Niall mac Conaill (died
778
__NOTOC__
Year 778 ( DCCLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 778 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent metho ...
) was King of South
Brega
Brega , also known as ''Mersa Brega'' or ''Marsa al-Brega'' ( ar, مرسى البريقة , i.e. "Brega Seaport"), is a complex of several smaller towns, industry installations and education establishments situated in Libya on the Gulf of Sidra, ...
of the Uí Chernaig sept 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
Ui Neill. He was the son of
Conall Grant mac Cernaig (died 718) who had contended for the rule of all Brega in the 710's. He ruled in south Brega from 771 to 778.
Upon the death of
Coirpre mac Fogartaig of the Uí Chernaig sept in 771 the rule of Brega was recovered by the northern sept of Uí Chonaing based at Cnogba(
Knowth) in the person 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). Niall became ruler of Deiscirt Breg or southern Brega.
Niall represented a branch of the Uí Chernaig sept called the Síl Conaill Graint which were based at Calatrium (Galtrim), whereas the main line of Uí Chernaig represented by the sons of the high king
Fogartach mac Néill (died 724) were based at Lagore. The sons of Fogartach had dominated southern Brega since 737 and a claimant arose in Cummascach mac Fogartaig to challenge Niall's rule. In 777 the Battle of Calatrium was fought between Niall and Cummascach in which the vassal king Échtgus mac Baeth of the Deisi Brega was slain.
Niall was an old king and offered no threat to the high king
Donnchad Midi
Donnchad mac Domnaill (733 – 6 February 797), called Donnchad Midi, was High King of Ireland. His father, Domnall Midi, had been the first Uí Néill High King from the south-central Clann Cholmáin based in modern County Westmeath and weste ...
(died 797) who was imposing his authority on Brega at this time. he was not involved in the Battle of Forchalad in 778 where Congalach of Brega was slain fighting Donnchad. Niall is called king of Deiscirt Breg in his death obit.
[''Annals of Ulster'' AU 778.7]
His sons Conall mac Néill (died 815) and Diarmait mac Néill (died 826) were also Kings of South Brega.
Notes
References
* ''Annals of Ulster'' a
CELT: Corpus of Electronic Textsa
University College Cork* Charles-Edwards, T. M. (2000), ''Early Christian Ireland'', Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
External links
a
University College Cork
Kings of Brega
778 deaths
8th-century Irish monarchs
Year of birth unknown
{{Ireland-royal-stub