthaigh's victory over the Anglo-Normans at the Battle of Callann (1261) helped preserve Desmond's independence. The kings of Desmond founded sites such as Blarney Castle, Ballycarbery Castle, Muckross Abbey and Kilcrea Friary. Following the Nine Years' War of the 1590s, Desmond became part of the Kingdom of Ireland.
MacCarthy, also spelled Macarthy, McCarthy or McCarty, is an Irish clan originating from Munster, an area they ruled during the Middle Ages. It was divided into several septs (branches) of which the MacCarthy Reagh, MacCarthy of Muskerry, and MacCarthy of Duhallow were the most notable.
Florence MacCarthy (1560–1640), was an Irish clan chief and member of the Gaelic nobility of Ireland of the late 16th-century and the last credible claimant to the Mac Carthaig Mór title before its suppression by English authority. Mac Carthaig's involvement in the Nine Years' War (1595–1603) led to his arrest by the Crown, and he spent the last 40 years of his life in custody in London. His clan's lands were divided among his relatives and Anglo-Irish colonialists.
David Fitz-James de Barry, 18th Baron Barry, 5th Viscount Buttevant (1550–1617), sided initially with fitz Maurice, the rebel, in the 1st Desmond rebellion but changed sides and fought against the rebels. He also fought for the crown in the Nine Years' War.
Cormac Laidir MacCarthy, 9th Lord of Muskerry (1411–1494), was an Irish chieftain. He founded Kilcrea Friary and built Kilcrea Castle.
The MacCarthy Reagh dynasty are a branch of the MacCarthy dynasty, Kings of Desmond, deriving from the Eóganacht Chaisil sept.
Owen MacCarthy Reagh (1520–1594) was the 16th Prince of Carbery from 1576 to 1593. He belonged to the MacCarthy Reagh dynasty. Owen was commonly referred to as "Sir" Owen MacCarthy (McCartie) in the English court records.
Cormac na Haoine MacCarthy Reagh, 13th Prince of Carbery (1490–1567) was an Irish chieftain who owned almost half a million acres in south west Ireland.
The MacCarthy dynasty of Muskerry is a tacksman branch of the MacCarthy Mor dynasty, the Kings of Desmond.
Donal MacCarthy Reagh was the 12th Prince of Carbery from 1505 to his death in 1531. He belonged to the MacCarthy Reagh dynasty, and was the son of Finghin MacCarthy Reagh, 10th Prince of Carbery, and Lady Catherine FitzGerald, daughter Thomas FitzGerald, 7th Earl of Desmond.
The Sliocht Cormaic of Dunguile, otherwise known as the MacCarthys of Srugrena Abbey, or the Srugrena sept, as well as the Trant McCarthys, are a sept of the MacCarthy Mór dynasty, the Kings of Desmond. They are descendants of a younger son, Cormac of Dunguile, of Tadhg na Mainistreach Mac Carthaigh Mór, King of Desmond. The line of the later kings of Desmond, to Donal IX MacCarthy Mór has long been extinct.
Tadhg na Mainistreach Mac Carthaigh Mór reigned as King of Desmond from 1390/2 to his death in 1428. He was the son of the previous king Domhnall Óg Mac Carthaigh Mór. According to the Annals of Inisfallen Tadhg Mac Carthaigh had the reputation as the greatest wine-drinker in Ireland when he died, but was still "a son worthy of his father". He was married to one Sebán, a daughter of "Garret the earl". This is likely a form of 'Siobhán' which translates as 'Joan,' so Sebán is probably a reference to Joan, a daughter of Gerald FitzGerald, 3rd Earl of Desmond.
The Gaelic-Irish Lordship of Kerslawny is the noble title that attaches to the head of the MacCarthy Mór sept known as Sliocht Cormaic of Dunguile. Kerslawny was created in the 15th century as an appanage of the royal house, by then-King of Desmond, Tadhg na Mainistreach Mac Carthaigh Mór, for his second son, Cormac (d.1467). Kerslawny is the anglicisation of the Gaelic-Irish "cois leamhna," meaning "beside the (River) Laune." This area, near present-day Killarney, in County Kerry, Ireland, was the original territory of the sept.
The Gaelic-Irish Lordship of Molahiffe was created in the 14th century by Eóghan (Owen) Mór MacCarthy, Lord of Coshmaing, as a grant to his son, Donal. Molahiffe Castle was also the seat of The Paramount Lordship of Cosmaigne. The Gaelic title, Lord (Tiarna/Baron) of Molahiffe, should not be confused with the Baronetcy of Molahiffe, which was an English title held by some of the Browne family after they took possession of former MacCarthy lands at the beginning of the seventeenth century. Alternate spellings of Molahiffe include "Mullahiffe," and, "Moylahiffe."
Donal na Pipi MacCarthy Reagh was the 17th Prince of Carbery from 1593 to 1606, when he surrendered the principality to the English Crown under the policy of Surrender and Regrant.
Sir Charles MacCarthy, 1st Viscount of Muskerry, also called Cormac Oge, especially in Irish, was from a family of Irish chieftains who were the Lords of Muskerry, related to the Old English through maternal lines. He became the 17th Lord of Muskerry upon his father's death in 1616. He acquired a noble title under English law, becoming 1st Viscount Muskerry and 1st Baron Blarney under letters patent. He sat in the House of Lords in both Irish parliaments of King Charles I. He opposed Strafford, the king's viceroy in Ireland, and in 1641 contributed to his demise by submitting grievances to the king in London. Muskerry died during this mission and was buried in Westminster Abbey.
Cormac MacDermot MacCarthy, 16th Lord of Muskerry (1552–1616) was an Irish magnate and soldier. He fought at the Siege of Kinsale during Tyrone's Rebellion.
Dermot MacCarthy (1310–1367) was the 1st Lord of Muskerry. He was an Irish magnate who owned extensive lands in central Munster. He was the first of the long line of the MacCarthy of Muskerry dynasty.
Donal MacCarthy Reagh of Kilbrittain was an Irish magnate who owned the extensive lands of Carbery in south-western County Cork.
Cormac Oge Laidir MacCarthy, 10th Lord of Muskerry (1447–1536) was an Irish chieftain, styled Lord of Muskerry. In 1520 he defeated James FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Desmond in the battle of Mourne Abbey.