Cathal mac Ailell was 29th King of

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

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 ...

(834–844).

Kingship

Cathal's reign had begun by 834 but it is not stated how long he had held the kingship, nor if he was a direct successor of

Cathal mac Murchadh Cathal mac Murchadh was 29th King of Uí Maine, died 816. Cathal mac Murchadh was killed at ''"The battle of Rath Fhearadh by the chieftains of Ui Briuin, Diarmaid, son of Tomaltach, and Maelcothaigh, son of Fogartach in Dealbhna Nuadhat, betwe ...

Activities

His era was punctuated by regular

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to 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 se ...

attacks up and down the Shannon, with nearby

Clonmacnoise Clonmacnoise (Irish: ''Cluain Mhic Nóis'') is a ruined monastery situated in County Offaly in Ireland on the River Shannon south of Athlone, founded in 544 by Saint Ciarán, a young man from Rathcroghan, County Roscommon. Until the 9th ce ...

a regular target. Cathal himself was not averse to attacking Clonmacnoise. 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 medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Deluge, dated as 2,24 ...

state that in 834:

''Cluain Mic Nois was profaned by Cathal, son of Ailell, lord of Ui Maine, against the prior, Flann, son of Flaithbheartach, one of the Ui Forga of Munster, whom he cast into the Sinainn, and killed. The rights of seven churches were for this given to Ciaran, and a great consideration.''

Munster

His military activities seem to have included a rare incursion by the Ui Maine against

Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...

''A defeat was given by Cathal, son of Ailill, to Feidhlimidh, son of Crimhthann, King of Caiseal, in Magh I, where many were slain; of which was said: "The Connaughtmen were mighty;/in Magh I they were not feeble;/Let any one inquire of Feidhlimidh,/whence Loch na Calla is named.''

Incursions

Raids by the

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to 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 se ...

did occur in Ui Maine itself:

''843:An expedition by Tuirgeis, lord of the foreigners, upon Loch Ribh, so that they plundered Connaught and Meath, and burned Cluain Mic Nois, with its oratories, Cluain Fearta Brenainn, Tir Da Ghlas, Lothra, and many others in like manner.''

Death and descendants

Cathal's death is noted ''sub anno'' 844. No details are given. No descendants are named in

Leabhar Ua Maine ''Leabhar Ua Maine'' (also ''Leabhar Uí Dubhagáin'', ''The Book of Hy-Many'' and RIA MS D ii 1) is an Irish genealogical compilation, created c. 1392–94. History Previously known as ''Leabhar Uí Dubhagáin'', after Seán Mór Ó Dubhagá ...

References

* ''Annals of Ulster'' a
CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts
a
University College Cork
* ''Annals of Tigernach'' a

a
University College Cork
of McCarthy's synchronisms at

Trinity College Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

. * Byrne, Francis John (2001), Irish Kings and High-Kings, Dublin: Four Courts Press, {{DEFAULTSORT:Cathal mac Murchadh Nobility from County Galway Nobility from County Roscommon 9th-century Irish monarchs Kings of Uí Maine