Dermot MacMurrough (1110-1 May 1171) was King of Laigin from 1126 to 1171, succeeding Enna mac Donnchada Mac Murchada and preceding Domhnall Caomhanach mac Murchada.
Biography[]
Dermot MacMurrough was born in Leinster, Ireland in 1110, the son of King Donnchad mac Murchada. He succeeded to the kingdom of Laigin after the death of his brother Enna mac Donnchada Mac Murchada in 1126, and he became rivals with King Toirdelbach Ua Conchobair of Connacht. He was ousted from his throne when Tigernan Ua Ruairc conquered Leinster, but Dermot reclaimed it in 1132; in 1152, he retaliated by raiding the Ua Ruairc's lands. In 1166, Tigernan Ua Ruairc, Dermot's archenemy, deposed him as King of Leinster. Dermot fled to the woods around Fern in County Wexford before fleeing to Bristol, where he appealed to local Norman knights for assistance in reclaiming his throne. They took Veisafjordr (Wexford) in just two days, and MacMurrough handed over the city to his Norman allies in exchange for their recognition of him as their overlord. He died in 1171 as King Henry II of England launched a second invasion of Ireland to reassert his overlordship over the minor Norman nobles.