Gailenga was the name of two related peoples and kingdoms found in

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

Ireland in

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 ...

and

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms ( Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and ...

Origins

Along with the Luighne,

Delbhna The Delbna or Delbhna were a Gaelic Irish tribe in Ireland, claiming kinship with the Dál gCais, through descent from Dealbhna son of Cas. Originally one large population, they had a number of branches in Connacht, Meath, and Munster in Irela ...

, Saitne and

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 ...

, the Gailenga claimed descent from Tadc mac Cein mac Ailill Aulom.

Francis John Byrne Francis John Byrne (1934 – 30 December 2017) was an Irish historian. Born in Shanghai where his father, a Dundalk man, captained a ship on the Yellow River, Byrne was evacuated with his mother to Australia on the outbreak of World War II. ...

, in agreement with

Eoin MacNeill Eoin MacNeill ( ga, Eoin Mac Néill; born John McNeill; 15 May 1867 – 15 October 1945) was an Irish scholar, Irish language enthusiast, Gaelic revivalist, nationalist and politician who served as Minister for Education from 1922 to 1925, Cea ...

, believes that ''"they were vassal tribes of fighting men whom the

Connachta The Connachta are a group of medieval Irish dynasties who claimed descent from the legendary High King Conn Cétchathach (Conn of the Hundred Battles). The modern western province of Connacht ( Irish ''Cúige Chonnacht'', province, literally ...

and Ui Neill ... planted on the lands they conquered."'' (IKHK, p. 69) While Byrne and MacNeill believed they originated in Connacht, recent research on the derivation of the term

would indicate that they originated within

, and were transplanted west across the Shannon by the Connachta. A

genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

, cited by

Geoffrey Keating Geoffrey Keating ( ga, Seathrún Céitinn; c. 1569 – c. 1644) was a 17th-century historian. He was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, and is buried in Tubrid Graveyard in the parish of Ballylooby-Duhill. He became an Irish Catholic priest and a ...

, states: "Tadhg son of Cian, son of Oilill Olom, had two sons, namely, Connla and Cormac Gaileang. From Iomchaidh son of Connla comes O Cearbhaill, and from Fionnachta son of Connla comes O Meachair. From Cormac Gaileang son of Tadhg, son of Cian, comes O Eadhra and O Gadhra and O Conchubhair Ciannachta. The following are the territories they acquired, namely: Gaileanga, east and west; Ciannachta, south and north; Luighne, east and west." Rawlinson B 502 or

Rawlinson B 512 Oxford, Bodleian Library, Rawlinson B. 512 is an Irish vellum manuscript in quarto Quarto (abbreviated Qto, 4to or 4º) is the format of a book or pamphlet produced from full sheets printed with eight pages of text, four to a side, then folde ...

contains the following genealogy: ''Léocán m. Laidgneáin m. Máeláin m. Éicnich m. Dúnchada m. Cináeda m. Léocáin m. Donngaile m. Conchobair m. Moínaich m. Máel Mórda m. Adamra m. Dechraich m. Dergscáil m. Leae nó oe m. Cormaicc aileangm. Taidg m. Céin m. Ailella Auluimm.''

Conquerors of Connacht

Byrne goes to say that the Gailenga and Luigni were closely associated as neighbours and allies in Connacht, "situated south of the Ox Mountains they formed a large block between the northern Ui Fiachrach and the Ui Briuin. They themselves dominated smaller tribes, and have some claim to be considered an over-kingdom, as recognised in the twelfth century when their lands were absorbed into the diocese of Achonry. Their ruling families of O'Gara and O'Hara remained prominent well into the seventeenth century. The baronies of Gallen in Mayo and Leyney in Sligo, along with Corrand and Coolavin in the

Curlew Mountains The Curlew Mountains () are a range of low-lying hills situated between Boyle and Castlebaldwin in northeastern Connacht. Toponymy The assignation of the name ''Curlew'' to the mountains may not relate the Curlew bird, but rather to the ga, co ...

, lloming over the fertile plain of

Moylurg {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 Magh Luirg or Magh Luirg an Dagda, Anglicised as Moylurg, was the name of a medieval Irish kingdom located in modern-day County Roscommon, Ireland. It was a sub-kingdom of the kingdom of Connacht from c. 956–1585. ...

, into which the Ui Briuin Ai were to expand, were crowded with small tribes, some of whom are intimately connected with the origin legends of the Connachta." (p.233)

Kingdoms of Gailenga

* Gailenga Mora: located in area of

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 ...

north of the Blackwater and Boyne Rivers. Name is retained in the Barony of Morgallion. * Gailenga Brega: located in what is now north

County Dublin "Action to match our speech" , image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Dublin.svg , map_alt = map showing County Dublin as a small area of darker green on the east coast within the lighter green background of ...

