Events from the 5th century in

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 ...

5th century

;405 *Possible year of death of

Niall Noígíallach Niall ''Noígíallach'' (; Old Irish "having nine hostages"), or Niall of the Nine Hostages, was a legendary, semi-historical Irish king who was the ancestor of the Uí Néill dynasties that dominated Ireland from the 6th to the 10th centuries. ...

. The ''

Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' ( ga, Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (''Annála na gCeithre Máistrí'') are chronicles of Middle Ages, medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Flood myt ...

'' dates his accession to 378 and death to 405. The chronology of

Geoffrey Keating Geoffrey Keating ( ga, Seathrún Céitinn; c. 1569 – c. 1644) was a 17th-century historian. He was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, and is buried in Tubrid Graveyard in the parish of Ballylooby-Duhill. He became an Irish Catholic priest and a ...

's ''

Foras Feasa ar Éirinn ''Foras Feasa ar Éirinn'' – literally 'Foundation of Knowledge on Ireland', but most often known in English as 'The History of Ireland' – is a narrative history of Ireland by Geoffrey Keating, written in Irish and completed .Bernadette Cunnin ...

'' broadly agrees, dating his reign from 368 to 395, and associating his raiding activities in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

with the kidnapping of Saint Patrick.

, ''Foras Feasa ar Éirinn'
1.48
/ref> However, the traditional roll of kings and its chronology is now recognised as artificial. The High Kingship did not become a reality until the 9th century, and Niall's legendary status has been inflated in line with the political importance of the dynasty he founded. Based on

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 ...

genealogies and the dates given for his supposed sons and grandsons, modern historians believe that he is likely to have lived some 50 years later than the traditional dates, dying circa 450.Francis J. Byrne, ''Irish Kings and High-Kings'', Second Edition, Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2001, Chapter 5 ;410 *At about this date, with the end of Roman rule in Britain, raiders from Ireland such as the

Uí Liatháin The Uí Liatháin (IPA: �iːˈlʲiəhaːnʲ were an early kingdom of Munster in southern Ireland. They belonged the same kindred as the Uí Fidgenti, and the two are considered together in the earliest sources, for example '' The Expulsion of th ...

and

Laigin The Laigin, modern spelling Laighin (), were a Gaelic population group of early Ireland. They gave their name to the Kingdom of Leinster, which in the medieval era was known in Irish as ''Cóiced Laigen'', meaning "Fifth/province of the Leinster ...

harry the coasts of Britain. They plunder towns and capture slaves but later

colonise Colonization, or colonisation, constitutes large-scale population movements wherein migrants maintain strong links with their, or their ancestors', former country – by such links, gain advantage over other inhabitants of the territory. When ...

large areas of Gwynedd, in particular the

Llŷn Peninsula The Llŷn Peninsula ( cy, Penrhyn Llŷn or , ) extends into the Irish Sea from North West Wales, south west of the Isle of Anglesey. It is part of the historic county of Caernarfonshire, and historic region and local authority area of Gwynedd. Mu ...

, the coasts of

Arllechwedd The ancient Welsh cantref of Arllechwedd in north-west Wales was part of the kingdom of Gwynedd for much of its history until it was included in the new county of Caernarfonshire, together with Arfon and Llŷn under the terms of the Statute ...

and Arfon and

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...

430s

;431 * Palladius sent by

Pope Celestine I Pope Celestine I ( la, Caelestinus I) (c. 376 – 1 August 432) was the bishop of Rome from 10 September 422 to his death on 1 August 432. Celestine's tenure was largely spent combatting various ideologies deemed heretical. He supported the missi ...

as bishop to Irish Christians ;432 * Saint Patrick arrives in

to help convert pagan Gaelic kings to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

(traditional date) (but see also 456) ;435 or 436 *Death of Bressal Belach,

King of Leinster The kings of Leinster ( ga, Rí Laighín), ruled from the establishment of Leinster during the Irish Iron Age, until the 17th century Early Modern Ireland. According to Gaelic traditional history, laid out in works such as the ''Book of Invasion ...

