LEINSTER

leinster, a province of ireland, occupying the middle and south-eastern portion of the island, and extending to the left bank of the shannon. it includes counties longford, westmeath, meath, louth, king's county, kildare, dublin, queen's county, carlow, wicklow, kilkenny and wexford (q.v. for topography, &c.). leinster (_laighen_) was one of the early milesian provinces of ireland. meath, the modern county of which is included in leinster, was the name of a separate province created in the 2nd century a.d. the kings of leinster retained their position until 1171, and their descendants maintained independence within a circumscribed territory as late as the 16th century. in 1170 richard strongbow married aoife, daughter of the last king diarmid, and thus acquired the nominal right to the kingdom of leinster. henry ii. confirmed him in powers of jurisdiction equivalent to those of a palatinate. his daughter isabel married william marshal, earl of pembroke. their five daughters shared the territory of leinster, which was now divided into five liberties carrying the same extensive privileges as the undivided territory, namely, carlow, kilkenny, wexford, kildare and leix. the history of leinster thereafter passes to the several divisions which were gradually organized into the present counties.