Órlaith Ãngen Cennétig, was
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
of
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. She was executed in 941.
Background
Órlaith appears to be the only recorded daughter of
King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
Cennétig mac Lorcáin of
Thomond
Thomond (Classical Irish: ; Modern Irish: ), also known as the kingdom of Limerick, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Clare and County Limerick, as well as parts of County Tipperary around Nena ...
(died 951). Her siblings included
Mathgamain mac Cennétig
Mathgamain mac Cennétig (also known as Mahon) was King of Munster from around 970 to his death in 976. He was the elder brother of Brian Bóruma.
Mathgamain was the son of Cennétig mac Lorcáin of the Dál gCais. His father died in 951 and ...
(
King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
of
Munster c.970-976) and
Brian Bóruma (
King of Ireland 1002–14). She was the second consort of the Irish High King
Donnchad Donn
Donnchad Donn mac Flainn (''Duncan of the Brown Hair, son of Flann'') (died 944) was High King of Ireland and King of Mide. He belonged to Clann Cholmáin, a branch of the southern Uà Néill.
Origins
Donnchad was the son of High King Flann Sin ...
.
Adultery and execution
Órlaith was accused of
adultery
Adultery (from Latin ''adulterium'') is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal ...
with her stepson,
Óengus mac Donnchad Donn. Found guilty, she was executed, though the manner of her death is uncertain. Óengus survived and lived to succeed his father. It is uncertain if she had any offspring.
Annalistic reference
The ''
Chronicon Scotorum
''Chronicon Scotorum'', also known as ''Chronicum Scotorum'', is a medieval Irish chronicle.
Overview
According to Nollaig Ó MuraÃle, it is "a collection of annals belonging to the ' Clonmacnoise group', covering the period from prehistoric tim ...
''; ''sub anno'' 941, state that ''"Órlaith daughter of Cennétigh son of Lorcán was slain by Donnchad son of Flann, king of Ireland, having been charged (with illicit sexual relations) with Óengus, his son."''
See also
*
Órlaith
References
*
Byrne, Francis John, ''Irish Kings and High-Kings.'' Batsford, London, 1973.
External links
* http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100016/index.html
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orlaith Ingen Cennetig
941 deaths
Irish royal consorts
10th-century Irish women
People from County Clare
People from County Meath
10th-century Irish people
Nobility from County Limerick
10th-century executions
Executed royalty
People executed for adultery
Year of birth unknown
Gaels