Colmán Rímid (or Colmán mac Báetáin) (died

604 __NOTOC__ Year 604 ( DCIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 604 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era b ...

) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

king who is included in some lists as a High King of Ireland. Colmán was the son of Báetán mac Muirchertaig (died 572), also considered to be a high king, and belonged to the

Cenél nEógain 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 ...

branch of the northern

Uí Néill The Uí Néill (Irish pronunciation: ; meaning "descendants of Niall") are Irish dynasties who claim descent from Niall Noígíallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages), a historical King of Tara who died c. 405. They are generally divided into t ...

. He ruled in Ailech from 578 to 602. His byname ''rímid'' means "the Counter", suggesting that he was numerate, unlike most contemporary kings. The high kingship of Ireland rotated between the Cenél nEógain and

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 ...

branches in the late 6th century. He is said to have shared the High Kingship with

Áed Sláine Áed mac Diarmato (died 604), called Áed Sláine (Áed of Slane), was the son of Diarmait mac Cerbaill. Legendary stories exist of Áed's birth. Saint Columba is said to have prophesied his death. His descendants, the Síl nÁedo Sláine—t ...

. The accession of Colmán and Áed to the high kingship is recorded in the annals in 598. They are also listed as kings in the king lists. They are however omitted from the earliest king list, 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 Sco ...

'' (The Ecstasy of Conn), a late 7th-century Irish poem. Fiachnae mac Báetáin of Ulaid may have been effectively king. In

602 __NOTOC__ Year 602 ( DCII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 602 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era b ...

Colmán defeated his Cenél Conaill rival, Conall Cú mac Áedo (died 604) at the Battle of Cúl Sleamna (in Raphoe barony) and Conall was put to flight. Colmán met his death in 604 when he was killed by a kinsman, Lochán Dilmana. The ''Annals of Ulster'' state of this:

Of what value kingship, of what value law; of what value power over princes; Since it is king Colmán the Counter whom Lochan Dithnadha has slain?

His daughter, or perhaps granddaughter,

Fín Fín was an Irish Princess, who lived during the 7th century. She was a daughter or granddaughter of Colmán Rímid (died 604) of Cenél nEógain. She formed some sort of marriage with Oswiu of Northumbria (c. 612 – 15 February 670), by wh ...

, was the mother of

Aldfrith Aldfrith (Early Modern Irish: ''Flann Fína mac Ossu''; Latin: ''Aldfrid'', ''Aldfridus''; died 14 December 704 or 705) was king of Northumbria from 685 until his death. He is described by early writers such as Bede, Alcuin and Stephen of Ripon ...

son of

Oswiu Oswiu, also known as Oswy or Oswig ( ang, Ōswīg; c. 612 – 15 February 670), was King of Bernicia from 642 and of Northumbria from 654 until his death. He is notable for his role at the Synod of Whitby in 664, which ultimately brought the ch ...

. The poet Cenn Fáelad mac Aillila (died

679 __NOTOC__ Year 679 ( DCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 679 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calenda ...

) was his nephew.
. ''Aldfrith of Northumbria and the Irish genealogies''. Ireland, C. A., in Celtica 22 (1991]. His brother Máel Umai mac Báetáin, Máel Umai (died 610) fought at the

Battle of Degsastan The Battle of Degsastan was fought around 603 between king Æthelfrith of Bernicia and the Gaels under Áedán mac Gabráin, king of Dál Riada. Æthelfrith's smaller army won a decisive victory, although his brother Theodbald was killed. Very ...

where he is said to have killed the brother of King

Æthelfrith of Bernicia Æthelfrith (died c. 616) was List of monarchs of Northumbria, King of Bernicia from c. 593 until his death. Around 604 he became the first Bernician king to also rule the neighboring land of Deira, giving him an important place in the developm ...

Notes

References

* ''Annals of Ulster'' a
CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts
a
University College Cork
* ''Annals of Tigernach'' a

a
University College Cork
* Charles-Edwards, T.M., ''Early Christian Ireland.'' Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2000. * Byrne, Francis John (2001), Irish Kings and High-Kings, Dublin: Four Courts Press, * {{DEFAULTSORT:Colman Rimid 604 deaths 7th-century Irish monarchs High Kings of Ireland Kings of Ailech 6th-century Irish monarchs Year of birth unknown