Síl nÁedo Sláine () are the descendants of

Áed Sláine Áed mac Diarmato (died 604), called Áed Sláine (Áed of Slane), was the son of Diarmait mac Cerbaill. Legendary stories exist of Áed's birth. Saint Columba is said to have prophesied his death. His descendants, the Síl nÁedo Sláine—th ...

(Áed mac Diarmato), son of Diarmait mac Cerbaill. Part of the

Southern Uí Néill The Southern Uí Néill ( ga, Uí Néill an Deiscirt, IPA: �iːˈnʲeːl̪ʲˈanˠˈdʲɛʃcəɾˠtʲ were that branch of the Uí Néill dynasty that invaded and settled in the Kingdom of Mide and its associated kingdoms. In the initial decades t ...

—they were the

kings 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 ...

—they claimed descent from

Niall Noígiallach Niall ''Noígíallach'' (; Old Irish "having nine hostages"), or Niall of the Nine Hostages, was a legendary, semi-historical Irish king who was the ancestor of the Uí Néill dynasties that dominated Ireland from the 6th to the 10th centuries. ...

and his son Conall Cremthainne. With the possible exception of

Óengus mac Colmáin Óengus mac Colmáin Bec (died 621) was an Irish king. He was the King of Uisnech in Mide from 618 to 621. He belonged to the southern Uí Néill. According to the genealogies, he was a son of Colmán Bec (died 587), son of Diarmait mac Cerbaill ( ...

, all Uí Néill kings descended from Diarmait mac Cerbaill belonged to the Síl nÁedo Sláine until the death of

Cináed mac Írgalaig Cináed mac Írgalaig (died 728) or Cináed Cáech, "the one-eyed", was an Irish King of Brega who was High King of Ireland. Background Cináed was the son of Írgalach mac Conaing (died 702), a previous King of Brega. He belonged to the Uí C ...

728 __NOTOC__ Year 728 ( DCCXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 728 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar e ...

. Thereafter the southern Uí Néill were dominated by

Clann Cholmáin Clann Cholmáin is the dynasty descended from Colmán Már mac Diarmato, son of Diarmait mac Cerbaill. Part of the Southern Uí Néill — they were the kings of Mide (Meath) — they traced their descent to Niall Noígiallach and his ...

, or more precisely Clann Cholmáin Már, descended from Colmán Már. Only one member of the Síl nÁedo Sláine was

High King of Ireland High King of Ireland ( ga, Ardrí na hÉireann ) was a royal title in Gaelic Ireland held by those who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over all of Ireland. The title was held by historical kings and later sometimes assigned an ...

after 728,

Congalach Cnogba Conghalach Cnoghbha (older spelling: Congalach Cnogba or Congalach mac Máel Mithig) was High King of Ireland, according to the lists in the Annals of the Four Masters, from around 944 to 956. Congalach is one of the twelve "kings of Ireland" liste ...

, and he was the grandson and nephew of Clann Cholmáin kings. Áed Sláine left five sons, and from each of these was descended one or more branches of the kindred. The descendants of Congal mac Áedo Sláine were the Uí Chonaing, named for Congal's son Conaing Cuirre. This branch ruled

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 Br ...

, the northern part of Brega. Its notable members included

(High King; died 728),

Cináed mac Conaing Cináed mac Conaing (died 851) was King of Knowth in the medieval Irish province of Mide, succeeding his father Conaing mac Flainn in 849. Cináed's family belonged to the Knowth, or Uí Chonaing, branch of the Síl nÁedo Sláine, part of the s ...

(died 851) and Congalach Cnogba (High King; died

956 Year 956 ( CMLVI) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Summer – Emperor Constantine VII appoints Nikephoros Phokas to commander of the ...

). The other main branch was that of Áed's son

Diarmait Diarmuid Ua Duibhne (Irish pronunciation: ) or Diarmid O'Dyna, also known as Diarmuid of the Love Spot, was a demigod, son of Donn and one of the Fianna in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology (traditionally set in the 2nd to 4th century). He ...

, which ruled southern Brega from its seat at

Loch Gabhair Loch Gabhair (Lagore), meaning "Lake of the Goats", is an area in the barony of Ratoath, County Meath, Ireland. It is located between the villages of Ratoath and Dunshaughlin and is the namesake of the townlands of Lagore Big (Loch Gabhar Mór) ...

. This took the name Uí Chernaig from Diarmait's son Cernach. Its prominent members included

Fogartach mac Néill Fogartach Mac'Artain (died 724), sometimes called Fogartach ua Cernaich, was an Irish king who is reckoned a High King of Ireland. He belonged to the Uí Chernaig sept of the Síl nÁedo Sláine branch of the southern Uí Néill. He was King of Bre ...

(High King; died

724 __NOTOC__ Year 724 ( DCCXXIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 724 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar er ...

) and Conall mac Cernaig (

Conall Grant Conall Grant mac Cernaig (died 718) was a King of Brega of the Uí Chernaig sept of Lagore of the Síl nÁedo Sláine. He was the grandson of the high king Diarmait mac Áedo Sláine (died 665). His father Cernach Sotal had died during plague yea ...

; died 718). From

Blathmac Saint Blathmac ( la, Blathmacus, Florentius) was a distinguished Irish monk, born in Ireland about 750 AD. He is known as "Blathmac, son of Flann", to distinguish him from the poet and monk Blathmac mac Con Brettan. He was killed and became a ...

, whose sons

Sechnassach Sechnassach mac Blathmaic (died 671) followed his father Blathmac mac Áedo Sláine (died 665) and uncle Diarmait mac Áedo Sláine (died 665) as High King of Ireland and King of Brega. He belonged to the Síl nÁedo Sláine kindred of the sout ...

and

Cenn Fáelad Cenn Fáelad mac Blathmaic (died 675) followed his father Blathmac mac Áedo Sláine (d. 665) and his brother Sechnassach (d. 671) as High King of Ireland and king of Brega. He belonged to the Síl nÁedo Sláine kindred of the southern Uí Néil ...

were both High Kings, descended the Uí Chinn Fháelad. Of Dúnchad's descendants only his son

Fínsnechta Fledach Fínsnechta Fledach mac Dúnchada (died 695) was High King of Ireland. Fínsnechta belonged to the southern Síl nÁedo Sláine sept of the Uí Néill and was King of Brega, in modern County Meath, Ireland. He was a grandson of Áed Sláine. His ...

was a significant figure. The Síl nDlúthaig took its name from a son of

Ailill Cruitire Ailill Cruitire mac Áedo Sláine (died 634) was a King of Brega from the Síl nÁedo Sláine branch of the southern Ui Neill. He was the son of the high king Áed Sláine mac Diarmato (died 604). His byname meant "harper". The exact date of his ...

, Dlúthach, but this was another minor group.

References

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See also

References

Further reading