Domnall mac Áeda (died 915), also known as Domnall Dabaill, was a
King of Ailech
The Kings of Ailech were the over-kings of the medieval Irish province of Ailech in north-western Ireland. It encompassed the territories of the Cenél nEógain and Cenél Conaill. After the battle of Cloítech in 789 its kings were exclusivel ...
. He was a son of
Áed Findliath mac Niall, High King of Ireland. Domnall was a half-brother of
Niall Glúndub mac Áeda, a man with whom he shared the kingship of Ailech. From Domnall would descend the
Mac Lochlainn dynasty.
Family
He was a member of 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
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 ...
dynasty. His father was
Áed Findliath mac Néill, High King of Ireland. Another son of Áed Findliath, and half-brother of Domnall himself, was
Niall Glúndub. Domnall and Niall Glúndub shared the kingship of Ailech for several years. In 905, the ''
Annals of Ulster
The ''Annals of Ulster'' ( ga, Annála Uladh) are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years from 431 AD to 1540 AD. The entries up to 1489 AD were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín ...
'' reports that the two had prepared to fight before coming to an understanding. In 908, the men campaigned against in
Meath Meath may refer to:
General
* County Meath, Republic of Ireland
**Kingdom of Meath, medieval precursor of the county
** List of kings of Meath
** Meath GAA, including the intercounty football and hurling teams
** Diocese of Meath, in the Roman Cath ...
against the rival
Clann Cholmáin
Clann Cholmáin is the dynasty descended from Colmán Már mac Diarmato, son of Diarmait mac Cerbaill. Part of the Southern Uí Néill — they were the kings of Mide (Meath) — they traced their descent to Niall Noígiallach and his ...
branch of the Uí Néill.
Life and death
Domnall's son, Flann, died in 906. Domnall retired to a monastic life in 911, after which Niall Glúndub ruled as sole King of Ailech. Domnall died on 21 March 915. The deaths of Domnall, as well as those of his father and half-brother, are recorded by the ''
Chronicle of the Kings of Alba
The ''Chronicle of the Kings of Alba'', or ''Scottish Chronicle'', is a short written chronicle of the Kings of Alba, covering the period from the time of Kenneth MacAlpin (Cináed mac Ailpín) (d. 858) until the reign of Kenneth II (Cináed mac ...
''. The notice of Domnall's death in this source has caused confusion in regards to the historiography of the
Kingdom of Strathclyde
Strathclyde (lit. " Strath of the River Clyde", and Strað-Clota in Old English), was a Brittonic successor state of the Roman Empire and one of the early medieval kingdoms of the Britons, located in the region the Welsh tribes referred to a ...
. Specifically, Domnall's obituary is placed immediately after that of
Dyfnwal, King of Strathclyde. The fact that the chronicle renders Domnall's kingdom as ''elig'', a term which can be mistakenly interpreted as an abbreviation of ''eligitur'' ("he was selected"), has led to the erroneous belief that the ruling
Alpínid dynasty
The House of Alpin, also known as the Alpínid dynasty, Clann Chináeda, and Clann Chinaeda meic Ailpín, was the kin-group which ruled in Pictland, possibly Dál Riata, and then the kingdom of Alba from the advent of Kenneth MacAlpin (Cináed ...
of
Alba
''Alba'' ( , ) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is also, in English language historiography, used to refer to the polity of Picts and Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed into the Kingdom ...
had inserted a member of its own—an otherwise unknown brother of
Custantín mac Áeda, King of Alba named Domnall—to succeed the deceased Dyfnwal.
[ McGuigan (2015) p. 137; Clarkson (2014) ch. 4 ¶ 13; Downham (2007) pp. 163–164; Woolf (2007) p. 157; Broun (2004a); Broun (2004b) pp. 132–133; Hudson (1998) pp. 140, 150, 150 n. 23, 157, 157 n. 40.]
Citations
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Domnall mac Aeda
915 deaths
10th-century Irish monarchs
Kings of Ailech
Uí Néill