La Historia de Cromadh

Cromadh (now Croom) was a village in the territory of the Ui Fidgheinte, and one of the seats of the O’Donovans of the Ui Fidgheinte, which flourished from the late 4th century to the early 11th century. The townland is located on the River Maigue, which although now having a tidal flow only to Adare, in ancient years the river had a tidal flow past Croom, making it a transit route for the Viking ships traversing inland from the Shannon during the 9th and 10th centuries. Contacts arising along the Maigue River between Danish Vikings and the Ui Donnabhains provide an insight into the alliance between the two groups in the late 10th century.

John O’Donovan claimed in the Annals of the Four Masters [1] that Croom derived its name from Ancrom O'Donovan Crom Ua Donnabáin, who was slain in Innis Beale Antha Dos (now Broadford) in 1254, based on the similarity of Ancrom with Crom. However, that claim has been thoroughly discredited.[2]

The earliest mention of Cromadh in the historical annals was in 1151, when “A great predatory excursion was made by Ruaidhri, son of Toirdhealbhach Ua Conchobhair (Rory O’Connor), into Thomond; and he carried away many cows, and burned Cromadh". This event took place only three years after Turlogh O’Brien, King of Munster in 1148, and whom alternatively allied with and opposed Rory O’Connor, defeated the Danes at the nearby fort of Rathmore. The burning of Croom in 1151 should be viewed in the larger context of leading powers continuing to punish and push the O’Donovans with their Danish alliances from their historical territory, which continued for another century as new Anglo Saxon powers arose from the Fitzgeralds, Butlers, Roches and whom competed with the O’Briens, O’Connors and MacCarthys for the Ui Fidgheinte (Ui Chairpre and Ui Chonaill) territories.

Ultimately, in the early 1200s, the lands surrounding Croom were given to the Fitzgeralds of Kildare. The Earls of Kildare continued to administer and build in the area of Croom through the end of the 16th century, and the competition for control of the Croom area was reduced to regional contests between the Earls of Desmond and the Earls of Kildare. Both houses associated their war cries with their territory: the war cry of the Geraldines of Kildare was Cromadh-abu ( Croom Forever), with various spellings Croom Abu. For comparison, the war-cry of the Desmond Geraldines was Seanaid-abu, associated with Shannid Castle, or Shannid Forever.

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