High Kings
The High King or "Ard-Rí" was the ruler of Ireland. The high king's power was not absolute, particularly in the other provinces, where his power was very limited. The high king had his seat of power in Tara, a dun or fort found west of Dublin, between the River Boynne and River Liffey.
High Kings were not allowed any imperfection. Well, physically they must not have any imperfection, such as a missing hand, in the case of Danann king, Nuada. But Nuada ruled again when Dian Cecht, the great physician, replaced his hand with a silver hand. Cormac Mac Airt also lost the throne when he lost his eye in battle.
Ireland or Erin was divided into four to five provinces. Each province was ruled by a king or provincial king.
Ulster or Ulaid (in Gaelic) was situated in northern Ireland. The capital of Ulster was Emain Macha. Southwest of Ulster was Connaught or Connacht. The province Meath was situated south of Ulster, east of Connacht and north of Leinster. Leinster was located in the southeast of Ireland, while Munster was situated in the southwest.
This page is a reference to the rulers of Ireland, regardless of whether the ruler reigned over all of Ireland or of one of the four provinces, or whether the ruler was a king or a queen.
Please note that I have only listed the names of the Danann kings in a table. These are the kings that ruled Ireland before the arrival of the Milesians (Gaels). Some of these names can be found in the Tuatha De Danann page.
High Kings of Erin
For Cimbáeth, see Rulers of Ulster.
Rulers of Ulster
Ulster was a province in the northeast of Ireland. Ulster was known in Irish as Ulaid, and was called Cóiced Ulad during the pre-conquest period. Within the province are the following counties: Antrim, Armagh, Cavan, Donegal, Down, Fermanagh, Derry, Monaghan and Tyrone.
For Macha, see Early History of Ulster. For Fachtna, see Ross the Red.
Genealogy
House of the Red Branch (Ulaid)
Rulers of Connacht
Connacht was a provincial kingdom occupying western Ireland. Connacht was known as Connachta, Connaught, Connaght, and in the pre-conquest period it was called Cóiced Connacht.
Rulers of Munster
Munster was a provincial kingdom in southwestern Ireland. Munster was known as Mumu in Old Irish texts, and called Cóiced Muman in the pre-conquest period. Munster has the following counties within the province: Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford.
By Jimmy Joe
