Ossory Osraige
150[1]–1541
A map of Ireland showing Osraige circa 900.
Capital	Kilkenny
Common languages	Old Irish,Middle Irish,Latin
Religion	Celtic polytheism (pre-432), Celtic Christianity (c. 432–1152), Roman Catholicism (c. 1152–1541)
Government	Monarchy
First and last Kings
• (eponymous founder) c. 150 AD	Óengus Osrithe
• (last king of major Osraige) d. 1194	Maelseachlainn Mac Gilla Pátraic[2]
• submitted 1537; ennobled 1541	Brian Mac Giolla Phádraig
History
• Osraige	150[1]
• Disestablished	1541
Preceded by Succeeded by Kingdom of Leinster Kingdom of Munster Lordship of Ireland
Today part of	Republic of Ireland

Osraige (Old Irish)^[3] orOsraighe (Classical Irish),Osraí (Modern Irish), anglicized asOssory, was a medieval Irish kingdom comprising what is nowCounty Kilkenny, westernCounty Laois and parts of easternCounty Tipperary, corresponding to theDiocese of Ossory. The home of the Osraige people, it existed from around the first century until theNorman invasion of Ireland in the 12th century. It was ruled by theDál Birn dynasty, whose medieval descendants assumed the surnameMac Giolla Phádraig.

According to tradition, Osraige was founded byÓengus Osrithe in the 1st century and was originally within the province ofLeinster. In the 5th century, theCorcu Loígde ofMunster displaced the Dál Birn and brought Osraige under Munster's direct control. The Dál Birn returned to power in the 7th century, though Osraige remained nominally part of Munster until 859, when it achieved formal independence under the powerful kingCerball mac Dúnlainge. Osraige's rulers remained major players in Irish politics for the next three centuries, though they never vied for theHigh Kingship. In the early 12th century, dynastic infighting fragmented the kingdom, and it was re-adjoined to Leinster. The Normans underStrongbow invaded Ireland beginning in 1169, and most of Osraige collapsed under pressure from Norman leaderWilliam Marshal. The northern part of the kingdom, eventually known asUpper Ossory, survived intact under the hereditary lordship until the reign of KingHenry VIII of England, when it was formally incorporated as a barony of the same name.

The ancient Osraige inhabited the fertile land around theRiver Nore valley, occupying nearly all of what is modernCounty Kilkenny and the western half of neighbouringCounty Laois. To the west and south, Osraige was bounded by theRiver Suir and what is nowWaterford Harbour; to the east, the watershed of theRiver Barrow marked the boundary with Leinster (includingGowran); to the north, it extended into and beyond theSlieve Bloom Mountains. These three rivers – the Nore, the Barrow, and the Suir, which unite just north ofWaterford City – were collectively known as the"Three Sisters" (Irish:Cumar na dTrí Uisce).^[4] Like many otherIrish kingdoms, the tribal name ofOsraighe also came to be applied to the territory they occupied; thus, wherever the Osraige dwelt became known as Osraige. The kingdom's most significant neighbours were theLoígis,Uí Ceinnselaig andUí Bairrche of Leinster to the north and east and theDéisi,Eóganacht Chaisil andÉile of Munster to the south and west.^[5] Some of the highest points of land areBrandon Hill (County Kilkenny) andArderin (on the Laois-Offaly border). The ancientSlige Dala^[6]road ran southwest through northern Osraige from theHill of Tara towardsMunster;^[7][8][9] which later gave its name to the medievalBallaghmore Castle.^[10] Another ancient road, theSlighe Cualann cut into southeast Osraige west of present-day Ross, before turning south to present-day Waterford city.

• 
  Topography of Osraige; note location of the "Three Sisters".
• 
  The source of theRiver Barrow in theSlieve Bloom Mountains
• 
  TheRiver Nore
• 
  TheRiver Suir
• 
  TheSlieve Blooms
• 
  Cnoc Bhréanail, akaBrandon Hill, the highest elevation in Kilkenny

The tribal nameOsraige means "people of the deer", and is traditionally claimed to be taken from the name of the ruling dynasty's semi-legendary pre-Christian founder,Óengus Osrithe.^[11][12] The Osraige were probably either a southern branch of theUlaid orDál Fiatach ofUlster,^[13] or close kin to their formerCorcu Loígde allies.^[14] In either case it would appear they should properly be counted among theÉrainn. Authoritative scholars, such asT. F. O'Rahilly believed that the Lagin pedigree of the Osraige is a fabrication, invented to help them achieve their goals in Leinster.^[15]Francis John Byrne suggests that it may date from the time of Cerball mac Dúnlainge.^[16] The Osraighe themselves claimed to be descended from theÉrainn people, although scholars propose that the Ivernic groups included the Osraige. Prior to the coming of Christianity to Ireland, the Osraige and their relatives the Corcu Loígde appear to have been the dominant political groups in Munster, before the rise of theEóganachta marginalized them both.^[17]

Ptolemy's 2nd-century map of Ireland places a tribe he called the "Usdaie" roughly in the same area that the Osraige occupied.^[18] The territory indicated by Ptolemy likely included the major lateIron Age hill-fort at Freestone Hill and a 1st-century Roman burial site at Stonyford, both in County Kilkenny.^[19] Due to inland water access via the Nore, Barrow and Suir rivers, the Osraige may have experienced greater intercourse with Britain and the continent, and there appears to have been some heightened Roman trading activity in and around the region.^[20] Such contact with the Roman world may have precipitated wider exposure and later conversion toEarly Christianity.

From the fifth century, the nameDál Birn ("the portion of Birn"; sometimes speltdál mBirn) appears to have emerged as the name for the ruling lineage of Osraige, and this name remained in use through to the twelfth century. From this period, Osraige was originally within the sphere of the province of Leinster. Yet,T. F. O'Rahilly considered Loegaire Bern Buadach, the mythical ancestor Dál Birn, was the 'same personage as the Loegaire Buadach of the Ulidian tradition'^[21] and, therefore, were not Laigin.

Severalsources indicate that towards the end of the fifth century the Osraige ceded a swath of southern territory to the displaced and incomingDéisi sometime before 489.^[22] The traditional accounts states that the landless, wandering Déisi tribe were seeking a home inMunster, through the marriage of their princess Ethne the Dread toÓengus mac Nad Froích, king of Munster. As part of her dowry, Ethne asked for the Osraige to be cleared off their land but were repulsed several times by the Osraige in open battle before finally overcoming them through magic, trickery and guile.^[23] The account mentions that at this defeat, the Ossorians fled like wild deer ("ossa" in Irish), a pun on their tribal name.

It appears that soon thereafter following this defeat, the hereditary Dál Birn kings were displaced for a period by the Corcu Loígde of south Munster. The Dál Birn remained in control of their northern territory while Corcu Loígde kings ruled the greater portion of southern Osraige around the fertile Nore valley until the latter part of the sixth century and the rise ofEóganachta dominating Munster. The new political configuration, probably the result of anUí Néill-Eóganachta alliance against the Corcu Loígde,^[24] caused a reduction in Osraige's relative status. In 582,Fergus Scandal mac Crimthainn, the king of Munster, was slain by Leinstermen and Osraige was therefore ceded from Leinster as blood-fine payment and attached the kingdom to the province of Munster.^[25][26] Around that time (in either 581 or 583) the Ossorians (also referred to in theFragmentary Annals asClann Connla) had slain one of the last usurping Corcu Loígde kings Feradach Finn mac Duach and reclaimed most of their old patrimony.^[27] The Dál Birn returned to full power by the first quarter of the seventh century.

