Cellach mac Fáelchair (died 735) or Cellach Raigni was a

King of Osraige The kings of Osraige (alternately spelled ''Osraighe'' and Anglicised as ''Ossory'') reigned over the medieval Irish kingdom of Osraige from the first or second century AD until the late twelfth century. Osraige was a semi-provincial kingdom in s ...

in modern

County Kilkenny County Kilkenny () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the City status in Ir ...

. He was the son of Fáelchar Ua Máele Ódrain (died 693), a previous king. The dynasty that ruled over

Osraige Osraige (Old Irish) or Osraighe (Classical Irish), Osraí (Modern Irish), anglicized as Ossory, was a medieval Irish kingdom comprising what is now County Kilkenny and western County Laois, corresponding to the Diocese of Ossory. The home of ...

in the early Christian period was known as the Dál Birn. His year of accession is unknown, the last king of Osraige to be mentioned in the annals prior to Cellach was Cú Cherca mac Fáeláin (died 712), however the ''

Book of Leinster The Book of Leinster ( , LL) is a medieval Irish manuscript compiled and now kept in Trinity College Dublin. It was formerly known as the ''Lebor na Nuachongbála'' ("Book of Nuachongbáil"), a monastic site known today as Oughaval. In 2023 ...

'' king lists name two other kings between Cú Cherca and Cellach. At this time Osraige was part of the Kingdom of

Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...

and in the 8th century was often involved in conflicts with the men of

Leinster Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland. The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...

, the

Laigin The Laigin, modern spelling Laighin (), were a Gaelic population group of early Ireland. They gave their name to the Kingdom of Leinster, which in the medieval era was known in Irish as ''Cóiced Laigen'', meaning "Fifth/province of the Leinste ...

. Cellach's father had been slain fighting versus Leinster. In 735 the men of Munster led by their king,

Cathal mac Finguine Cathal mac Finguine (died 742) was an Irish King of Munster or Cashel, and effectively High King of Ireland as well. He belonged to the Eóganacht Glendamnach sept of the dominant Eóganachta kin-group whose members dominated Munster from the 7t ...

(died 742) fought the Battle of Belach Éile with the men of Leinster. Many Munstermen were slain and among them was Cellach. The location of the battle makes it probable that Cellach of the Osraige was the aggressor and was taking advantage of the rivalry of the

Uí Dúnlainge The Uí Dúnlainge, from the Old Irish "grandsons (or descendants) of Dúnlaing", were an Irish dynasty of Leinster kings who traced their descent from Dúnlaing mac Énda Niada, a fifth-century King of Leinster. He was said to be a cousin of ...

and the Uí Cheinnselaig branches of the Laigin at this time.Byrne, pg.209 His son Dúngal mac Cellaig (died 772) was also King of Osraige but the kingship became dominated by a different line.

Notes

References

* ''Annals of Ulster'' a
CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts
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, * ''Book of Leinster'',''Reges Ossairge'' a

a
University College Cork
* ''Genealogies from Rawlinson B 502'', compiled by Donnchadh Ó Corráin a

a
University College Cork

External links

a
University College Cork
Kings of Osraige FitzPatrick dynasty 8th-century Irish monarchs 735 deaths People from County Kilkenny Year of birth unknown {{Ireland-royal-stub