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

Uisnech The Hill of Uisneach or Ushnagh ( or ) is a hill and ancient ceremonial site in the barony of Rathconrath in County Westmeath, Ireland. It is a protected national monument. It consists of numerous monuments and earthworks—prehistoric and medi ...

Mide Meath ( ; ; ) 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 County Meath (which takes its name from the k ...

from 618 to 621. He belonged to the southern

Uí Néill The Uí Néill (; meaning "descendants of Niall") are Irish dynasties that claim descent from Niall Noígíallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages), a historical King of Tara who is believed to have died around c. 405. They are generally divided ...

. According to the

genealogies 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 kins ...

, 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. The last High King to ...

(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 hi ...

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 Con ...

. 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. 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 Scott ...

'', 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, Ireland. He was a grandson of Áed Sláine. H ...

, apparently lists an Óengus—Glorious Óengus—as king following Suibne Menn. Another king list of

Marianus Scotus Marianus Scotus (1028–1082 or 1083) was an Irish monk and chronicler. He authored the ''Chronica Clara'', a history of the world. Name Marianus Scotus is Latin for " Marian the Scot", although that term at the time was still inclusive of ...

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 Diarmait (died 665) was a son of Áed Sláine. According to the Irish annals, he was High King of Ireland. Sons of Áed Sláine Diarmait's father Áed Sláine was a son of Diarmait mac Cerbaill, the apical ancestor of the southern branches of ...

(died 665). His grandson, Fáelchú mac Máele Umai was slain at the Battle of Ogamain in 662 fighting on the side of

Conaing Cuirre __NOTOC__ Conaing mac Congaile (died 662), called Conaing Cuirre, was a King of Kings of Brega, Brega from the Síl nÁedo Sláine branch of the southern Ui Neill. He was the son of Congal mac Áedo Sláine (died 634), a previous king of Brega. Th ...

mac Congaile of Cnogba and

Blathmac mac Áedo Sláine Blathmac (died 665) was a son of Áed Sláine. According to the Irish annals, he was High King of Ireland. Sons of Áed Sláine Blathmac's father Áed Sláine was a son of Diarmait mac Cerbaill, the apical ancestor of the southern branches of t ...

(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
a
University College Cork
* ''Annals of Ulster'' at

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

a
University College Cork
* ''Laud Synchronisms'' a

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

See also

Notes

References