By Robert O'Halloran
Published in Eolas: Journal of the American Society for Irish Medieval Studies, 2024.
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Abstract

In the court of a late medieval Gaelic Irish lord, the steward (maor, pl. maoir) was a fiscal officer tasked with gathering tribute in the form of foodstuffs, rent, or tax. Maoir in this period are shadowy administrative figures, the archetype of which is a paid professional of relatively low social status. A geographically broad assessment seeks to show that the office of maor was fundamental to the tribute gathering apparatus that underpinned the administration of a Gaelic Irish lordship. A detailed examination of the O'Rodan (Uí Rodáin) lineage in Thomond sheds light on the functions of maoir in practice. From the mid-fourteenth century, the O'Rodans became enriched through the provision of stewardship services to the McNamara (Meic Conmara) lords of Clann Chuiléin. Their later entry into the service of the O'Brien (Uí Bhriain) earls of Thomond provides insight into the ability of maoir to shift allegiance.