Cairell mac Fiachnai (died 819) was a

Dal Fiatach In Indian cuisine, ''dal'' (also spelled ''daal'' or ''dhal''; pronunciation: , Hindi: दाल, Urdu: ) are dried, split pulses (e.g., lentils, peas, and beans) that do not require soaking before cooking. India is the largest producer of pu ...

king of

Ulaid Ulaid (Old Irish, ) or Ulaidh (Modern Irish, ) was a Gaelic over-kingdom in north-eastern Ireland during the Middle Ages made up of a confederation of dynastic groups. Alternative names include Ulidia, which is the Latin form of Ulaid, and in ...

, which is now Ulster, Ireland. He was the son of

Fiachnae mac Áedo Róin Fiachnae mac Áedo Róin (died 789) was a Dál Fiatach ruler of the over-kingdom of Ulaid in Ireland. He reigned from 750 to 789. He was the son of Áed Róin (died 735) and brother of Bressal mac Áedo Róin (died 750), previous kings. This famil ...

(died 789), a previous king. He ruled from 810 to 819. In 809 Cairell challenged his brother

Eochaid mac Fiachnai Eochaid mac Fiachnai (died 810) was a Dal Fiatach king of Ulaid, which is now Ulster, Ireland. He was the son of Fiachnae mac Áedo Róin (died 789), a previous king. He ruled from 790 to 810. Eochaid first appears in the annals in 776. In that ...

for the throne and defeated him in battle. This challenge had occurred after the high king

Áed Oirdnide Áed mac Néill (; died 819), commonly called Áed Oirdnide ("the anointed"), was King of Ailech. A member of the Cenél nEógain dynasty of the northern Uí Néill, he was the son of Niall Frossach. Like his father, Áed was reckoned High King ...

campaigned against Ulaid and ravaged from the Bann to Strangford Lough. According to the annals Eochaid escaped from the battle and historians assign 810 as his death date. Cairell became King of Ulaid as a result. In 819

Muiredach mac Eochada Muiredach mac Eochada (died 839) was a Dal Fiatach king of Ulaid, medieval Ireland. He was the son of Eochaid mac Fiachnai (died 810), a previous king. He ruled from 825-839. His father had been defeated in battle by his own brother Cairell mac ...

(died 839) obtained revenge for his father by defeating and slaying Cairell in a skirmish in 819. Viking raids had begun on Ireland (an island off the north Ulaid coast had been attacked in 795) and in 811 the annals record the slaughtering of a group of them by the Ulaid. Cairell's descendants did not hold the kingship of Ulaid which instead descended through his brother Eochaid. However, his descendants were prominent at the royal monastic center at Downpatrick.Byrne, pg.124

Notes

References

* ''Annals of Ulster'' 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, * Ó Cróinín, Dáibhí (2005), ''A New History of Ireland'', Volume One, Oxford: Oxford University Press *Ó Corráin, Donnchad (1972), ''Ireland Before the Normans'', Dublin: Gill and Macmillan

External links

a
University College Cork
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cairell Mac Fiachnai Kings of Ulster 9th-century Irish monarchs 819 deaths Year of birth unknown