440s

;440 *Death of Amalgaid mac Fiachrae, king of

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms ( Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Del ...

whose death led to a long-running dispute over the succession ;444 * Niall of the Nine Hostages active in Ireland and Britain (but see the year 405 as well) * Armagh founded as the chief church in Ireland. ;445 * Death of Dathí/Nath Í mac Fiachrae ;446 * Battle of Femen, in Brega;

Mac Cairthinn mac Coelboth Mac Cairthinn mac Coelboth (?-446?-530?) was an Uí Enechglaiss King of Leinster. Background Mac Cairthinn is one of the very earliest verifiable Irish kings. Though not listed in any extant Irish genealogies, the Annals of Innisfallen record h ...

, King of Leinster, killed ;447 * Death of Secundinus/St

Seachnaill Secundinus (fl. 5th century), or Sechnall (Modern Irish: ''Seachnall'') as he was known in Irish, was founder and patron saint of Domhnach Sechnaill, Co. Meath, who went down in medieval tradition as a disciple of St Patrick and one of the firs ...

, bishop in Ireland, on 27 November, founder of

Dunshaughlin Dunshaughlin ( or locally ) is a town in County Meath, Ireland. A commuter town for nearby Dublin, Dunshaughlin more than tripled in population (from 1,275 to 4,035 inhabitants) between the 1991 and 2016 censuses. History Foundation Dunshaugh ...

450s

;450 *Probable date of fall of

Ulaid Ulaid (Old Irish, ) or Ulaidh ( Modern Irish, ) was a Gaelic over-kingdom in north-eastern Ireland during the Middle Ages made up of a confederation of dynastic groups. Alternative names include Ulidia, which is the Latin form of Ulaid, and i ...

over-kingdom *Approximate date of the foundation by St Macculin of a monastery at Lusk *Death of

(see the entry for 405 for more on this) ;451 *Probable year of birth of

Brigid of Kildare Saint Brigid of Kildare or Brigid of Ireland ( ga, Naomh Bríd; la, Brigida; 525) is the patroness saint (or 'mother saint') of Ireland, and one of its three national saints along with Patrick and Columba. According to medieval Irish hagiogr ...

(Saint Brigid) ;453 *Probable date of death of Niall of the Nine Hostages (but see also the years 405 and 450) *Probable date of the start of the reign of

Óengus mac Nad Froích Óengus mac Nad Froích (430-489) was an Eoganachta and the first Christian King of Munster. He was the son of Nad Froich mac Cuirc by Faochan, a British lady (called daughter of the King of Britain). In Geoffrey Keating's ''History of Ireland'' ...

, first Christian king of Munster ;454 *

Lóegaire mac Néill Lóegaire ('' floruit'' fifth century) (reigned 428–458 AD, according to the Annals of the Four Masters of the Kingdom of Ireland)(died c. 462), also Lóeguire, is said to have been a son of Niall of the Nine Hostages. The Irish annals and king ...

, King of Tara, celebrates Feis Temro (Feast of Tara), pagan inauguration rite. ;456 * Suggested date - 5 April - for arrival of St. Patrick in Ireland (but see also 432) ;457 *Probable death of Palladius ;459 * Death of Auxilius, missionary bishop in Ireland, founder of Killashee, County Kildare

460s

;461 or 462 * Death of

, King of Tara, son of

Niall Noígiallach Niall ''Noígíallach'' (; Old Irish "having nine hostages"), or Niall of the Nine Hostages, was a legendary, semi-historical Irish king who was the ancestor of the Uí Néill dynasties that dominated Ireland from the 6th to the 10th centuries. ...

, who founded the kingdom of Tír Eógain (modern

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. It is no longer used as an administrative division for local government but retai ...