, between the river Liffey and the Saithne (

Santry Santry () is a suburb on the northside of Dublin, Ireland, bordering Coolock, Glasnevin, Kilmore and Ballymun. It straddles the boundary of Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council jurisdictions. The character of the area has changed ...

) people. * Gailenga Connacht: located in the

barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

of Gallen,

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the yew trees") is a county in Ireland. In the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Counci ...

Sept A sept is a division of a family, especially of a Scottish or Irish family. The term is used in both Scotland and Ireland, where it may be translated as ''sliocht'', meaning "progeny" or "seed", which may indicate the descendants of a person ...

s of the Gailenga Móra and Brega adopted the surnames Ó Lóthcháin, Ó hAonghusa, and Mac Maoláin.

Kings of Gailenga Móra

All references taken from the

Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' ( ga, Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (''Annála na gCeithre Máistrí'') are chronicles of medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Deluge, dated as 2,24 ...

, unless otherwise stated. * 980 - ''Conghalach, son of Flann, lord of Gaileanga, and his son, i.e. Maelan;'', killed in the

Battle of Tara (Ireland) The Battle of Tara was fought between the Gaelic Irish of Meath, led by Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill, and the Norse Vikings of Dublin, led by Amlaíb Cuarán. It took place near the Hill of Tara in Ireland in the year 980. The battle was a de ...

. * 990: ''The Sinnach Ua Leochain, lord of Gaileanga, died.'' * 992: ''Egnech Ua Leochain, lord of Tuath-Luighne, was slain by Maelseachlainn, and Cathal, son of Labbraidh.'' * 1001: ''Meirleachan, i.e. the son of Conn, lord of Gaileanga, and Brodubh, i.e. the son of Diarmaid, were slain by Maelseachlainn.'' * 1002: ''Donnghal, son of Donncothaigh, lord of Gaileanga, was slain by Trotan, son of Bolgargait (or Tortan, son of Bolgargait), son of Maelmordha, lord of Feara-Cul, in his own house.'' * 1005: Cathal mac Dunchadha, ''tigherna Gaileng Mór'', was slain * 1013: ''Senán ua Leocháin king of Gailenga, fell in battle in a raid by Ualgarg ua Ciardha king of Cairbre.'' * 1018: ''Maolán mac Eccnígh uí Leochain, tigherna Gaileng & Tuath Luicchne (Luigne) uile, do mharbhadh dona Saithnibh.'' (''Maelán son of Éicnech ua Lorcán, king of Gailenga and all Tuatha Luigne, was killed by the Saithni.'' * 1037: ''Laidhgnén hUa Leocáin, tigherna Gaileng.'' * 1051: ''Laidcenn mac Maolain hUí Leocáin, tigherna Gaileng.'' * 1053: ''Conghalach mac Senáin, tighearna Gaileng.'' * 1130: ''Amhlaoibh mac Mic Senain, tigherna Gaileng.'' * 1144: ''Mac Mic Maoláin, tigherna Gaileang Breagh ("the son of Mac Maoláin") was slain.''

Kings of Gailenga Brega

* 1076: ''Murchadh son of Flann Ó Maolseachlainn, was treacherously killed by Olaf son of Maelán, king of the Galenga, in the bell-house of Kells, and straightway, through a miracle of St Columcill's, Olaf himself was killed by Maolseachlainn son of Conchobhar.'' (

Annals of Tigernach The ''Annals of Tigernach'' (abbr. AT, ga, Annála Tiarnaigh) are chronicles probably originating in Clonmacnoise, Ireland. The language is a mixture of Latin and Old and Middle Irish. Many of the pre-historic entries come from the 12th-centur ...

) * 1144: ''Mac Mic Maoláin, tigherna Gaileang Breagh'', was slain.

Kings of Gailenga Connacht

* Toichleach ua Gadhra, died 964. * Conghalach mac Laidhgnen ua Gadhra, died 993.

References

* ''Medieval Ireland: Territorial, Political and Economic Divisions'', Paul MacCotter, Four Courts Press, 2008. * ''Irish Kings and High Kings'', pp. 68–9, 88, 101n., 132-3, 231, 233, 249, 291,

, 3rd edition, 2001.

External links

* http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~irlkik/ihm/province.htm *http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~irlkik/ihm/suineill.htm#map *http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~irlkik/ihm/suineill.htm#gail {{DEFAULTSORT:Gailenga Gaelic-Irish nations and dynasties History of County Meath Eóganachta History of County Mayo