Cruthin | |
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Country | Ireland |
Parent house | House of Ir |
Titles | |
Current head | none |
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The Cruthin (Old Irish, Old Irish pronunciation: [ˈkɾˠʊθʲɪn̠ʲ]; Middle Irish: Cruithnig or Cruithni; Modern Irish: Cruithne [ˈkɾˠɪhn̠ʲə]) were a people of early medieval Ireland, who occupied parts of the present day counties of Antrim, Laois, Galway, Londonderry and Down. Their name is the Irish equivalent of Priteni who are more commonly known by the Latin form Picti. Despite this, a distinction was usually maintained by Irish authors writing in Latin.
The Cruthin comprised a number of túatha (territories), which included the Dál nAraidi of County Antrim and the Uí Echach Cobo in County Down. Early sources preserve a distinction between the Cruthin and the Ulaid, who gave their name to the over-kingdom, although the Dál nAraidi would later claim in their genealogies to be na fir Ulaid, meaning "the Ulaid people". The Loígis, who gave their name to County Laois in Leinster, and the Sogain of Connacht are also claimed as Cruthin in early Irish genealogies.