) ;464 * The murder of King

Conall Gulban Conall Gulban (died c. 464) was an Irish king and eponymous ancestor of the '' Cenél Conaill'', who founded the kingdom of ''Tír Chonaill'' in the 5th century, comprising much of what is now County Donegal in Ulster. He was the son of Niall N ...

of Donegal by the Masraighe at

Magh Slécht Magh Slécht (sometimes Anglicised as Moyslaught) is the name of a historic plain in Ireland. It comprises an area of about three square miles (8 km2) situated in the south-eastern part of the Parish of Templeport, Barony of Tullyhaw, in ...

;465 * Death of

Iserninus Saint Iserninus (or ''Isernius'') () was an early Christian missionary of Ireland who is associated with Saint Patrick and Saint Auxilius in establishing Christianity in the south of that island. More recent research associates him not with ...

, missionary bishop in Ireland (''Epsop Fith''), founder of

Kilcullen Kilcullen (), formally Kilcullen Bridge, is a small town on the River Liffey in County Kildare, Ireland. Its population of 3,473 at the 2011 census made it the 12th largest settlement in County Kildare and the fastest growing in the county, hav ...

, County Kildare, and Aghade, County Carlow * Death of

Eógan mac Néill Eógan mac Néill ( modern orthography: Eoghan mac Néill) (reportedly died 465) was a son of Niall Noígiallach and the eponymous ancestor of the Cenél nEógain (kindred of Eoghan) branch of the Northern Uí Néill. The Cenél Eoghan would f ...

, son of

, who founded the kingdom of Tír Eógain (modern

) (but see also 461) ;467 * Death of St. Benigius,

Bishop of Armagh A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

;468 * Battle of Bri Ele ;469 * Ailill Molt mac Nath Í/Dathí celebrates Feis Temro

470s

;470 * First Battle of Dumha Aichir ;476 * First Battle of

Granard Granard () is a town in the north of County Longford, Ireland, and has a traceable history going back to AD 236. It is situated just south of the boundary between the watersheds of the Shannon and the Erne, at the point where the N55 nation ...

480s

;480 * Second Battle of

;481 * Death of St. Iarliathe mac Treno, third

bishop of Armagh A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

;482 * Battle of Ochae (in

Mide Meath (; Old Irish: ''Mide'' ; spelt ''Mí'' in Modern Irish) was a kingdom in Ireland from the 1st to the 12th century AD. Its name means "middle," denoting its location in the middle of the island. At its greatest extent, it included all ...

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of ...

). Ailill Molt killed, and the

branch of the Connachta monopolise kingship of Tara ;483 * Assassination of Cremthann mac Endai Chennselaig,

;484 * Probable year of birth of Saint

Brendan Brendan may refer to: People * Saint Brendan the Navigator (c. 484 – c. 577) was an Irish monastic saint. * Saint Brendan of Birr (died 573), Abbot of Birr in Co. Offaly, contemporaneous with the above * Brendan (given name), a masculine given na ...

"the Navigator" ;485 * Death of Fincath mac Garrchu (or Findchad mac Garrchon),

;485 or 486 * Battle of

or Grainaret.

Coirpre mac Néill Coirpre mac Néill ('' fl''. '' c''. 485–493), also Cairbre or Cairpre, was said to be a son of Niall of the Nine Hostages. Coirpre was perhaps the leader of the conquests that established the southern Uí Néill in the midlands of Ireland. T ...

King of Tara The term Kingship of Tara () was a title of authority in ancient Ireland - the title is closely associated with the archaeological complex at the Hill of Tara. The position was considered to be of eminent authority in medieval Irish literature ...

, defeats and kills Fincath mac Garrchu or ''Findchad mac Garrchon'': he was a king of Leinster, was defeated and killed by the Uí Néill. (He is not mentioned as king in the

Book of Leinster The Book of Leinster ( mga, Lebor Laignech , LL) is a medieval Irish manuscript compiled c. 1160 and now kept in Trinity College, Dublin, under the shelfmark MS H 2.18 (cat. 1339). It was formerly known as the ''Lebor na Nuachongbála'' "Book ...

, he is however given this title in the

Annals of Innisfallen Annals ( la, annāles, from , "year") are a concise historical record in which events are arranged chronologically, year by year, although the term is also used loosely for any historical record. Scope The nature of the distinction between ann ...

