Iverni

The Iverni (Ἰούερνοι, Iouernoi) were a people of early Ireland first mentioned in Ptolemy's 2nd century Geography as living in the far south-west of the island.^[1] He also names a "city" called Ivernis (Ἰουερνίς, Iouernis) in their territory, and observes that this settlement has the same name as the island as a whole, Ivernia (Ἰουερνία, Iouernia).^[2] These Iverni can be identified linguistically with the Érainn (Éraind, Érnai, Érna),^[3] a people attested in Munster and elsewhere in the early Middle Ages.

The Iverni ("Iwernoi" above) are one of the population groups mentioned in Ptolemy's Geography.

The prehistoric Érainn royal dynasties are sometimes referred to as the Dáirine.^[4][5]

Name

The name has been derived from Archaic Irish *Īwernī meaning "folk of *Īweriū " (the island of Ireland). This is in turn derived from Proto-Celtic *Φīwerjon- and further from Proto-Indo-European *piHwerjon- (the full, fat, fertile land) – cognate with the Ancient Greek píeira and Sanskrit pīvara, which refer to fertile land.^[6]

John T. Koch says it was probably once the name given to all the peoples of Ireland, but by the early 1st millennium AD had a more restricted usage.^[6]

Pomponius Mela and Juvenal, writing in the 1st century AD, call Ireland Iuverna.^[7] In his 2nd century Geographia (c. 150 AD), Ptolemy called the island Iouernia or Iwernia (Ἰουερνία; ou represented /w/) and named a tribal group called the Iouernoi or Iwernoi (Ἰούερνοι) in the southwest.^[6]

The people of Ireland are called the Hiberni in the 3rd century Panegyric on Constantius Caesar, written in 297 AD.^[8]

In the Ora Maritima, Roman writer Avienius says that Ireland is inhabited by the gens Hiernorum (the Hierni people, or the Irish). Though the text dates to the 4th century AD, he was using much older sources, and this part is widely agreed to be based on the Massaliote Periplus from the 4th–6th century BC.^[9]

In the 5th–6th century AD, Saint Patrick referred to the Irish as the Hiberionaci, (genitive plural Hiberionacum).^[6]

Historical septs

In early Irish genealogical tracts, the Érainn are regarded as an ethnic group, distinct from the Laigin and Cruthin.^[10] In Munster, population groups classed as Érainn include the Corcu Loígde in southwest County Cork, the Múscraige in Counties Cork and Tipperary, the Corcu Duibne in County Kerry, and the Corcu Baiscinn in west County Clare.^[10] In Ulster, the Dál Riata and Dál Fiatach (or Ulaid) in Ulster are classed as Érainn.^[10] The Déisi Muman (of Munster), and the Déisi Temro (of Tara) or Déisi Breg (of Brega), are also claimed to be Érainn.^[11]

The Érainn appear to have been a powerful group in the proto-historic period, but in early historical times were largely reduced to politically marginal status, with the notable exception of the enigmatic Osraige.^[10]The most important of the Munster Érainn, the Corcu Loígde, retained some measure of prestige even after they had become marginalised by the Eóganachta in the 7th or 8th century.^[10] It is likely that the sometimes powerful Uí Liatháin and their close kin the Uí Fidgenti originally belonged to the Érainn/Dáirine as well, but were later counted among the Eóganachta for political reasons.^[12][13] Another prominent Érainn people of early Munster are believed to have been the Mairtine, who by the early historical period have vanished from the Irish landscape, although they may be in part ancestral to the later Déisi Tuisceart and Dál gCais.^[14]

The historical sept of the Uí Maicc Iair ("grandsons of the son of Iar") and the MAQI IARI of ogham inscriptions also appear to be related.^[15] The personal name Iar is simply another variant of the root present in Iverni and Érainn.^[16] Finally, the name Íth, given in the genealogies as the ultimate ancestor of the Corcu Loígde (Dáirine) and offering some confusion about their parentage and relation to the Iverni, in fact preserves the same Indo-European root *peiH- ("to be fat, swell"),^[17] thus in effect completing a basic picture of the Iverni/Érainn and their kindred in later historical Ireland.

Darini, Dáirine

It seems likely the Iverni were related to the Darini of eastern Ulster, later called the Dáirine.^[18] The name "Dáirine" implies descent from an ancestor called Dáire (*Dārios),^[3] as claimed by several historical peoples identified as Érainn, including the Dál Riata and Dál Fiatach in eastern Ulster^[19] as well as the Érainn of Munster. An early name for Dundrum, County Down, is recorded as Dún Droma Dáirine, and the name Dáirine was applied to the Corcu Loígde, further suggesting a relationship between the Darini and the Iverni.^[3]

Clanna Dedad

The genealogies trace the Érainn from two eponymous ancestors, Ailill Érann and Íar mac Dedad. Legendary relatives of the latter include the Cland Dedad (offspring of Deda mac Sin), a Munster people who appear in the Ulster Cycle, led by Cú Roí, son of Dáire mac Dedad, and the legendary High King Conaire Mór, grandson of Iar and ancestor of the Síl Conairi.

O'Rahilly's theory

Ivernic is a hypothetical language proposed by T. F. O'Rahilly. He suggested that it was an unattested P-Celtic (probably Brittonic) language spoken in Ireland before Old Irish. He suggested this language was spoken by the Iverni, and that they invaded Ireland from Britain, bringing with them the language.^{[20][page needed]}

His theory has been refuted and is not widely accepted by experts.^[21][22][23] Furthermore, by the proto-historic period, the Iverni were evidently Goidelic-speaking, as ogham inscriptions in Archaic Irish are most plentiful in southwestern Ireland, the territory of the Iverni.^[24]

See also

• List of Irish kingdoms
• List of Celtic tribes
• Mac Con