kingdom · British Isles

Ui Fidgenti

450 CE – 1200 CE (approx.)

Kingdom of west County Limerick whose king Donnubán sided with the Vikings of Limerick against Brian Bóruma, and from whom the O'Donovans descend.

Origins

The Uí Fidgenti claimed descent from Fiachu Fidgenid, a kinsman of the Eóganachta, and held much of what is now County Limerick west of the Maigue from the early medieval period. They formed a subject but partly privileged kingdom within the Kingdom of Munster, divided into branches such as the Uí Chonaill Gabra.

Rule and society

The kingdom rested on cattle and the fertile lands south of the Shannon. In the 10th century it was caught between the rising Dál Cais of Thomond and the Norse town of Limerick. Its king Donnubán mac Cathail allied with Ivar of Limerick and helped bring about the death of Mathgamain, brother of Brian Bóruma, in 976, which drew Brian's revenge.

Decline and legacy

After Brian's victories the Uí Fidgenti were reduced, and in the late 12th century the Anglo-Norman advance into Limerick, especially by the FitzGeralds, displaced them. Donnubán's descendants, the O'Donovans, moved south into Cork, where they held lordships near Skibbereen for centuries.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Ui Fidgenti. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ui-fidgenti
MLA
“Ui Fidgenti.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ui-fidgenti. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Ui Fidgenti.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ui-fidgenti.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Ui Fidgenti’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ui-fidgenti (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