Óengus mac Colmáin Bec (died 621) was an Irish king. He was the King of

Uisnech , alternate_name = Ushnagh (anglicisation) , image = Hill of Uisneach.jpg , alt = , caption = Information sign , map = , map_caption = , map_type = island of Ireland , map_alt = A map of Ireland , map_size = , location = ...

Mide Meath (; Old Irish: ''Mide'' ; spelt ''Mí'' in Modern Irish) was a kingdom in Ireland from the 1st to the 12th century AD. Its name means "middle," denoting its location in the middle of the island. At its greatest extent, it included all of ...

from 618 to 621. He belonged to 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 ...

. According to the genealogies, he was a son of

Colmán Bec Colmán or Colman is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Medieval Irish people * Colmán Bec (died ''c''. 585), Irish dynast * Colmán mac Cobthaig (died ''c''. 622), Irish king * Colmán mac Lénéni (died ''c'' ...

(died 587), son of

Diarmait mac Cerbaill Diarmait mac Cerbaill (died ) was King of Tara or High King of Ireland. According to traditions, he was the last High King to follow the pagan rituals of inauguration, the ''ban-feis'' or marriage to goddess of the land. While many later sto ...

(died 565). The later Caílle Follamain traced their descent through Óengus. Before acquiring the rulership of Uisnech, the annals record Oengus' involvement in the feud between the rival midland dynasties of

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 ...

and

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 ...

. In 612 he won the Battle of Odba (near Navan, Co.Meath) in which Conall Laeg Breg mac Áedo Sláine was slain. This battle may have been caused by Conall's claims to succeed

Áed Uaridnach Áed Uaridnach ("Áed the Warlike", or Áed mac Domnaill, "Áed son of Domnall") (died 612) was an Irish king who was High King of Ireland. He is sometimes also known as Áed Allán, a name most commonly used for the 8th-century king of the ...

as high king who died in 612. He acquired the throne of Uisnech in 618 succeeding

Fergus mac Colmáin Fergus mac Colmáin (died 618) was a King of Uisnech in Mide, Ireland, of the Clann Cholmáin. He was the son of Colmán Már mac Diarmato (died 555/558) and brother of Suibne mac Colmáin (died 600), also kings of Uisnech. He ruled Uisnech from 60 ...

. According to the ''Annals of Ulster'', Oengus was killed in 621. According to entries in the Irish annals reporting Óengus's death in 621, which incorrectly call him a son of Colmán Már, he was ''regis Nepotum Neill'' or ''ríg h-Úa Neill'', that is king of the Uí Néill. This appears to be synonymous with the alternative titles of High King, King of Ireland, or that King of Tara. It is suggested that the explanation for this is that when

Suibne Menn Suibne Menn (or Suibne mac Fiachnai, "Suibne the Stammerer, son of Fiachnae"; died AD 628) was an Irish king who is counted as a High King of Ireland. Suibne belonged to the junior branch of the Cenél nEógain kindred of the northern Uí N� ...

killed Máel Coba mac Áedo in 615, he supported Óengus's claims rather than taking power himself, or perhaps that Óengus was a deputy king in the south. The king list in the ''

Baile Chuind Baile ("dance" in Spanish) may refer to: * Baile (Spanish play), a Spanish dramatic form * Baile funk, a type of dance music from Rio de Janeiro * Baile, the Irish Gaelic word for a town, usually anglicized as "bally" or "balla" * Baile, the Sco ...

'', created in late 7th century during the reign of the southern Uí Néill king

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 County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or si ...

, apparently lists an Óengus—Glorious Óengus—as king following Suibne Menn. Another king list of Marianus Scotus includes Óengus as a high king. His sons Máel Umai mac Óengussa and Colgu mac Óengussa were slain, as part of the southern Uí Néill feud, at the Battle of Cúil Caeláin in 635, by Diarmait mac Áedo Sláine (died 665). His grandson, Fáelchú mac Máele Umai was slain at the Battle of Ogamain in 662 fighting on the side of Conaing Cuirre mac Congaile of Cnogba and Blathmac mac Áedo Sláine (died 665) versus the adherents of Diarmait mac Áedo Sláine.''Annals of Ulster'' AU 662.2; ''Annals of Tigernach'' AT 662.4

Notes

References

* Charles-Edwards, T.M., ''Early Christian Ireland.'' Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2000. * Gearoid Mac Niocaill (1972), ''Ireland before the Vikings'', Dublin: Gill and Macmillan * * ''Annals of Tigernach'' a
CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts
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University College Cork
* ''Annals of Ulster'' at

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University College Cork
* ''Book of Leinster'',''Rig Uisnig'' a

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University College Cork
* ''Laud Synchronisms'' a

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University College Cork
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oengus Mac Colmain High Kings of Ireland Kings of Uisnech 6th-century births 621 deaths 7th-century Irish monarchs

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