). ;486 * Death of Crimthann mac Énnai Cennsalach who was a

from the Uí Cheinnselaig sept of the Laigin. He was the son of Énna Cennsalach, the ancestor of this dynasty.Francis J.Byrne, ''Irish Kings and High-Kings'', Table 8 ;487 * Death of Bishop Mel of Ardagh, 6 February ;489 * Battle of Cell Osnadha: death of

, first Christian

King of Munster The kings of Munster ( ga, Rí Mumhan), ruled from the establishment of Munster during the Irish Iron Age, until the High Middle Ages. According to Gaelic traditional history, laid out in works such as the '' Book of Invasions'', the earliest ...

* Battle of Tailtin * Death of St. Cianán of

Duleek Duleek (; ) is a small town in County Meath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Duleek takes its name from the Irish language, Irish word ''daimh liag'', meaning house of stones and referring to an early stone-built church, St Cianán's Church, the r ...

, a follower of St. Patrick, on 24 November

490s

;490 * In about this year, the

Dál Riata Dál Riata or Dál Riada (also Dalriada) () was a Gaelic kingdom that encompassed the western seaboard of Scotland and north-eastern Ireland, on each side of the North Channel. At its height in the 6th and 7th centuries, it covered what is n ...

establish a kingdom in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

;492 * About this year the deaths occur of St. Mac Caill, Bishop of Cruachu Brig Ele ( Croghan, County Offaly); and

, King of Cashel (but see also 489) ;493 *The battle of Sruth *The second battle of Granairet * 17 March: traditional date for the death of St. Patrick (also entered in Annals of Ulster under A.D. 492). Cath Corp Naomh Padraigh (''" Battle for the Body of St. Patrick"'' fought for possession of his body) ;494 * Battle of Ceann Ailbhe ;495 * Second Battle of

; Echu mac Coirpri defeats and kills

Fráech mac Finchada Fráech mac Finchada or Fróech mac Findchado (died 495) was a king of Leinster. Fráech was a member of the Dál Messin Corb dynasty's principal sub-sept, the Uí Garrchon. He succeeded his father, Fincath mac Garrchu, (died 485). He ruled from ...

(but see also 480) ;496 * 6 September: death of St. Mac Cuilinn, Bishop of Lusk ;497 * Death of Cormac,

, ''heres Patricii'' (heir of Patrick) ;498 * Birth of saint

Kevin of Glendalough Saint Kevin (modern Irish '; Old Irish ', '; latinized '; 498 (reputedly)–3 June 618) is an Irish saint, known as the founder and first abbot of Glendalough in County Wicklow, Ireland. His feast day is 3 June. Early life Kevin's life is no ...

(died 618 according to his legend), the

Abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The ...

Glendalough Glendalough (; ) is a glacial valley in County Wicklow, Ireland, renowned for an Early Medieval monastic settlement founded in the 6th century by St Kevin. From 1825 to 1957, the head of the Glendalough Valley was the site of a galena lead min ...

in County Wicklow, Ireland * 23 June: death of St. Mo Choi of Nendrum; also listed under 497 in Annals of Ulster ;499 * ''"Bellum"'' (war) listed as occurring in

* 23 April: death of Bishop Ibar of Bergerin,

Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 ...

Harbour

500

;500 *Composition of archaic

genealogical poems by Laidcenn mac Bairchedo and others *Archaic Old Irish period (to c. AD

700 The denomination 700 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Avar and Slavic tribes conq ...

) *Warfare continues in Leinster between its kings and the Connachta

References

*''A New History of Ireland VIII: A Chronology of Irish History to 1976 - A Companion to Irish History Part I,'' edited by T.W. Moody, F.X. Martin and F.J. Byrne, 1982.
List of Published Texts at CELT
—

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh) is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one ...

's ''Corpus of Electronic Texts'' project has the full list of Irish Annals. {{DEFAULTSORT:5th Century In Ireland