Throughout this period, Ireland and Irish culture was thoroughlyChristianized by the arrival of missionaries from Britain and the continent. Osraige appears to have seen a flourish of early Christian activity. Surviving hagiographic works, especially those relating to St.Ciarán of Saighir, attest that Osraige was the first Irish kingdom to receive a Christianepiscopacy even before the arrival ofSt. Patrick; however, some modern scholars dispute this.^[28]St. Patrick is believed to have traversed through Osraige, preaching and establishing Christianity there on his way to Munster. An early Irish church was founded in Osraige, perhaps in connection with St. Patrick's arrival in the territory, known as "Domhnach Mór" ("great church", located at what is now St. Patrick's graveyard in Kilkenny).^[29][30] St.Cainnech of Aghaboe founded two churches in Osraige which later grew in importance:Aghaboe and Kilkenny, each of which successively held the episcopal see after Saighir. Additionally, a host of other early monastics and clerics laboured for thegospel in Osraige, making a lasting impact on the region which still exists down to the present.

There is confusion among scholars as to the correct enumeration of the Corcu Loígde kings over Osraige, but by the reign ofScandlán Mór (d. 643 ca.) the Dál Birn dynasts regained control of their own territory, but not without intermittent dynastic competition.^[31] The late seventh century witnessed an increase in hostilities between the men of Osraige and their neighbors to the south-east inLeinster, especially with theUí Ceinnselaig. In the middle years of the eighth century,Anmchad mac Con Cherca was the most militarily active king in Munster, and was the first Ossorian king to gain island-wide notice by the chroniclers.^[32] Upon his death in 761, Osraige witnessed civil war over the throne andTóim Snáma mac Flainn, a scion from a different lineage emerged as king. Tóim Snáma was opposed by the sons ofCellach mac Fáelchair (died 735), and presumablyDúngal mac Cellaig (died 772). In 769, he was successful in the battle versus them and they were put to flight.^[33] In 770, he was slain, presumably by Dúngal his successor.^[34]

During this time the churches of Osraige witnessed a flourish of growth and activity, with notable clerics from Osraige being recorded in the annals and at least one,St. Fergal, gaining international fame as an early astronomer and was ordained bishop ofSalzburg in modern-dayAustria. However, it is noteworthy that bishop Laidcnén son of Doinennach, abbot ofSaighir was slain in 744.^[35]

Because Osraige is bounded by major rivers, this period witnessed the establishment of several significantViking bases on and around the kingdom's borders in the ninth and early tenth centuries; with the Nore, Barrow and Suir watershed systems providing deep access into Osraige's interior.^[20] Vikings came into conflict with the Irish on the River Suir as early as 812 and a large fleet sailed up the Barrow and Nore rivers, inflicting a devastating rout on the Osraige in 825.^[36] A Norselongphort was planted by Rodolf son ofHarald Klak at Dunrally between 850 and 62 on the border with the neighbouring kingdom of Laois.^[37] Other longphort settlements emerged atWoodstown^[38] (c.830–860) andWaterford in 914. Consequently, Osraige endured much tumult and warfare but subsequently emerged politically dominant, becoming a major force in southern Ireland and even one of the most militarily active kingdoms on the island by the middle of the ninth century. Originally granted semi-independent status within the province of Munster, the war-like and victorious rule of kingCerball mac Dúnlainge birthed a dramatic rise in Osraige's power and prestige, despite a heavy influx of Viking marauders to Ireland's shores.

Under the long reign ofCerball mac Dúnlainge between 843/4 to 888, Osraige was transformed from a relatively unimportant kingdom into one of Ireland's most powerful overlordships, which surpassed that of both Munster and Leinster and even threatenedUí Néill hegemony over southern Ireland.^[39] There is circumstantial evidence which indicates that early in his reign, Cerball may have even sent emissaries to establish international diplomacy with theCarolingian Empire's western-third underCharles the Bald who was also dealing with Viking threats.^[40] He established dual marriage alliances with theHigh KingMáel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid and successfully forcedMáel Gualae, king of Munster to recognize Osraige's formal independence from Munster in 859.^[41][42] The later IcelandicLandnámabók uniquely names Cerball as king of Dublin and theOrkney islands during his reign, yet scholars regard this as an interpolation borrowed from the influential narrative found in theFragmentary Annals of Ireland, likely composed by Cerball's eleventh century descendantDonnchad mac Gilla Pátraic.^[43]

Cerball's descendant kingGilla Pátraic mac Donnchada (r. 976–996) proved an able ruler, and by the late 10th century the hereditary ruling descendants of Osraige had adopted the surnameMac Giolla Phádraig as their patronymic. By the late tenth century, Osraige was brought into conflict with the ambitiousDalcassian kingBrian Boruma, who gained supremacy over all Ireland before being killed in theBattle of Clontarf in 1014, in which the Ossorians did not partake. TheCogad Gáedel re Gallaib relates a story that victorious but wounded Dalcassian troops were challenged to battle by the Ossorians as they were returning home through Osraige after the battle of Clontarf, but some authors doubt the validity of this story, as the source is widely considered later Dalcassian propaganda.^[44][45]

During the period after the decline of Viking threats, many of Ireland's smaller kingdoms became dominated by larger ones, in a natural yet bloody evolution towards centralized monarchy. Various families contended for the high-kingship. Allegiance with Osraige could make or break a king's bid for the high-kingship, although the kings of Osraige never attempted the position themselves. KingDonnchadh mac Gilla Pátraic, arguably Osraige's most powerful ruler who brought the kingdom to the zenith of its power, plundered Dublin, Meath and successfully conquered neighbouringLeinster in 1033, held theÓenach Carmán and ruled both kingdoms until his death in 1039. In 1085 and 1114, the city ofKilkenny was burned.^[46][47]

Additionally, major changes to the structure and practices of the Irish Church brought it away from its historic orthodox practices and more in line with the massiveGregorian Reform movement which was already taking place on the continent. Significantly, theSynod of Rath Breasail was part of this movement, likely held in the northernmost territory of Osraige in 1111.^[48]

By the early-12th century, fighting had erupted within the dynasty and split the kingdom into three territories. In 1103,Gilla Pátraic Ruadh, king of Osraige and many of the Ossorian royal family were killed on campaign in the north of Ireland.^[49] Two new claimants to the throne then emerged, both scions of the Mac Giolla Phádraig clan.Domnall Ruadh Mac Gilla Pátraic was the king of greater Osraige, often calledTuaisceart Osraige ("North Osraige") orLeath Osraige ("Half-Osraige"); and Cearbhall mac Domnall mac Gilla Pátraic inDesceart Osraige ("South Osraige"), a smaller portion of the southernmost part of Osraige bordering Waterford. Additionally, the Ua Caellaighe clan of Mag Lacha and Ua Foircheallain in the extreme north Osraige declared their independence from Mac Giolla Phádraig rule under Fionn Ua Caellaighe. Thus the north and south fringes of the kingdom broke apart from the centre, each with subsequent competing dynasts until the arrival of the Normans.^[50] While the north and south extremities of the kingdom were broken away, the majority of central Osraige around the fertile Nore valley maintained greater stability and is most often referred to simply as "Osraige" in most annals for the period.

