The
kings of Munster , ruled from the establishment of
Munster during the
Irish Iron Age, until the
High Middle Ages. According to Gaelic traditional history, laid out in works such as the
Book of Invasions, the earliest king of Munster was
Bodb Derg of the
Tuatha Dé Danann. From the Gaelic peoples, an
Érainn kindred known as the
Dáirine (also known as
Corcu Loígde and represented today in seniority by the
Ó hEidirsceoil), provided several early monarchs including
Cú Roí. In a process in the
Cath Maige Mucrama, the Érainn would lose out in the 2nd century AD to the
Deirgtine, ancestors of the
Dal gCais. Munster during this period was classified as part of
Leath Moga, or the southern-half, while other parts of Ireland were ruled mostly by the
Connachta.