Muiredach mac Murchada (died 760) was a King of Leinster from 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 ...

branch of the Laigin. He was the son of

Murchad mac Brain Mut Murchad mac Brain Mut (died 727) was a King of Leinster from the Uí Dúnlainge branch of the Laigin. He was the son of Bran Mut mac Conaill (died 696), a previous king. He ruled from 715 to 727. His reign His first mention in the annals is w ...

(died 727), a previous king. He ruled from 738 to 760. The Laigin had suffered a crushing defeat at the

Battle of Áth Senaig A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force c ...

(

Ballyshannon Ballyshannon () is a town in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located at the southern end of the county where the N3 road (Ireland), N3 from Dublin ends and the N15 road (Ireland), N15 crosses the River Erne. The town was inc ...

County Kildare County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...

) in 738 at the hands of the High King

Áed Allán Áed Allán (or Áed mac Fergaile) (died 743) was an 8th-century Irish king of Ailech and High King of Ireland. Áed Allán was the son of Fergal mac Máele Dúin and a member of the Cenél nEógain, a branch of the Northern Uí Néill. Ferga ...

mac Fergaile (died 743) 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 ...

. Muiredach maintained good relations the High King of Ireland,

Domnall Midi Domhnall Mac Murchada (born c. 700, died 20 November 763), called Domnall Midi (Donald of Meath), was High King of Ireland. He belonged to the Clann Cholmáin branch of the Uí Néill. Clann Cholmáin's pre-eminence among the southern Uí Néill ...

(died 763) of the Clann Cholmáin. Muiredach's son

Bran Ardchenn Bran Ardchenn mac Muiredaig (died 795) was a King of Leinster of the Uí Muiredaig sept of the Uí Dúnlainge branch of the Laigin. He was the son of Muiredach mac Murchado (died 760), a previous king. This sept had their royal seat at Maistiu ( ...

mac Muiredaig (died 795) married

's daughter Eithne. In 759 Domnall led a host of the Laigin as far as Mag Muirtheimne, near

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ) is the county town of County Louth, Ireland. The town is situated on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the north-east coast of Ireland, and is halfway between Dublin and Belfast, close to and south of the bor ...

. The

Uí Máil Uí Máil were an Irish dynasty of Leinster. They were descended from Maine Mál, the brother of the legendary high king Cathair Mór. The Uí Máil were a dominant dynasty in Leinster competing for the kingship in the 7th century before being event ...

branch of the Laigin had at times held the kingship of Leinster; the last being

Cellach Cualann Cellach Cualann mac Gerthidi (died 715) was the last king of Leinster from the Uí Máil dynasty. Cellach's byname is derived from the land of ''Cualu'' which lay around Glendalough. Cellach's father was not king of Leinster; his second cousin ...

mac Gerthidi (died 715). In 744 the final attempt by the Uí Máil was defeated at the Battle of Ailén dá Berrach in Cualu, a district in

County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606 in Ireland, 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces ...

. Two of Cellach's grandsons, Cathal and Ailill, were slain. The

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 ...

king Amchaid mac Con Cherca also attacked Fotharta Fea (754), and the southern Laigin, the

Uí Bairrche Uí Bairrche (, ) was an Irish kin-based group that originally held lands in the south of the ancient province of Leinster (or ''Cóiced Laigen'' "the Fifth of the Laigin"). Another south Leinster kin group associated with the Uí Bairrche were g ...

and Uí CheinnselaigT.M. Charles-Edwards, ''Early Christian Ireland'', pg.576 during Muiredach's reign. Muiredach was ancestor of the Uí Muiredaig sept of the Uí Dunlainge with their royal seat at Maistiu (Mullaghmast) in south Kildare, in the territory known as Iarthair Liphi (western Liffey). His son

mac Muiredaig (died 795) was also king of Leinster.

Notes

References

* ''Annals of Ulster'' a
CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts
a
University College Cork
* Byrne, Francis John (2001), Irish Kings and High-Kings, Dublin: Four Courts Press, * Charles-Edwards, T. M. (2000), ''Early Christian Ireland'', Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, * Hogan, SJ, Edmund (1910), Onomasticon Goedelicum: An Index to Irish Names of Places and Tribes (locorum et tribuum Hiberniae et Scotiae), Documents of Ireland, University College Cor

External links

CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts
a
University College Cork
Kings of Leinster Kings of Uí Dúnlainge 760 deaths 8th-century Irish people 8th-century Irish monarchs Year of birth unknown {{Ireland-royal-stub