Despite its fracturing, Osraige was still powerful enough to oppose and inflict defeats upon Leinster.^[51] As retribution in 1156–7, the high kingMuirchertach Mac Lochlainn led a massive campaign of destruction deep into Osraige, laying waste to it from end to end, and officially subjected it to Leinster.^[52][53]

Much of the background drama and initial action of the Norman advance played out on the battlefields and highways of Osraige. The kingdoms of Osraige andLeinster had also witnessed increased mutual hostility prior to the Normans. Significantly,Diarmaid Mac Murchadha, the man who would one day become king of Leinster and invite the Normans into Ireland, was himself fostered as a youth in north Osraige, in the territory of the Ua Caellaighes of Dairmag Ua nDuach who sought to undermine their Mac Giolla Phádraig overlords. In the 1150s, high kingMuirchertach Mac Lochlainn made a devastating punitive campaign on the divided Osraige, burning and pillaging the whole kingdom and subjected it to Leinster overlordship. Thus, Diarmaid Mac Murchadha came to intervene several times in the disputes of Ossorian succession. After Mac Murchadha's exile and return in 1167, tension was heightened between Osraige and Leinster by the blinding of Mac Murchadha's son and heir, Éanna mac Diarmat by the prince of greater Osraige, kingDonnchad Mac Giolla Phádraig.^[54] Mac Murchadha's initial mercenary force underRobert FitzStephen landed close to the border of Osraige atBannow, tookWexford and immediately turned west to invade Osraige, acquiring hostages as a nominal token of submission.^[55] Later still, another auxiliary force underRaymond FitzGerald (le Gros) landed just opposite Osraige's border atWaterford, and won a skirmish with its inhabitants.^[56] By 1169,Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (Strongbow) had also landed with a major force outside of Waterford, married Mac Murchadha's daughterAoife and sacked the city.^[57] Later that year, a major conflict was fought in the woods of Osraige nearFreshford when Mac Murchadha and hisNorman allies underRobert FitzStephen,Meiler FitzHenry,Maurice de Prendergast, Miles FitzDavid, and Hervey de Clare (Montmaurice) defeated a numerically superior force under Domnall Mac Giolla Phádraig, king of greater-Osraige, at the pass of Achadh Úr following afeigned retreat in a three-day battle.^[58][59] Shortly thereafter, de Prendergast and his contingent ofFlemish soldiers defected from Mac Murchada's camp and joined king Domnall's forces in Osraige before quitting Ireland for a time.^[60]

In 1170, MacMurchada died, leaving Strongbow as the de facto king of Leinster, which in his understanding, included Osraige. AtThreecastles, Strongbow and Mac Giolla Phádraig agreed to the Treaty of Odogh (Ui Duach) in 1170, in which de Prendergast saved the life of the prince of Osraige from a treacherous assassination.^[61] Osraige was afterwards invaded by Strongbow's troops and an Ua Briain force from Thommond. In 1171, KingHenry II of England landed in nearbyWaterford Harbour with one of the largest injections of English military strength into Ireland. On the banks of theSuir, Henry secured the submission of many of the kings and chiefs of southern Ireland; including Tuaisceart Osraige's king, Domnall Mac Giolla Phádraig.^[62] In 1172, the Norman adventurer Adam de Hereford was granted land by Strongbow in Aghaboe, north Osraige.^[63] After Henry was recalled from Ireland to deal with the aftermath ofThomas Becket's murder and theRevolt of 1173–74, Osraige continued to be a theatre of conflict. Raymond FitzGerald plundered Offaly and travelled through Osraige to win a naval engagement at Waterford. Later, a force from Dublin inflicted a defeat on Hervey de Clare in Osraige. In 1175, the prince of Osraige assisted a force under Raymond FitzGerald to relieve the city of Limerick which had been besieged by the forces ofDomnall Mór Ua Briain. Later,Gerald of Wales relates a defeat of the men of Kilkenny and their prince by a Norman force from Meath. The noted adventurerRobert le Poer won lands in Osraige, but was later killed there against the natives. In 1185, Prince John, then Lord of Ireland and future King of England, travelled from England to Ireland toconsolidate the Anglo-Norman colonisation of Ireland, landing at Waterford near the border of Osraige. He secured the allegiance of the Irish princes and travelled through Osraige to Dublin, ordering several castles to be constructed in the region. The last recorded king of central Osraige wasMaelseachaill Mac Gilla Patráic, who died in either 1193 or 1194.^[64][65] However, the kingdom and a continuous succession of rulers remained intact in the north, subsequently called "Upper Ossory" into the mid-sixteenth century.^{[citation needed]}

After the initialNorman Invasion of Ireland, the famous and formidableWilliam Marshal arrived in Osraige by 1192 and acquired claims to the land through his marriage toIsabel de Clare, daughter of Strongbow and Aoife Mac Murchada, daughter of Diarmait Mac Murchada. Marshal began stone construction on the large fortification atKilkenny Castle which was completed by 1195 and was largely responsible for forcing the Mac Giolla Phádraigs from their southern power base around theRiver Nore; their ancient rights revoked and a decree of expulsion pronounced on the entire clan.^[66] The northern districts of Mag Lacha and Ui Foircheallain (henceforth calledUpper Ossory) which had formerly broken away from Osraige under Ua Caellaighe/Ua Faeláin and Ua Dubhsláine rule since 1103, and which had subsequently seen English settlement from the Normans, thus became targeted by the expelled Mac Giolla Phádraigs and their Ossorian followers for resettlement.^[67] This caused a land war in Upper Ossory between those clans already residing there, the new English settlers, and the incoming clans from south and central Osraige driven out by Earl Marshal, which lasted more than a century and a half before the Mac Giolla Phádraigs established full supremacy over the region. Subsequently, the chaos of this poorly recorded conflict caused the then bishop of Ossory,Felix Ua Duib Sláin, to permanently remove the episcopal see from Aghaboe and initiate construction of the cathedral in Kilkenny. Upper Ossory thus remained an independent Gaelic lordship until the mid-sixteenth century, with its Mac Giolla Phádraig rulers retaining claims to the kingship of all Osraige and being recorded as such, or sometimes "King of the Slieve Blooms".^[68] The majority of Osriage was divided up and partitioned amongst various Norman adventurers, especially those within the household of William Marshal who arrived to take charge of lands which were claimed by his wife's inheritance.^[69] Likely arriving under Marshal was SirThomas FitzAnthony who was granted extensive lands in lower Ossory and elsewhere (Thomastown, County Kilkenny is named after him) and was an important and successful administrator for the Crown; being madeseneschal of all Leinster from 1215 to at least 1223.^[70][71] Upper Ossory was formally incorporated into theHenry VIII's Lordship of Ireland by the submission ofBarnaby Fitzpatrick, 1st Baron Upper Ossory under the policy ofsurrender and regrant in 1537. This ironically had the effect of preserving Gaelic culture in Upper Ossory long into the future, since the Crown no longer dealt harshly with the territory.^[72] In 1541, The Mac Giolla Phádraig was ennobled asBaron Upper Ossory. Other members of the family were later createdEarl of Upper Ossory andBaron Castletown, the last of whom,Bernard FitzPatrick, 2nd Baron Castletown, died in 1937. Because they clung to the last fragments of the kingdom, that Ossorian lineage is marked as one of the oldest known or most continuously settled dynasties inWestern Europe.

