Cathal mac Ailell was 29th King of
Uí Maine,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
(834–844).
Kingship
Cathal's reign had begun by 834 but it is not stated how long he had held the kingship, nor if he was a direct successor of
Cathal mac Murchadh
Cathal mac Murchadh was 29th King of Uí Maine, died 816.
Cathal mac Murchadh was killed at ''"The battle of Rath Fhearadh by the chieftains of Ui Briuin, Diarmaid, son of Tomaltach, and Maelcothaigh, son of Fogartach in Dealbhna Nuadhat, betwe ...
Activities
His era was punctuated by regular
Viking
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and s ...
attacks up and down the
Shannon
Shannon may refer to:
People
* Shannon (given name)
* Shannon (surname)
* Shannon (American singer), stage name of singer Shannon Brenda Greene (born 1958)
* Shannon (South Korean singer), British-South Korean singer and actress Shannon Arrum Wil ...
, with nearby
Clonmacnoise
Clonmacnoise ( Irish: ''Cluain Mhic Nóis'') is a ruined monastery situated in County Offaly in Ireland on the River Shannon south of Athlone, founded in 544 by Saint Ciarán, a young man from Rathcroghan, County Roscommon. Until the 9th ...
a regular target.
Cathal himself was not averse to attacking Clonmacnoise. The
Annals of the Four Masters
The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' ( ga, Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (''Annála na gCeithre Máistrí'') are chronicles of medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or mediev ...
state that in 834:
''Cluain Mic Nois was profaned by Cathal, son of Ailell, lord of Ui Maine, against the prior, Flann, son of Flaithbheartach, one of the Ui Forga of Munster, whom he cast into the Sinainn, and killed. The rights of seven churches were for this given to Ciaran, and a great consideration.''
Munster
His military activities seem to have included a rare incursion by the Ui Maine against
Munster
Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following th ...
:
''A defeat was given by Cathal, son of Ailill, to Feidhlimidh, son of Crimhthann, King of Caiseal, in Magh I, where many were slain; of which was said: "The Connaughtmen were mighty;/in Magh I they were not feeble;/Let any one inquire of Feidhlimidh,/whence Loch na Calla is named.''
Incursions
Raids by the
Vikings
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
did occur in Ui Maine itself:
''843:An expedition by Tuirgeis, lord of the foreigners, upon Loch Ribh, so that they plundered Connaught and Meath, and burned Cluain Mic Nois, with its oratories, Cluain Fearta Brenainn, Tir Da Ghlas, Lothra, and many others in like manner.''
Death and descendants
Cathal's death is noted ''sub anno'' 844. No details are given. No descendants are named in
Leabhar Ua Maine
''Leabhar Ua Maine'' (also ''Leabhar Uí Dubhagáin'', ''The Book of Hy-Many'' and RIA MS D ii 1) is an Irish genealogical compilation, created c. 1392–94.
History
Previously known as ''Leabhar Uí Dubhagáin'', after Seán Mór Ó Dubha ...
.
References
* ''Annals of Ulster'' a
CELT: Corpus of Electronic Textsa
University College Cork* ''Annals of Tigernach'' a
a
University College Cork
of McCarthy's synchronisms at Trinity College Dublin
, name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin
, motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin)
, motto_lang = la
, motto_English = It will last i ...
.
* Byrne, Francis John (2001), Irish Kings and High-Kings, Dublin: Four Courts Press,
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cathal mac Murchadh
Nobility from County Galway
Nobility from County Roscommon
9th-century Irish monarchs
Kings of Uí Maine