Bruree

History

Bruree was once a seat and alternative capital of the ancient Kings of Munster. At some point later it came into the possession of the Uí Fidgenti and was their capital until the late 12th century. Before them it may have belonged to the Dáirine or Érainn, being named by Geoffrey Keating as a fortress built by Cú Roí mac Dáire. An early king and semi-mythological ancestor of the Eóganachta and Uí Fidgenti, Ailill Aulom, is then found at the fortress in the Cath Maige Mucrama cycle. The historical Eóganacht king Óengus mac Nad Froích is also found here in one legend. On the 26 August, a month after the 1919 - 1921 Irish War of Independence ended, workers in Bruree seized the mill they worked in and hoisted the red flag over the building & hung a banner over the building proclaiming "Bruree Workers Soviet Mills – We Make Bread Not Profits". The soviet lasted until 3 September 1921. This was one of over 100 soviets that popped up in Ireland during the War of Independence and the Civil War, the most notable of which was the Limerick Soviet The village also played a role in the Irish Civil War during the Battle of Kilmallock.