Tairdelbach’s Divided Ireland
Ireland had no single government in the modern sense. Power rested with provincial kings, overkings and numerous territorial rulers whose authority depended upon kinship, military following, tribute, hostages and alliances. Toirdelbach Ua Conchobair, king of Connacht, was the strongest claimant to the high-kingship, though his supremacy was contested and uneven. His rise had made Connacht a leading force in Irish affairs, supported by fortifications, fleets, ecclesiastical patronage and the strategic use of his sons as subordinate rulers.