By the late fourteenth century, members of theButler dynasty purchased or inherited most of southern Osraige, purchased Kilkenny Castle and used it as an administration centre as part of theEarldom of Ormond (and laterEarldom of Ossory), from whichCounty Kilkenny was shired. During this period, Kilkenny ranked very close behindDublin as the main seat of English power in Ireland, with Parliament meeting there as early as 1293 and recurring many times until 1536.^[73] The Bruce Invasion of Ireland sawEdward Bruce temporarily seizeGowran, once a seat of the kings of Osraige. By 1352, the unified formation of modernCounty Kilkenny had taken shape. In 1367, theStatutes of Kilkenny were enacted attempting to quell intermarriage and commerce between the English and Irish, but to little effect.

InThe Book of Rights, the Osraige are labeled asSíl mBresail Bric ("the seed of Bresail Bric") afterBressail Bricc, a remote ancestor of the Ossorians.^[74] Bressail Bricc had two sons; Lughaidh, ancestor of theLaigan, andConnla, from whom the Ossorians sprang, throughÓengus Osrithe.^[75][76] Thus, the people of Osraige were also sometimes collectively referred to asClann Connla.^[77] Over time as lineages multiplied, surnames were eventually adopted. The following clans were the native land-holders before the arrival of the Normans:^[78]

• Mac Giolla Phádraig (Fitzpatrick, Gilpatrick, McIllpatrick, MacSeartha) hereditary Dál Birnkings of Osraige through king Cerball's son Cellach
• Ua Dubhsláine (O'Delany) of Coill Uachtarach (Upper Woods)
• Ua hÚrachán (O'Horahan) of Uí Fairchelláin (Offerlane)
• Ua Bruaideadha (O'Brody, Brooder, Brother, Broderick) of Ráth Tamhnaige
• Ua Caellaighe (O'Kealy, O'Kelly) of Dairmag Ua nDuach (Durrow-in-Ossory), who as asserted byCarrigan, changed their name to Ua Faeláin (O'Phelan, Whelan) below
• Ua Faeláin (O'Phelan,Whelan) of Magh Lacha (Clarmallagh) (formerly Ua Caellaighe, above)
• Ua Bróithe (O'Brophy) of Mag Sédna
• Ua Caibhdheanaigh (O'Coveney, MacKeveny) of Mag Airbh
• Ua Glóiairn (O'Gloherny, Glory, O'Gloran, Cloran, Glorney) of Callann
• Ua Donnachadha (Dunphy, O'Donochowe, O'Dunaghy, O'Donoghue, Donohoe, Donagh) of Mag Máil
• Ua Cearbhaill (O'Carroll, O'Carrowill, MacCarroll) of Mag Cearbhail
• Ua Braonáin (O'Brennan) of Uí Duach (Idough). Most Irish genealogical sources, such asÓ Cléirigh Book of Genealogies, theMac Solaidh-Tipper Collection of Genealogies (RIA MS 23 M 17), King's Inn genealogies (MS 11),Geoffrey Keating,John O'Hart, theFragmentary Annals of Ireland and others, are unanimous that the O'Brennans belong to theDál Birn, as descendants of Cerball mac Dúnlainge with the Fitzpatricks.^{[79][80][81][82]} This is echoed by modern scholars such as Bart Jaski.^[83] However, Dubhaltach Mac Fhirbhisigh is uniquely alone stating they belong to the Ui Dhuinn (O'Dunn) and, therefore, would be an Uí Failghi tribe according to his transcription.^[84][85] Modern genetic evidence confirms the majority tradition and disconfirms Mac Fhirbhisigh, showing the O'Brennans to be closely related to the Fitzpatricks in the proximate timeframe of king Cerball.^[86]
• Ua Caollaidhe (O'Kealy, O'Coely,Quealy) of Uí Bercháin (Ibercon)
• Mac Braoin (MacBreen, Breen) of Na Clanna
• Ua Bruadair (O'Broder, Broderick) of Uí nEirc (Iverk)
• Ua nDeaghaidh (O'Dea) of Uí Dheaghaidh (Ida)

An important Ossorian genealogy for Domnall mac Donnchada mac Gilla Patric is preserved in theBodleian Library, MS Rawlinson B 502, also known asThe Book of Glendalough, tracing the medievalMac Giolla Phádraig dynasty back toÓengus Osrithe, who supposedly flourished in the first or second century.^[88][89]

• Óengus Osrithe the first recorded king and namesake of the kingdom is the semi-legendary Óengus Osrithe, who lived in either the first or second century (circa 100 A.D.).
• Loegaire Birn Buadach gave his early epithet to the ruling lineage amongst the Ossorian people, the "Dál Birn" (lit. "the portion of Birn").
• Cerball mac Dúnlainge (King of Osraige from 846 to 888;^[90] King ofDublin from 872 to 887;^[91][92] Earl ofOrkney prior to 888^[91])

A celebrated king of Osraige (and likely Osraige's most famous monarch) was Cerball mac Dúnlainge, who ruled Osraige vigorously from c. 846 to his death in 888 and was the direct male progenitor of the later medievalMac Giolla Phádraig dynasts. The IcelandicLandnámabók describes Cerball (Carroll) (Kjarvalur) as ruler ofDublin and Earl ofOrkney and opens with a list of the most prominent rulers in Viking-ageEurope, listing this Ossorian king alongsidePopesAdrian II andJohn VIII;Byzantine EmperorsLeo VI the Wise and his sonAlexander;Harald Fairhair, king ofNorway;Eric Anundsson and his sonBjörn Eriksson rulers of Sweden;Gorm the Old, king of Denmark; andAlfred the Great, king ofEngland.^[93] Cerball features prominently in the annals and other historical texts, especially inThe Fragmentary Annals of Ireland as an archetype of a Christian king who consistently vanquishes his enemies, especiallypaganVikings. In this chronicle, Cerball is recorded allying with rival bands of Vikings to defeat them during his early career as king. He was also close enough to theNorse–Gaels that he features under the name "Kjarvalr Írakonungr" in several medieval Icelandic pedigrees through his daughters. Cerball was likely the most powerful king of his day in Ireland, even plundering the lands of his brother-in-law the high king, which resulted in the kingdom of Osraige being officially dis-joined from the province of Munster. During his lifetime he is recorded to have even ruled overDublin (from 872 to 888) and as far asOrkney due to his interconnections with his Viking neighbours.

