Maelan mac Cathmogha (died 848) was

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

Maigh Seóla Maigh Seóla (), also known as Hy Briuin Seola, was the territory that included land along the east shore of Lough Corrib in County Galway, Ireland. It was bounded to the east by the Uí Maine vassal kingdom of Soghain and extended roughly ...

Origins

Maelan appears to be one of the earliest recorded kings of the territory of Maigh Seola, later known as Uí Briúin Seóla. Magh Seola was surrounded to the east by the

Soghain The Soghain were a people of ancient Ireland. The 17th-century scholar Dubhaltach Mac Fhirbhisigh identified them as part of a larger group called the Cruithin. Mac Fhirbhisigh stated that the Cruithin included "the Dál Araidhi ál nAraidi ...

and 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 ), ...

; to the south Conmaicne Máenmaige and 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 ...

; to the west by the

Delbhna Tir Dha Locha The Delbna or Delbhna were a Gaelic Irish tribe in Ireland, claiming kinship with the Dál gCais, through descent from Dealbhna son of Cas. Originally one large population, they had a number of branches in Connacht, Meath, and Munster in Ireland. ...

; to the north and far north-west, the

Conmhaícne The Conmaicne (; ) were a people of early Ireland, perhaps related to the Laigin, who dispersed to various parts of Ireland. They settled in Connacht and Longford, giving their name to several Conmaicne territories. T. F. O'Rahilly's assertion ...

The Viking Wars

In the first half of the 9th century,

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

experienced raids by

Vikings Vikings were 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 settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

. Some occurred in Connacht: * 812 - ''A slaughter of the heathens by the men of Umall (

Clew Bay Clew Bay (; ) is a large ocean bay on the Atlantic coast of County Mayo, Ireland. It is roughly rectangular and has more than a hundred small islands on its landward side; Ireland's best example of sunken drumlins. The larger Clare Island guar ...

). A slaughter of the

by the heathens.'' * 813 - ''The slaughter at Umall by the heathens in which fell Coscrach son of Flannabra and Dúnadach, king of Umall.'' * 835 -''All the country of Connaught was likewise desolated by them.'' * 837 - ''A battle was gained by the Gentiles over the Connaughtmen, wherein was slain Maelduin, son of

Muirgius mac Tommaltaig Muirgius mac Tommaltaig (died 815) was a King of Connacht from the Uí Briúin branch of the Connachta. He was the great-grandson of Indrechtach mac Muiredaig Muillethan (died 723), a previous king. The death of his father Tommaltach mac Murgail ( ...

, with numbers of others along with him.'' * 843 - ''An expedition by

Turgesius Turgesius (died 845) (also called Turgeis, Tuirgeis, Turges, and Thorgest) was a Viking chief active in Ireland during the 9th century. Turgesius Island, the principal island on Lough Lene, is named after him. It is not at all clear whether the na ...

, lord of the foreigners, upon Loch Ribh (

Lough Ree Lough Ree (), translated to English as ''King's Lake'' or ''King Lake'', is a lake in the midlands of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the second of the three major lakes on the River Shannon. Lough Ree is the second largest lake on the Shannon af ...

, so that they plundered

Connaught 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 ...

and

Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...

, and burned Cluain Mic Nois (

Clonmacnoise Clonmacnoise or Clonmacnois (Irish language, Irish: ''Cluain Mhic Nóis'') is a ruined monastery in County Offaly in Republic of Ireland, Ireland on the River Shannon south of Athlone, founded in 544 by Saint Ciarán of Clonmacnoise, Ciarán, ...

, with its oratories, Cluain Fearta Brenainn, (

Clonfert Clonfert () is a small village in east County Galway, Ireland, halfway between Ballinasloe and Portumna. The village gives its name to the Diocese of Clonfert (Roman Catholic), Diocese of Clonfert. Clonfert Cathedral is one of the eight cathedr ...

), Tir Da Ghlas (

Terryglass Terryglass () is a village in County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is on the north-eastern shore of Lough Derg (Shannon), Lough Derg, near where the River Shannon enters the lough, on the R493 road. Terryglass is also a civil parish ...

), Lothra (

Lorrha Lorrha (from ) is a small village at the northern tip of County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Ledewich described village as 'Larah' which is the common name for the talk-motes, mote hills etc. P. Dixon Hardy M.R.I.A. describes it as 'L ...

), and many others in like manner.'' * 844 - ''A battle was gained over the Connaughtmen by the foreigners, in which Riagan, son of Fearghus; Mughron, son of Diarmaid; and Aedh, son of Catharnach, with many others, were slain.'' * 847 - ''A fleet of seven score ships of the people of the king of the foreigners came to contend with the foreigners that were in Ireland before them, so that they disturbed Ireland between them.'' During one such episode in 848, Maelan ''was slain by the foreigners.'' He is anachronistically referred to as ''lord of Ui Briuin of South Connaught.''

External links

* http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100005A/

References

* ''West or H-Iar Connaught''

Ruaidhrí Ó Flaithbheartaigh Roderick O'Flaherty (; 1629–1718 or 1716) was an Irish historian. Biography He was born in County Galway and inherited Moycullen Castle and estate. O'Flaherty was the last ''de jure'' Tigerna, Lord of Iar Connacht, and the last recognised C ...

, 1684 (published 1846, ed.

James Hardiman James Hardiman (February 1782 – 13 November 1855), also known as Séamus Ó hArgadáin, was a librarian at Queen's College, Galway and an important historian. Hardiman is best remembered for his '' History of the Town and County of Galway'' (1 ...

). * ''Origin of the Surname O'Flaherty'', Anthony Matthews, Dublin, 1968, p. 40. * ''Irish Kings and High-Kings'', Francis John Byrne (2001), Dublin: Four Courts Press, {{DEFAULTSORT:Maelan mac Cathmogha Nobility from County Galway 848 deaths 9th-century Irish monarchs Year of birth unknown