Cummascach mac Congalaig (died 839) was a
King of Brega
The Kings of Brega were rulers of Brega, a petty kingdom north of Dublin in medieval Ireland.
Overview
Brega took its name from ' ('), meaning "fine plain", in modern County Meath, County Louth and County Dublin, Ireland. They formed part of the ...
from the Uí Chonaing sept of Cnogba (
Knowth
Knowth (; ga, Cnóbha) is a Neolithic passage grave and an ancient monument of the World Heritage Site of Brú na Bóinne located 8.4 km west of Drogheda in Ireland's valley of the River Boyne. It is the largest passage grave of the Brú ...
) of the
Síl nÁedo Sláine
Síl nÁedo Sláine () are the descendants of Áed Sláine (Áed mac Diarmato), son of Diarmait mac Cerbaill. Part of the Southern Uí Néill—they were the kings of Brega—they claimed descent from Niall Noígiallach and his son Co ...
branch of the southern
Uí Néill
The Uí Néill (Irish pronunciation: ; meaning "descendants of Niall") are Irish dynasties who claim descent from Niall Noígíallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages), a historical King of Tara who died c. 405. They are generally divided into t ...
. He was the son of
Congalach mac Conaing
Congalach mac Conaing (died 778) was a King of Brega from the Uí Chonaing sept of Cnogba (Knowth) of the Síl nÁedo Sláine branch of the southern Ui Neill. He was the son of Conaing mac Amalgado (died 742), a previous king.
He is listed as the ...
(died 778) and brother of
Flann mac Congalaig
Flann mac Congalaig (died 812) was a King of Brega from the Uí Chonaing sept of Cnogba (Knowth) of the Síl nÁedo Sláine branch of the southern Ui Neill. He was the son of Congalach mac Conaing (died 778), a previous king. He ruled from 786 to ...
(died 812) and
Cernach mac Congalaig
Cernach mac Congalaig (died 818) was a King of Brega from the Uí Chonaing sept of Cnogba (Knowth) of the Síl nÁedo Sláine branch of the southern Ui Neill. He was the son of Congalach mac Conaing (died 778) and brother of Flann mac Congalaig ( ...
(died 818), previous kings. He ruled from 818-839.
The Uí Chonaing sept had conquered the lands of the
Ciannachta
The Ciannachta were a population group of early historic Ireland. They claimed descent from the legendary figure Tadc mac Céin. Modern research indicates Saint Cianán and his followers may have been the origin behind the tribal name as it is ...
(south of the Lower
Boyne in modern
County Meath
County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
) and were often styled
Kings of Ciannachta in this period. In 822 Cummascach defeated the remnants of this population group, the Ard Ciannachta (in
County Louth
County Louth ( ; ga, An Lú) is a coastal county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of Meath to the south, Monaghan to the west, Armagh to the north and Down to the ...
), at the Battle of Carn Conain and their king,
Eudus mac Tigernaig was slain. Cummascach then was confronted by a rival among his own sept named Dúnchad, they fought a skirmish in 824 in which Dúnchad was victorious and Cummascach escaped. Cummascach seems to have remained king, however, and the fate of this Dúnchad is unknown.
The Vikings became active in the midlands during his reign. In 827 they plundered Ciannachta. In 828 they slew the king of Ard Ciannachta,
Cináed mac Cummascacig. In 832 The Vikings plundered Dom Líacc (
Duleek
Duleek (; ) is a small town in County Meath, Ireland.
Duleek takes its name from the Irish word ''daimh liag'', meaning house of stones and referring to an early stone-built church, St Cianán's Church, the ruins of which are still visible in D ...
) and the sept of the Ciannacht with all their churches. The Vikings also plundered the church of Sláine in 834.
In 837 a great fleet appeared on the Boyne and ravaged the plain of Brega defeating the Uí Néill in the Battle of Inber na mBárc on the Boyne estuary. The Ciannacht were, however, able to eventually win a victory over the Norse and slew their leader Saxolb.
Cummascach died in 839 and is styled ''rex Ciannactai'' — King of Ciannachta — in the annals.
[AU 839.3]
Notes
References
* ''Annals of Ulster'' a
a
University College Cork* Charles-Edwards, T. M. (2000), ''Early Christian Ireland'', Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
* Ó Cróinín, Dáibhí (2005), ''A New History of Ireland'', Volume One, Oxford: Oxford University Press
*Ó Corráin, Donnchad (1972), ''Ireland Before the Normans'', Dublin: Gill and Macmillan
External links
a
University College Cork
Kings of Brega
839 deaths
9th-century Irish monarchs
Year of birth unknown
{{Ireland-royal-stub