• Land ingen Dúngaile (Princess of Osraige; daughter of kingDúngal mac Cellaig)

Princess Land (sometimes speltLann) was a noteworthy figure in Irish politics during a critical time in Osraige's history, witnessing its dramatic rise to power under the rule of her brotherCerball mac Dúnlainge, in which she had a hand. She was married to the famous High King of all Ireland,Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid (who reigned from 846 to 862) and gave birth to his formidable sonFlann Sinna who was also High King from 879 to 916. (She is thus also the grandmother of High KingDonnchadh Donn mac Flainn.)

• Gilla Pátraic mac Donnchada (King of Ossory from 976 to 996)

King Cearbhall's descendant, Gilla Pátraic mac Donnchada, was king of Osraige from 976 to 996, and was the source of the patronymicMac Giolla Phádraig. His wife wasMáel Muire ingen Arailt, likely anUí Ímair bride. He was an implacable opponent ofBrian Boruma in his expansion over southern Ireland, being captured by him in 983 and released the following year.^[94] Later in his reign, he devastatedMide, and was killed in battle against Donnduban mac Imair, prince of Limerick, and Domnall mac Fáelán, king of Déisi.

• Donnchad mac Gilla Pátraic (King of Osraige from 1003 to 1039; king ofLeinster from 1033 to 1039)

In 1003, he killed his cousin, King Cellach. In 1016, he killed Donn Cuan mac Dúnlaing, king of Leinster, and Tadc ua Riain, king of Uí Drona.^[95] In 1022, he killed Sitriuc mac Ímair, king ofPort Lairge (Waterford).^[96] In 1026, Donnchad spent Easter with the coarb of Patrick and Donnchad mac Briain.^[97] In 1027, he blinded his relative Tadc mac Gilla Pátraic.^[98] In 1033, Donnchad also took the kingship of Leinster and held theFair of Carman to celebrate his over-kingship.^[99] In 1039, he led a hosting as far as Knowth and Drogheda.,^[100] and he died the same year.^[101]Gofraid mac Arailt,King of the Isles, through his daughter Mael Muire, appears to have been the maternal grandfather of Donnchad mac Gilla Pátraic, the Osraigeking of Leinster. Thus the Mac Giolla Phádraigs or Fitzpatricks of Ossory are probably matrilineal descendants of theUí Ímair. King Cerball was an ally of their (probable) founderÍvar the Boneless, theViking king ofWaterford. It is also possible that Donnchad's father, Gilla Pátraic mac Donnchada, was somehow a relation of Ívar the Boneless, who had a son named Gilla Pátraic.

• Derbforgaill ingen Tadhg Mac Giolla Pádraig (Princess of Osraige, died 1098)

Derbforgaill, daughter of Tadhg Mac Giolla Pádraig was married toToirdelbach Ua Briain, king of Munster andde facto high king of Ireland. From him, she bore two sons: Tadhg andMuirchertach Ua Briain, who also later became high king. She reposed in 1098 in Glendalough.^[102]

The monastic settlements ofSaighir,Aghaboe and Kilkenny were planted byChristian saints. The activity of Christian religious leaders under the patronage of the kings did much to increase the learning, literacy and culture within the kingdom.^[103] According to his vitae,Saint Patrick traversed Osraige on his route toMunster, preaching, converting, founding churches and leaving behind holy relics and a disciple named Martin.^[104][105] A number of other saints had connections to Ossory, working both within Ireland and abroad inBritain andEurope:

• St.Ciarán of Saighir "The Elder", himself a scion of the Ossorian ruling Dál Birn lineage is reputed to have evangelized the kingdom before the arrival of St Patrick who also preached there.^[106] He founded the church of Saighir from which he evangelized the kingdom. It eventually became the episcopal see of Ossory, and the burial place of its Christian kings. St Ciarán was succeeded by his disciple, StCarthage the Elder. St Ciarán's feastday is 5 March, along with St. Carthage and St. Piran.St. Kieran's College in Kilkenny (Ireland's oldest Roman Catholic secondary school) is named after him.^[107] (InCornwall St. Ciarán is identified as one and the same person withSaint Piran, thepatron saint of tin miners and all Cornwall.)^[108][109] A relief statue of St. Ciarán stands in a high niche atop the Chapter House at St. Mary's in Kilkenny.^[110]
• St.Carthage the Elder, a son or grandson ofÓengus mac Nad Froích and St. Ciarán's successor atSaighir. His feastday is also celebrated with St. Ciarán on 5 March.
• St.Cainnech of Aghaboe established two monastic centers in Ossory in the 6th century, atAghaboe andKilkenny, now named after him. His feast is 11 October.
• St.Modomnoc of Ossory traveled there fromWales as a disciple ofSt. David, and is reputed to have brought Ireland's first colonies of domesticatedhoneybees.^[111] His feast is 13 February.^[112]

  In a little boat, from the east, over the pure-colored sea, my Domnoc brought the gifted race of Ireland's bees.~ Félire Óengusso^[113]

• St.Scuithin, also bearing Welsh connections viaSt. David, worked his asceticism in south Ossory, in what is nowCastlewarren andFreynestown.
• St.Nem Moccu Birn, successor to St.Enda of Aran is recorded as having been also of the Dál Birn of Ossory and a kinsmen of St. Ciarán of Saighir.^[114] His feast is 14 June.
• St.Broccán Clóen of Rossturic, was the author of a famous poem in praise ofSt. Brigid of Kildare (found in theLiber Hymnorum^[115] and is mentioned in theFélire Óengusso under 17 September.^[116]
• Mo Lua of Killaloe who founded the monasteries ofKillaloe and Clonfert-Mulloe^[117][118] (nowKyle inCounty Laois) in northern Osraige.^[119] According to theMartyrology of Donegal St. Molua mac Carthach (also known as St. Lua, or Da Lua) was trained under St.Comgall ofBangor Abbey. His father was Carthach mac Dagri, while his mother was Sochle of theDál Birn, the ruling tribe of Osraige.^[120][121]William Carrigan speculated his birth around the year 540 AD, and theAnnals of the Four Masters records his death in 605 AD. His feast is 4 August.
• St. Gobhan, who was also known for his founding an abbacy of the monastery of Oldleighlin, was also active at a later date in Ossory atKillamery. It would appear that sometime before 633 AD he left his monastery at Oldleighlin, and along with numerous monks journeyed west into the kingdom of Ossory and settled at Killamery. Whether he founded Killamery or merely enhanced it, is disputed; however during his abbacy its fame and importance flourished. The 9th-century bookFélire Óengusso, (The Feastology of Oengus), states about him: "of Gobban of Cell Lamraide in Hui Cathrenn in the west of Ossory, a thousand monks it had, as experts say and of them was Gobban."^[114]
• St. Findech of Cell Fhinnche, (Killinny, Kilkenny) described in theFélire Óengusso as amartyr, though this likely refers to ascetic exile. His feast is 2 February.^[122]
• St. Muicin, bishop and confessor, whose feast is celebrated on 4 March. His name appears under the Irish formsMuicin,Muccin,Mucinne, and, in Latin, asMoginus andMochinus. According to his pedigree in theBook of Leinster, he was of the royal race of Ossory, theDal Birn; thus: "Muccin, son of Mocha, son of Barind, son of Findchadli, son of Dega, son of Droida, son of Buan, son of Loegaire birn buadhach, son of Aengus Osrithe. Decnait, daughter of Gabrin, [and] sister of Fintan of Cluain-Eidhnech, was Muccin's mother." He was venerated as patron of Mayne, Kylermugh, Kilderry andSheepstown. He lived in the same period as his uncle,St. Fintan the great founder of Clonenagh, and died in the year 630. He is also commemorated in theMartyrology of Tallaght.
• St. Fergal was an abbot of Aghaboe in the 8th century and later traveled toFranconia where he was well received byPippin the Younger. By invitation ofOdilo, Duke of Bavaria, he arrived at Salzburg and was eventually made bishop there, being known ever after as St.Vergilius of Salzburg thegeometer. His feast is 27 November.

