>>18721004
It changed constantly from time to time and it was even really like a patchwork of counties like the HRE but a bunch of different clans with morphing turf (until the Normans much later when warfare in Ireland became more like warfare in the rest of Europe). The most consistent it ever was, was before Brian Boru, when the O’Neills were consistently the strongest clan for centuries and the high kingship had just always been traditionally theirs to the point it was woven into mythology, had it not been for Christianity it would have been unsurprising if the O’Neills at this point morphed into an institution similar to the emperors of Japan, because it already was not far off.
During Brian Boru’s lifetime the O’Brians were the strongest and for the first time ever Ireland was essentially a united Kingdom in strategic fact rather than just in law. Then Brian Boru died and it was less United than ever, but the O’Brians remained the strongest for a while afterwards even if no one had hegemony anymore. Shortly before the Normans invaded the O’Conners had started getting very powerful and started consolidating the entire island to be more like a united kingdom again. But then the Normans invaded with English support and completely changed the political landscape.
After this theoretically the King of England was lord of Ireland but in reality English power was very limited and the various Norman lords were extremely independent and unreliable. England was more powerful when they were actively taking an interest in Ireland and not focusing on wars elsewhere like in France or Scotland.
Various Norman clans, particularly the FitzGeralds, became very powerful in this time, both acting as a Gaelicised clan or as representatives of the king from moment to moment.
The English would not actually have de facto control of the whole island until much later with the Tudor conquest, in which their main enemy was the O’Neills,

>>18721004
>was Dublin always the most powerful/wealthy region or did other areas have a chance to become the "capitol city" of ireland?
Dublin didn’t even exist for much of Ireland’s history, though shortly after its foundation (by Viking’s) it did become probably the most significant city, but it has no particular political importance. That came later when it became the center of English rule in Ireland.

>who were the "strongest" among them?
Ó Néills, Ó Briains, Ó Conchobhair. There are others, of course, but these guys make up the main chunk of pre-Norman dynasties that ran most of it not all of the island.

The Ó Néills are one of the oldest and most powerful dynasties in Ireland and are famous as having been the strongest and longest-running rulers of Ulster. They are descended from Niall of the Nine Hostages, a legendary 5th Century King. They retained primacy in Irish politics until the early 17th Century.

The Ó Briains are a more modern dynasty, created by Brian Boru-the High King who united Ireland and ended the Viking Age in Ireland. He died in the early 11th Century. The Ó Briains are known for ruling Munster in the south.

The Ó Conchobhairs are the late-stage guys who are known for ruling Connacht, in the west. They founded Galway, also united Ireland and were the ones in charge when the Normans invaded.

The Hiberno-Norman FitzGeralds and Burkes were also very powerful at times.

>was Dublin always the most powerful/wealthy region
No, that area has been settled for a very very long time but it was a newer viking settlement that became the city we now know. It was wealthy from the Norse slave trade and from the markets that operated in it, but the real value was the very powerful fleet they had. It was more the fleet than anything else that lead later High Kings to start trying to use it as a political capital.
>did other areas have a chance to become the "capitol city" of ireland
East coast was best suited for trade, but southern and western coastal cities also did well.

The old 5th Province of Meath was also the traditional "capital" of Ireland, as it included the Hill of Tara where the High Kings were crowned. Armagh was the religious capital and also had huge political sway.

It's very interesting to me to consider the sheer volume of setups people throughout history have tried to implement in Ireland.

>High Kingship; confederation of Gaelic Kingdoms with a first-among-equals High King
>Unitary Gaelic Kingdom; Brian Boru's attempt to establish a permanent Kingdom as he had seen the Norse do
>The Lordship of Ireland; Norman Catholic parliamentary monarchy, beholden to the Pope and England
>Unitary Kingdom with the Scottish Bruce dynasty as rulers
>Kingdom of Ireland: Protestant Parliamentary Kingdom, beholden to England
>Spanish Habsburg Ireland; an secret plan to expand the Treaty of Dingle to establish Spanish rule in Ireland with military governance by two leading Irish Gaelic commanders
>Kingdom of Ireland (reformed), shared monarch with Britain but much more independent with self-governance
>Republic of Connacht (planned Irish Republic), sister republic of the 1st French Republic
>Annexation
>Austro-Hungarian style dual monarchy with Britain
>Irish Republic (independent, 1916)
>Independent Kingdom with Prussian monarch
>British Dominion as the Irish Free State
>Wacky Christian capital of the world post WW2

>>18721060
You forgot about the Irish confederation during the English civil wars (in which Charles I was ostensibly king despite it spending most of the war at war with the other monarchists)