Eógan Bél mac Cellaig (died 542) was a king of

Connacht Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...

from the

Uí Fiachrach The Uí Fiachrach () were a royal dynasty who originated in, and whose descendants later ruled, the ''coicead'' or ''fifth'' of Connacht (a western province of Ireland) at different times from the mid-first millennium onwards. They claimed descen ...

branch of the

Connachta The Connachta are a group of medieval Irish dynasty, dynasties who claimed descent from the legendary High King of Ireland, High King Conn of the Hundred Battles, Conn Cétchathach (Conn of the Hundred Battles). The modern western Provinces of ...

. He was the grandson of the high king

Ailill Molt Ailill mac Nath Í (died c. 482 or 484), called Ailill Molt, is included in most lists of the High Kings of Ireland and is also called King of Connacht. His cognomen, ''molt'', means " ram" but its origin is unknown. Family Ailill was said to b ...

. His reign began sometime after 500. His byname ''bél'' means "mouth" or "lip," supposedly because he received praise from all who encountered him as a child. Other sources claim he had a

cleft lip A cleft lip contains an opening in the upper lip that may extend into the nose. The opening may be on one side, both sides, or in the middle. A cleft palate occurs when the palate (the roof of the mouth) contains an opening into the nasal cavi ...

. During his reign, he feuded with the northern

Uí Néill The Uí Néill (; meaning "descendants of Niall") are Irish dynasties that claim descent from Niall Noígíallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages), a historical King of Tara who is believed to have died around c. 405. They are generally divided ...

and the Connachta suffered a defeat at Aidne in 531 during the reign of the powerful high king Muirchertach mac Ercae 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 ...

. Also during his reign, a victory was one at the Battle of Claenloch (near Kinelea, Co. Galway) by the

Uí Fiachrach Aidhne Uí Fhiachrach Aidhne (also known as Hy Fiachrach) was a kingdom located in what is now the south of County Galway. Legendary origins and geography Originally known as Aidhne, it was said to have been settled by the mythical Fir Bolg. Dubhalta ...

branch in the south under its king Goibnenn mac Conaill over Maine mac Cerbaill (brother of

Diarmait mac Cerbaill Diarmait mac Cerbaill (died ) was King of Tara or High King of Ireland. According to traditions, he was the last High King to follow the pagan rituals of inauguration, the ''ban-feis'' or marriage to goddess of the land. The last High King to ...

) of the southern Uí Néill who was slain in 537. Goibnenn was defending the right to take hostages from the

Uí Maine U, or u, is the twenty-first letter and the fifth vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet and the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''u'' (pronounced ), ...

. This battle was significant in separating the Uí Maine from the Cenel Maine of Meath and in separating the Uí Néill from the Connachta. Eogan's feud with the northern Uí Néill finally led to the Battle of Slicech (

Sligo Sligo ( ; , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of 20,608 in 2022, it is the county's largest urban centre (constituting 2 ...

) in 542 in which Eogan was slain. According to the annals, the victors were Muichertach's sons Fergus and Domnall along with

Ainmuire mac Sétnai Ainmuire mac Sétnai (died 569) or Ainmire or Ainmere was a High King of Ireland from the Cenél Conaill branch of the Uí Néill. He was the great-grandson of Conall Gulban (died 464), founder of this branch. He ruled from 566 to 569. He was the ...

and Ninnid mac Duach of the Cenel Conaill. The ''Annals of the Four Masters'' say this of the battle: "The battle of the

was fought with fury of edged weapons against Bel, The kine of the enemy roared with the javelins, the battle was spread out at Crinder. The Sligeach bore to the great sea the blood of men with their flesh, They carried many trophies across Eabha, together with the head of Eoghan Bel." A Middle Irish poem ''Caithréim Cellaig'' gives a different view of this battle. It states that Eogan won the battle but was mortally wounded and died afterwards. He was buried standing up in pagan style at Ráith Ua Fiachrach on

Knocknarea Knocknarea (; ) is a large prominent hill west of Sligo town in County Sligo, Ireland, with a height of . Knocknarea is visually striking as it has steep limestone cliffs and stands on the Coolera Peninsula overlooking the Atlantic coast. At th ...

with his red spear in his hand as a challenge to the northern Uí Néill. The Uí Néill later dug up his body and buried it face down at Óenach Locha Gile on

Lough Gill Lough Gill () is a freshwater lough (lake) mainly situated in County Sligo, but partly in County Leitrim, in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Lough Gill provides the setting for William Butler Yeats' poem "The Lake Isle of Innisfree". Location a ...

in Cenél Caipre territory of the Uí Néill. Eogan is mentioned as a great warrior and honorable. Local lore claims that Eogan may have been buried under Magheraghanrush Court Tomb. The poem also mentions that his son Cellach was a pupil of Saint

Ciarán of Clonmacnoise Saint Ciarán of Clonmacnoise (c. 516 – c. 549), supposedly born Ciarán mac an tSaeir ("son of the carpenter"), was one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland and the first abbot of Clonmacnoise. He is sometimes called Ciarán the Youn ...

but was treacherously slain by the Uí Fiachrach Aidne. Prof. Byrne believes that though the poem introduces characters of a later date, it does reflect a tradition of feud between the northern and southern branches of the Uí Fiachrach.Byrne, pg 244 He was succeeded by his son

Ailill Inbanda Ailill Inbanda mac Eógain (died 549) was a king of Connacht from the Ui Fiachrach branch of the Connachta. He was the son and successor of Eógan Bél, who was slain by the northern Ui Neill in 542. His nickname Inbanda means "womanish" or eff ...

Notes

References

*''Annals of Tigernach'' *''Annals of the Four Masters'' *G.Keating, ''History of Ireland'' *T.M.Charles-Edwards, ''Early Christian Ireland'' *''Book of Leinster'', Section 30 *Francis J.Byrne, ''Irish Kings and High-Kings'' * ''The Chronology of the Irish Annals'', Daniel P. McCarthy

External links

A Middle Irish Poem on Eogan Bél
from Stowe MS B iv 2 a
Thesaurus Linguae Hibernicae
a
University College Cork
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eogan Bel 540s deaths Kings of Connacht Monarchs from County Mayo 6th-century Irish monarchs Year of birth unknown

Notes

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References

External links