Media related toVirgilius of Salzburg at Wikimedia Commons

• Óengus of Tallaght, who compiled theFélire Óengusso, was born and raised in northern Ossory at Clúain Édnech (Clonenagh, County Laois), and began his monastic vocation there.^[123] His feast is 11 March.
• The relics ofSaint Nicholas are also reputed to have been stolen fromBari by crusading knights, and buried in the south of Osraige nearThomastown, County Kilkenny; a stone slab marks this site. This would date from the period immediately following the disestablishment of southern Osraige as a kingdom, while the northern third still remained.

• St. Patrick reputedly passed through Osraige according tradition,^[124] and St. Ciarán's vitae relate St. Patrick ordained a man for the Osraige named Martin.^[125] A freestanding statue of him erected in honor of the bishop of Ossory stands in Kilkenny, in addition to other local commemorations.^[110] TheMac Giolla Phádraig rulers of Osraige adopted their surname in honour ofSt. Patrick from their 10th-century ancestor, kingGiolla Phádraig, and appear to be one of the few Irish dynasties to bear a name of saintly derivation. (Another example includes the Ua Mael Sechlainn (O Melaghlin) dynasts who werekings of Mide.)

Modern Counties Laois and Kilkenny preserve many of the ancient and medieval site associated with the kingdom of Osraige.^[127] A long and well-attested sculptural tradition of stone carving, especially the creation ofIrish high crosses developed under the Dál Birn / Mac Giolla Phádraig kings of Osraige.^[103][128] Nearly all of Ireland's earliest stonehigh crosses are found within the ancient kingdom of Osraige or close to its borders.^[129] Great examples of this tradition include the fine crosses still preserved atKinitty,Ahenny andKillamery, amongst other sites. Some historians have asserted that a pre-Norman fortification existed at the site upon whichKilkenny Castle is built; likely the ancient capital of the kingdom. St.Ciarán is said to have founded the influential monastery ofSeirkieran, in present-dayClareen.^[130] Saighir was the first episcopal seat within the kingdom and was the burial site of theKings of Osraige. There, the ruins of a monastic site, earthworks, aholy well, the ruined base of anIrish round tower, a medieval defensive motte, numerous early Christian cross-slabs, bases and gravestones can be found, next to a 19th-centuryChurch of Ireland parish.^{[131][132][130][133]}St. Canice founded two important churches in the kingdom, atAghaboe andKilkenny, each, in turn, becoming the capital of the diocese after Saighir.Aghaboe Abbey served as Osraige's second ecclesiastical seat, before it was again later relocated to Kilkenny sometime in the twelfth century.St Canice's Cathedral in Kilkenny city exhibits a well-preserved ninth-century round tower which can be climbed to the top.^[134] In April 2004, a geophysical survey usingground-penetrating radar discovered what were likely the original foundations of the twelfth-century cathedral of the diocese of Ossory and another very large structure which was possibly a royalMac Giolla Phádraig palace; noting that the site bears a strong resemblance to contemporaneous structures at theRock of Cashel.^[135]Jerpoint Abbey, was founded near present-dayThomastown in 1160 by kingDomnall Mac Goilla Phádraig.^[136] There is some debate as to whether Jerpoint was either Benedictine or Cistercian during its first twenty years, however by 1180, king Domnall Mac Goilla Phádraig broughtCistercian monks from nearbyBaltinglass Abbey and it remained such thereafter.^[136][137] A well-preserved 30-meter, capless round tower can be seen atGrangefertagh. In 1999, a hoard of 43 silver and bronze items dated to 970 AD was discovered in a rocky cleft deep inDunmore Cave, containing silver ingots and conical buttons woven from fine silver.^[138] The cave was the site of a recordedViking massacre in 928.^[139]

In 1984, a series of commemorativecast stone panels sculpted byJoan Smith were installed as afacade on thebuttress walls ofOssory Bridge which forms part of the Ring Road over theRiver Nore connecting theN10 fromCarlow toWaterford.^[140] The facade symbolically depicts the history of the south Kilkenny area from the time of the mythological figure of Oengus Osrithe to the late twentieth century.^[141]

• 
  St. Canice's Cathedral, with ninth-centuryround tower. Only the tower dates from the pre-Norman period
• 
  Ninth-centuryround tower at Grange Fertagh
• 
  Window ofAghaboe Abbey
• 
  Round tower ofTullaherin
• 
  Aghavillerround tower
• 
  Saighirround tower and priory wall
• 
  Kilreehigh cross andround tower
• 
  Ahennyhigh cross, North
• 
  Ahennyhigh cross
• 
  Killameryhigh cross
• 
  Ullardhigh cross
• 
  Kilkieran High Crosses
• 
  Graiguenamanachhigh cross, East
• 
  Jerpoint Abbey, founded in 1160 byDomnall Mac Goilla Phádraig
• 
  TheGowran Ogham Stone
• 
  Dunmore Cave ("Dearc Fearna"), Ballyfoyle, County Kilkenny

The Diocese of Ossory was first established in the fifth century with the mission of St.Ciarán of Saighir, the borders of which were permanently set at theSynod of Ráth Breasail om 1111 AD. TheRoman Catholic Diocese of Ossory still to this day provides a very close outline of the kingdom's borders.^[143] In the earliest times, the chief church in Osraige was undoubtedlySeir Kieran (County Offaly), the chief church ofSt Ciarán, but at some time in history it had been eclipsed byAghaboe (County Laois), chief church of SaintCainnech, and later moved toKilkenny, which was also founded by the same saint. The record of theIrish annals also points toFreshford, County Kilkenny being of some importance, while archaeological evidence suggests thatKilkieran,Killamery andKilree (all County Kilkenny) and Domnach Mór Roigni (nowDonaghmore, County Laois) were also significant early ecclesiastical sites.^[144] Ossory is the only region in Ireland known to have twopatron saints; St. Ciarán of Saighir and St.Cainnech of Aghaboe.^[145] Due largely to the scholarly work of canonWilliam Carrigan in researching and compiling his four-volume opusThe History and Antiquities of the Diocese of Ossory, the history of the kingdom and its peoples is one of the most complete of any in Ireland. Furthermore, the Database of the Monasticon Hibernicum Project launched byAilbhe Mac Shamhráin lists all known historic monastic foundations associated with the diocese of Osraige.^[146]

