Borris House Borris, County Carlow - built in 1741 and ancestral home of the McMorrough Kavanagh family in Tudor Revival Style
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The McMorrough Kavanagh descend from Domhnall Caomhánach who was the eldest son of Diarmait Mac Murchada - king of Leinster who brought the Normans in to reclaim his throne in 1169 after he was disposed by High King Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair and forced to exile
Domhnall, son of Diarmait, started the Kavanagh line from the McMorrough dynasty
The McMorrough belonged to the Uí Ceinnselaig (Kinsella) descent from Énnae Cennsalach, a supposed contemporary of Niall of the Nine Hostages.
Domhnall’s great-great grandfather was Diarmait mac Máel na mBó (d. 1072) - King of Leinster and Dublin and High King of Ireland (with opposition)
Máel na mBó sheltered the surviving sons of King Harold Godwinson of England escaped to Leinster after the Battle of Hastings
Maél Bo’s son, Murchad mac Diarmata, would become King of Leinster, Dublin, and the Isles (Mann, Hebrides, of the Clyde) via marriage
High King Muirchertach Ua Briain would take advantage of this via marrying one of his daughters to Manx royalty which would catch the attention of Magnus Barefoot, King of Norway, who would later attempt an Irish invasion where he’d ultimately meet his end via Ulstermen
Skipping down some Kings of Leinster to Donnchadh mac Murchada, father of Diarmaid mac Murchadha
His grandmother was daught of Donnchad mac Briain - High King and son of Brian Boru + veteran of Clontarf who is buried in Rome where he died on a pilgrimage - plaque marks him
Donnchadh mac Murchada was murdered in 1115 by the Hiberno-Norse of Dublin as the Hiberno-Norse wanted more autonomy, breaking away from Donnchadh’s Kingship causing Donnchadh to attack
The citizens of Dublin, mostly Hiberno-Norse, buried him with the carcass of a dog, considered to be a huge insult and would bark over his grave. He was also buried under a public meeting space so people could walk over his grave.
This humiliation was never forgotten by his son, Diarmait Mac Murchada who when later disposed in 1166 from Kingship of Leinster and returned with Normans who ensure full wrath would be brought upon the Hiberno-Norse in Dublin.
Diarmait Mac Murchada before he was disposed and exiled in 1166 by the High King for abducting an Ua Ruairc’s wife - commissioned many Hiberno-Romanesque Churches like Baltinglass Abbey, Ferns Abbey, Killeshin Abbey + Churches around Glendalough
Most of these were dissolved during the Reformation centuries later and lay in ruin. Diarmait himself is buried in Ferns Abbey.
He also married the half-sister of St Laurence O’Toole and their daughter was Aoife, who Diarmait would marry to the Norman knight Strongbow
Domhnall, son of Diarmait, then started the Kavanagh line from the McMorrough dynasty would take over the Kingship of Leinster after Diarmait’s death in 1171
But issues arose from the fact Diarmait promised Strongbow Leinster via marriage with his daughter Aoife
And there was conflict between then the Norman laws of succession and the Gaelic Brehon + Tanistry laws
For a couple of centuries then, as Normans during 1200s expanded their territories - the Kingdom of Leinster managed hold its own, raiding the Pale from the Wicklow Mountains
The 1300s saw decline in Norman Ireland as there were crashed the the Bruce Campaigns in 1310s and suffered the most during the Black Death in 1340s - leading to the “Gaelic Resurgence” of the 15-17th centuries which saw more Gaelicized Normans and boom in Gaelic Tower Houses
The Burkes of Connacht were probably the most Gaelicized of the original Normans, even producing the illustrated “Book of the de Burgos” written in Gaeilge
Wrote about their genealogical origins to Charlemagne and kings of Jerusalem, England and France
It also had praise-poems written by Tadhg Dall Ó hUiginn and Ruaidhrí mac Domhnall Ó hUiginn
This is what lead to the phrase “Hiberniores Hibernis ipsis” which worried English who then brought in the “Statues of Kilkenny 1366” to stop intermarrying and Gaelicization of Normans
Back to MacMurrough-Kavanaghs - the end of the 1300s then saw reign of Art Óg Mac Murchadha Caomhánach (1375 - 1417)
He was married to Elizabeth le Veel - Hiberno-Norman and thus against the Statues of Kilkenny
He revived his families royal prerogatives and also land and power
Art’s rise to power caused such concern that the English King Richard II landed 34,000 men at Waterford in October 1394, Art burned the town of New Ross & terrorised Richard's army
This was the first time an English king had arrived with an invasion force since Henry II in 1171
Art would submit to Richard in 1395 but it was only for show - as soon Richard departed after a nine month stay, the Irish continued fighting
Roger Mortimer, the heir to the throne of England, was left as king's deputy. In July 1398, he was slain by the Irish
Richard returned to Ireland then in 1398 to quell what was going on but a Coup forcing Richard II to return to England where he was arrested and jailed, succeeded by Henry IV and died in a controversial manner
Some more info here
The 1885 historical novel Art M'Morrough O'Cavanagh, Prince of Leinster: An Historical Romance of the Fourteenth Century by M. L. O'Byrne is a loosely biographical account of his life, written from a nationalist perspective.
I’ll add pdf i can find at bottom of thread
The last to hold the title as King of Leinster was Domhnall Spáinneach Mac Murchadha Caomhánach (died 1632).
He fought alongside Fiach McHugh O'Byrne and Hugh O’Neill during the Nine Years War and was granted amnesty and his lands after the surrender of 1603.
He managed to successful convey his property to his son, Sir Morgan Kavanagh who thus all converted to Protestantism and adopted English manners to keep their land.
They intermarried with some of the Butlers of Ormond and MP for Irish Parliament thereafter
This is how a Gaelic family were thus able to retain their estates and build something like Borris House in the year 1731 during the height of Penal Laws - as they had taken the Soup and didn’t take a side during Jacobite wars
Arthur MacMurrough Kavanagh (1831 - 1889) for example grew up in Borris House and his father & grandfather were both MPs in Irish parliament
He married Irish artist and antiquarian Lady Harriet Kavanagh
Today the head of title is Cathal Cavanagh, Inaugurated 12 September 2012
His son Walter MacMurrough Kavanagh (1856 - 1922) was also an MP and forgotten about due to his support for conscription during WW1
Theres also Wild Geese branch MacMurrough Kavanagh he 17th century Brian Kavanagh fought for the House of Stuart in Scotland and was described as the tallest man in King James' army. Charles Kavanagh rose to be the military Governor of Prague in 1766.
Several Caomhánachs were officers in the Irish Brigade in the Jacobin army of France and a branch of the family settled in that country.
Caomhánachs also rose to high rank in the empire of Austria-Hungary.
Some more on Art Óg Mac Murchadha Caomhánach
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