Báetán mac Ninneda (died 586) was an
Irish king of the
Cenél Conaill
Cenél is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Cenél Conaill, the name of the "kindred" or descendants of Conall Gulban, son of Niall Noígiallach defined by oral and recorded history
*Cenél nEógain (in English, Cenel Eogan) is ...
, a
sept
A sept () is a division of a family, especially of a Scottish or Irish family. The term is used both in Scotland and in Ireland, where it may be translated as Irish , meaning "progeny" or "seed", and may indicate the descendants of a person ...
of the northern
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 ...
. He was the son of Ninnid mac Duach (flourished 561–563) and great grandson of
Conall Gulban (died 464). He was a member of the Cenél nDuach branch of the Cenél Conaill. He is counted as
King of Tara
The term Kingship of Tara () was a title of authority in ancient Ireland - the title is closely associated with the archaeological complex at the Hill of Tara. The position was considered to be of eminent authority in medieval Irish literature ...
in some sources.
The kingship of Tara rotated between the Cenél nEógain and Cenél Conaill branches in the late 6th century. It is difficult to disentangle the reign of Báetán from that of his younger second cousin
Áed mac Ainmuirech
Áed mac Ainmuirech (born c.530 – died 598) was High King of the Northern Uí Néill. He belonged to the Cenél Conaill and was a distant cousin of Columba of Iona. He was the son of Ainmuire mac Sétnai (died 569), a previous possible high k ...
(died 598). Various lengths are given to the reign of Áed in the king lists, all of which would put the start of his reign before the death of Báetán. Both kings are omitted from the ''Baile Chuinn'', the earliest Irish king list of the late 7th century, but this was probably a partisan document. It is possible that Báetán was not actually high king but was given this position by the synthetic historians to explain away the rule of
Báetán mac Cairill (died 581) of the
Dal Fiatach of Ulster as high king. The kinglists only assign him a reign of one year. Whether Báetán was king of Tara or not, the real effective power among the northern Uí Néill from 572 was Áed mac Ainmuirech.
His death is recorded in the annals in 586 when he was killed at ''Léim in Eich'' (Lemanroy, Termoneeny parish, County Londonderry) at the instigation 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), the southern Uí Néill
King of Uisnech who was making a bid for the high kingship.
[''Annals of Ulster'', AU 586.1; ''Annals of Tigernach'', AT 584.1; Mac Niocaill, pg. 80] The annals give him the title King of Tara.
Notes
References
* ''Annals of Ulster'' a
a
University College Cork* ''Annals of Tigernach'' a
a
University College Cork* Byrne, Francis John (2001), ''Irish Kings and High-Kings'', Dublin: Four Courts Press,
* Charles-Edwards, T. M. (2000), ''Early Christian Ireland'', Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
* Mac Niocaill, Gearoid (1972), ''Ireland before the Vikings'', Dublin: Gill and Macmillan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baetan Mac Ninneda
580s deaths
High Kings of Ireland
6th-century Irish monarchs
Year of birth unknown