The politics and history of the kingdom are well-attested to in the variousIrish Annals in which Osraige is often presented as a major kingdom. The Osraige appear as the final opponents of their southern neighbours theDéisi in the cycleThe Expulsion of the Déisi.^[147][23] While portrayed as unconquerable in battle, the Osraige are eventually overcome by the Déisi in the end by magic and treachery and thus cede to them the southern territory between theRiver Suir and the sea which the Déisi ever-after occupied. Strongly associated with the eleventh-century rule ofDonnchad Mac Giolla Phádraig (who reigned as king overLeinster until his death in 1039 AD) are theFragmentary Annals of Ireland which are famous for their heroic portrayal of the ninth-century Ossorian kingCerball mac Dúnlainge in his many victorious struggles against paganVikings in Ireland.^[148] The Fragmentary Annals of Ireland were believed to be commissioned by Donnchad Mac Giolla Phádraig as historical propaganda for Osraige's eleventh-century rise to power, and likely influenced the creation of other later pseudo-chronicles such asCogad Gáedel re Gallaib.^[149] Within theFragmentary Annals, editor and translatorJoan Radner has detected a strong focus on Ossorian tradition, especially relating to king Cerbhall mac Dunglange, suggesting the hypotheticalOsraige Chronicle as a possible source.^[149]

The early twelfth-century Irish epicCogad Gáedel re Gallaib portrays theDalcassian struggle against Osraige and its brief subjugation byBrian Boru. It records some early Viking activity in and around Osraige^[151] and ends with the embarrassing account of the Ossorians seeking to attack the victorious and wounded Dalcassian troops returning after theBattle of Clontarf. The Ossorians are recorded as intimidated when they see the wounded Dalcassian troops tying themselves upright to stakes, and withdraw from outright combat, giving harassing pursuit instead.^[151] Ironically, Radner suggests this chronicle may have been influenced by the earlier eleventh centuryOsraige Chronicle which lionized king Ceabhall mac Dúnlainge and survives with theFragmentary Annals of Ireland.^[149]

The kingdom is mentioned in countless surviving poems, songs and other medieval Irish texts.Lebor na gCeart ("The Book of Rights") aims to list the stipends paid to and by the kings of Osraige. The workCóir Anmann ("The Fitness of Names") claims to give the etymology of the nameOsraige, along with one its kings,Cú Cherca mac Fáeláin.^[12] The kingdom of Osraige with some of its noteworthy characteristics and clans gains some mention in theDindsenchas (literally "place-lore"), a composite collection of prose and metrical verse which aided in the rote memory of the topography and place-named of Ireland- some of it preserving Irish pre-literary oral tradition. Regarding Osraige, the names of its topographic features and roads are explained, as well as a reference tohorse fighting.^[152][153] The twelfth-centuryBanshenchas (literally "women-lore") composed byGilla Mo Dutu Úa Caiside of Ard Brecáin, recites a number of key Ossorian kings and queens, and others who descend from them.^[154] Additionally, Osraige is mentioned in a poem attributed to kingAldfrith of Northumbria during his exile in Ireland, describing the various things he saw there about the year 685.^[155] Certain nobility of Osraige are mentioned inThe Prophecy of Berchán, which hints ambiguously at the possibility of Ossorian inter-marriage with the Scottish kings.

The kingdom is sometimes personified in the character ofMícheál Dubh Mac Giolla Ciaráin (Dark Michael), a fictional prince of Osraige in several poems includingOssorie, A Song of Leinster byRev. James B. Dollard^[157] and especiallyWelcome to the Prince, an eighteenth-centuryJacobite poem written in Irish byWilliam Heffernan "Dall" ("the Blind"), and translated into English byJames Clarence Mangan.^{[158][159][160]}

Nordic literary history records several members of the Ossorian ruling lineage in the sagas. KingCerball mac Dúnlainge himself is listed as "Kjarval, king of the Irish" (Kjarvals Írakonungs) in the Icelandic genealogies recorded withinNjal's Saga, and through his daughters is reckoned as an ancestor of several important Icelandic families.^[161] His reign is directly referenced in the IcelandicLandnámabók where he is listed as one of the principle rulers of Europe. His daughter,Eithne, appears as a type of sorceress in theOrkneyinga saga, as the mother of EarlSigurd the Stout and the creator of the famedraven banner.^{[162][163][164]} This would makeEarl Sigurd of Orkney a possessor of Ossorian maternal lineage. Sigurd also appears briefly inSt Olaf's Saga as incorporated into theHeimskringla and in theEyrbyggja Saga. There are various tales about his exploits in the more fancifulNjal's Saga as well as theSaga of Gunnlaugr Serpent-Tongue,Thorstein Sidu-Hallsson's Saga, theVatnsdæla Saga and in the tale ofHelgi and Wolf in theFlateyjarbók.^[165][166] He also appears in the Irish propagandistic workCogad Gáedel re Gallaib as an opponent ofBrian Boruma at theBattle of Clontarf, and his death there is recorded in theAnnals of Ulster.

The kingdom of Ossory also features prominently in twelfth-century Norman literature. Two works by Gerald of Wales on Ireland,Topographia Hibernica^[167] andExpugnatio Hibernica^[168] pay special attention to some kings of Ossory, its geography and the Norman battles fought therein. Gerald also writes about a fabulous tale involving thewerewolves of Ossory. This legend was repeated inFynes Moryson's 17th-century writing,Description of Ireland^[169] and in a much later book,The Wonders of Ireland, by P. W. Joyce, published in 1911.^[170] In addition, Ossory features prominently as a setting for scenes in theNorman-FrenchlayThe Song of Dermot and the Earl.^[171]

The name of the kingdom survives inThe Red Book of Ossory; a fourteenth-century register of the Roman Catholic diocese of Ossory, and which is associated withRichard Ledred^[172] who wasBishop of Ossory, from 1317 to 1360.^[173] The book contains copies of documents which would have been important for the administration of the diocese: constitutions, taxations, memoranda relating to rights and privileges, deeds and royal letters, as well as the texts of songs composed by Bishop Ledred.^[174] The book now resides at theChurch of Ireland RCB Library in Dublin, and has been digitized.^{[175][176][174]}Geoffrey Keating also records much information and tradition about Ossory in his major work,Foras Feasa ar Éirinn (literally "Foundation of Knowledge on Ireland", more usually translated "History of Ireland").^[177][178] AfterCogadh Gáedel re Gallaib, his work is a secondary source for Ossory's opposition to the victorious Dalcassian forces returning from theBattle of Clontarf in 1014, as well as the only known source for information about the importantSynod of Ráth Breasail which may have occurred on the northern borders of Ossory, near present-dayMountrath in 1111. The kingdom of Ossory and some of its primary saints are mentioned by theWelsh clergymanMeredith Hanmer in hisChronicle of Ireland, which was posthumously published bySir James Ware in 1633.^{[179][180][181]} Hanmer himself was briefly active in the Diocese of Ossory in 1598. In 1905,William Carrigan published his authoritative history of the kingdom inThe History And Antiquities of the Diocese of Ossory in four volumes.

