Tadhg Mór Ua Cellaigh, 36th

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 Uí Maine and 1st Chief of the Name.

Background

Ua Cellaigh was the first King of Uí Maine to bear the surname Ua Cellaigh, derived from his grandfather, Ceallach mac Finnachta, who was in turn a sixth-generation descendant of Eoghan Finn, a descendant of the first king, Maine Mór. He succeeded Muirgus mac Domnaill, killed in battle in 986.

Career

He seems to have been present at the battles of

Lough Ree Lough Ree () is a lake in the midlands of Ireland, the second of the three major lakes on the River Shannon. Lough Ree is the second largest lake on the Shannon after Lough Derg. The other two major lakes are Lough Allen to the north, and Lou ...

(987), and the hosting to Tara in 999. Tadhg allied himself with

Brian Boru Brian Boru ( mga, Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig; modern ga, Brian Bóramha; 23 April 1014) was an Irish king who ended the domination of the High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill and probably ended Viking invasion/domination of Ireland. Br ...

against King of Mide

Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill ( ga, Maolsheachlann mac Domhnaill), also called Máel Sechnaill Mór or Máel Sechnaill II (949 – 2 September 1022), was a King of Mide and High King of Ireland. His great victory at the Battle of Tara aga ...

(975-1022) and two

Kings of Connacht The Kings of Connacht were rulers of the ''cóiced'' (variously translated as portion, fifth, province) of Connacht, which lies west of the River Shannon, Ireland. However, the name only became applied to it in the early medieval era, being name ...

Cathal mac Conchobar mac Taidg Cathal mac Conchobar mac Taidg (died 1010) was king of Connacht. Family tree Cathal mac Conchobar mac Taidg, d. 1010. , , __________________________________________________________________________________________________ ...

, (973-1010) and

Tadg in Eich Gil Tadg in Eich Gil (died 1030) was king of Connacht. Family tree Cathal mac Conchobar mac Taidg, d. 1010. , , __________________________________________________________________________________________________ , ...

(1010-1030). He secured marriage alliances to Brian, as one of Tadhg's sisters is said to have become one of Brian's many wives. His position was bolstered with Brian's accession to the High-Kingship in 1002. He accompanied him to

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

in 1014 where he fought and died at the

Battle of Clontarf The Battle of Clontarf ( ga, Cath Chluain Tarbh) took place on 23 April 1014 at Clontarf, near Dublin, on the east coast of Ireland. It pitted an army led by Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, against a Norse-Irish alliance comprising the for ...

In folk memory

John O'Donovan recorded a tradition prevalent in the early 19th century concerning Tadhg Mór:

"There is a tradition among the O'Kellys of Hy-Many, that they have borne as their
crest Crest or CREST may refer to: Buildings *The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York *"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York *Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...
an
enfield Enfield may refer to: Places Australia * Enfield, New South Wales * Enfield, South Australia ** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb ** Enfield High School (South Australia) ...
, since the time of this Tadhg Mor, from a belief that this fabulous animal issued from the sea at the
Battle of Clontarf The Battle of Clontarf ( ga, Cath Chluain Tarbh) took place on 23 April 1014 at Clontarf, near Dublin, on the east coast of Ireland. It pitted an army led by Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, against a Norse-Irish alliance comprising the for ...
, to protect the body of O'Kelly from the Danes, til rescued by his followers. It is also recorded in the Irish annals, that this Tadhg or Teige O'Kelly was chief of Hy-Many in the year 1003 and was slain in the battle of Clontarf, fighting on the side of the
monarch A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority and power i ...
, Brian Borumha, 1014, and for this reason he is usually set down in the pedigrees as TADHG CATHA BHRIAIN, i.e., Teige of the Battle of Brian."

Descendants

All but one subsequent king of U%C3%AD Maine would either descend from Tadhg Mór or bear the surname Ua/Ó Cellaigh, until Feardorcha Ó Cellaigh resigned the title Ó Cellaigh in the late 16th century. His senior descendants in the 21st century are the Counts and Countesses of Grallagh and Tyrcooley, while Kelly is the second most common surname in County Galway, all of whom are direct descendants of Ceallach mac Finnachta.

References

*''The Tribes and customs of Hy-Many, commonly called O'Kelly's country'', John O'Donovan, 1843. *''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 ...

. *https://books.google.com/books?id=fzQFAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PA83&dq=the+tribes+and+costoms+of+Hy+many#v=onepage&q=&f=false *Byrne, Francis John (2001), Irish Kings and High-Kings, Dublin: Four Courts Press, {{DEFAULTSORT:Ua Cellaigh, Tadhg Mor People from County Galway People from County Roscommon Irish soldiers 10th-century Irish monarchs 11th-century Irish monarchs Kings of Uí Maine 1014 deaths Year of birth unknown Tadhg Mor Gaels

Background

Career

In folk memory

Descendants

See also

References