O'Brien, King Toirrdelbach

1009 - 1086  (77 years)

• Name	O'Brien, Toirrdelbach  [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
  Title	King
  Birth	1009	Clare, Ireland   [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
  Gender	Male
  Appointments / Titles	King of Ireland
  Appointments / Titles	Between 1064 and 1086  [2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
  	King of Munster
  Appointments / Titles	Between 1072 and 1086  [2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
  	178th High King of Ireland
  FSID	LZJ2-6ND  [2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
  Death	14 Jul 1086	Killaloe, Clare, Ireland   [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
  Burial	14 Jul 1086	Killaloe, Clare, Ireland   [1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
  Person ID	I33279	The Thoma Family
  Last Modified	20 Sep 2023

  
  

  Father	O'Brien, King Tadg Ban,   b. 984, Killaloe, Clare, Ireland d. 1022, Munster, Ireland (Age 38 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	O'Mulloy, Mor ingen Gilla-Brighid,   b. UNKNOWN, Munster, Ireland d. 1018, Ireland
  Relationship	natural
  Family ID	F12906	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	mac Lorcáin, Dub Choblaig,   b. 1030, Cionn tSáile, Cork, Ireland d. 1076, Ireland (Age 46 years)
  Children	1. ingen Toirrdelbaigh O'Brien, Derbail,   b. 1046, Ireland d. 1116, Ireland (Age 70 years)  [natural]
  Family ID	F12904	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	20 Sep 2023

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 1009 - Clare, Ireland Death - 14 Jul 1086 - Killaloe, Clare, Ireland Burial - 14 Jul 1086 - Killaloe, Clare, Ireland  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Notes

  Toirdhealbhach Ua Briain (old spelling: Toirdelbach Ua Briain), anglicised Turlough O'Brien (1009 – 14 July 1086), was King of Munster and effectively High King of Ireland. A grandson of Brian Bóruma, Toirdelbach was the son of Tadc mac Briain who was killed in 1023 by his half-brother Donnchad mac Briain. For the first forty years of his life nothing is known of Toirdelbach. It was not until the 1050s that he found allies in Connacht and in Leinster, particularly the powerful King of Leinster Diarmait mac Maíl na mBó, who would aid his claims to be ruler of Munster. It took perhaps ten years of sustained attack to remove his uncle Donnchad from power, and send him into exile, and to place Toirdelbach in power in Munster as Diarmait's faithful ally. On Diarmait's death Toirdelbach took over the reins of power, establishing himself as ruler of more than half of Ireland. While not a great military leader, he was a capable politician whose influence extended as far north as Ulaid and who made and unmade Kings of Connacht. He died after more than two decades in power, following a lengthy illness, still in control of events. Both his son, Muirchertach Ua Briain, and grandson, Toirdelbach Ua Conchobair, would go on to be influential Irish kings.

  
  

• Sources

  [S327] WORLD: Find-a-Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/ [S789] WORLD: Family Search, Family Tree. https://www.familysearch.org/search/tree/name [S788] WORLD: Wikipedia. https://www.wikipedia.org/ [S2774] WORLD: Family Search, Books. https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/ [S2831] IRELAND: Irish Landed Gentry, 2nd Ed; John O'Hart {1887}. https://archive.org/details/irishlandedgentr00ohar/page/30/mode/1up?ref=ol&view=theater [S2839] IRELAND: National Library of Ireland. https://www.libraryireland.com/ [S2073] USA: Census 1930. https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1810731 [S1396] USA: Census 1820. https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1803955