The name of the former kingdom survives in the present-day town names ofBorris-in-Ossory andDurrow-in-Ossory, as well as in the now defunctOssory UK Parliament constituency. The name also survives in the title of the annualOssory Agricultural Show, a livestock, produce and crafts competition founded in 1898 and patronized byBernard FitzPatrick, 2nd Baron Castletown, and now held in westernCoolfinCounty Laois.^[182] The famous artistRonald Ossory Dunlop bore the kingdom's name personally, perhaps in part because his mother's maiden name wasFitzpatrick. Three ships of the BritishRoyal Navy bore the nameHMSOssory. A thoroughbred racehorse namedOssory (1885–1889) was owned by the1st Duke of Westminster. Several Irish-speaking schools in Kilkenny also use the nameOsraí including Gaelscoil Osraí^[183] and Coláiste Pobail Osraí.^[184] Ossory Bridge, one of Kilkenny City's main bridges, now has a timber-plank pedestrian bridge running beneath it, which is the longest of its kind in Europe.^[185][186] Osraige Press is the name ofLiam Pádraig Ó Cuilleanáin's literary website, using a logo with a stag and sword, in allusion to the meaning of the kingdom's name.^[187]

Ossory features prominently in several works of historical fiction andnon-fictional novels, by various authors. The politics of the kingdom at the time of the Norman Invasion have been written about inDiarmait King of Leinster (2006) byNicholas Furlong, as well as by historian and two-time chairman of theIrish Writers' Union,Conor Kostick inStrongbow: the Norman Invasion of Ireland (2013).^[188] Ossory plays a role in some of theSister Fidelma mysteries, most notablySuffer Little Children (1995) andThe Seventh Trumpet (2012) written byPeter Tremayne (the pseudonym forPeter Berresford Ellis).^[189] AuthorMorgan Llywelyn, who has written extensively in the genre of medieval Irish historical fiction, often mentions Ossory in her books; especially inLion of Ireland (1980), its sequelPride of Lions (1996),Strongbow: The Story of Richard & Aoife (1996)^[190] and1014: Brian Boru & the Battle for Ireland (2014).^[191]Tavia Osraige is the name of a fictional character in the novelRainseeker (2014) by Jeanette Matern.^[192] Osraighe is the main destination for the protagonist inLiath Luachra: The Swallowed by Brian O'Sullivan.^[193]Ars Memoriae, an alternate historical fiction byBeth Bernobich, portrays Queen Áine Lasairíona Devereaux surrounded by courtiers at her court in Osraighe.^[194]

Some battles which took place in the kingdom of Ossory during theNorman Invasion of Ireland, as well as the arrival ofWilliam Marshal are commemorated in pictorial form in the modernRos Tapestry.^[195][196] In 2018, Lise De La Salle composed piano music for each of the Ros Tapestry panels in her Ros Tapestry Suite, naming oneBattles in the Kingdom of Ossory.^[197] Heresy Records releasedThe Red Book of Ossory by the ensemble Anakronos, which blends medieval music, with jazz and contemporary classical.^[198] Ablack metal band from the US has adopted the nameOsraige.^[199][200]Ossory Rd is the name of a single by new age Korean Project.Jinji from the album, "O'Connell".^[201] In 2020, Kilkenny-based animation studioCartoon Saloon releasedWolfwalkers, a movie based upon the old folklore of the werewolves of Ossory. In the film, the legend is brought forward in time to the Cromwellian invasion, where the daughter of an English wolf hunter is befriended by feral Irish girl surnamed "Mac Tíre" on the outskirts of Kilkenny. (Despite her bearing a masculine prefix, the surname is the Gaeilge word for wolf.)^[202]

Because of its strategic position, Ossory often features in modern games which make use of territorial maps of Ireland. The kingdom of Ossory features as a part of the kingdom of Ireland in the computer strategy-gamesCrusader Kings andCrusader Kings II, both published byParadox Interactive.^[203][204] InMount & Blade, Viking Conquest, Osraige appears as a Gaelic Christian faction; one of twenty one factions in the game. Osraige appears as a kingdom inTotal War Saga: Thrones of Britannia.^[205] Historicwargamers have aimed to re-create the pivotal battle of Achadh Úr (present-dayFreshford, County Kilkenny) between the invading Cambro-Normans and the defending Ossorians.^[206]

In 2014, a man fromMooncoin, County Kilkenny, laid a claim to residency in Kilkenny Castle as a supposed direct descendant of thekings of Osraige.^[207][208] In late February 2017, Kilkenny's new Medieval Mile Museum opened to the public, giving visitors a history of the kingdom, and featuring an exhibit which highlights king Cerball's role as a powerful patron of Osraige's early high cross carving tradition.^[209]

• Baron Upper Ossory
• Bishop of Ossory
• Earl of Ossory
• Earl of Upper Ossory
• Fitzpatrick (surname)
• The Fragmentary Annals of Ireland
• History of Kilkenny
• History of Laois
• Kilkenny Archaeological Society
• Kings of Leinster
• Kings of Osraige

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• History of Ossory papers at Academia.edu
• Topography of County Kilkenny
• Timeline of County Kilkenny
• The Fragmentary Annals of Ireland (English trans.) at CELT
• The Annals of Ulster (English trans.) at CELT
• The Annals of Loch Cé (English trans.) at CELT
• Genealogies from Rawlinson B502 at CELT
• Doctoral thesis by Mark Zumbuhl which examines Osraige's kingship in the Central Middle Ages
• Osraige History on The Fitzpatrick – Mac Giolla Phádraig Clan Society
• Contents of Bodleian Library MS Rawl. B. 502; Early Manuscripts at Oxford University
• Irish Geography; Volume 41, Issue 1, 2008
• Irish History in Maps, "The Osraighe Region"
• Cooleeshalmore archeology
• Ossory on Encyclopædia Britannica
• "Ossory" .Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 20 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 355.
• Baldwin, Stewart. Kings of Osraige (Ossory)
• St. Piran's OratoryArchived 7 March 2014 at theWayback Machine
• OLL (Ossory, Laois, and Leinster)Archived 10 August 2020 at theWayback Machine
• Early Christian Sites In Ireland Database, Seir Kieran (Saighir)
• Celtica 23; Radner's commentary on the Fragmentary Annals and the"Osraige Chronicle"
• St. Canice's Cathedral and Round Tower, KilkennyArchived 22 March 2014 at theWayback Machine
• Stepping into Kilkenny's History
• Osraige.com family history site
• Fitzpatrick – Mac Giolla Phádraig Clan Society
• Fitzpatrick Clan Society

• Érainn
• Historical geography of Ireland
• Kingdoms of ancient Ireland
• Kingdoms of medieval Ireland
• History of County Kilkenny
• History of County Laois
• FitzPatrick dynasty
• 2nd-century establishments in Ireland
• 1451 disestablishments in Ireland
• Gaelic-Irish nations and dynasties
• Former kingdoms in Ireland

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