Tommaltach Ua Conchobair, bishop of Elphin and

archbishop of Armagh In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...

, lived from c. 1150–1201.

Family background

Ua Conchobair was a grandson of King Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair 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 Delbhn ...

(1088–1156) via his son, Aed. However, Tairrdelbach had two sons of that name, one of whom,

Aedh Dall Ua Conchobair Aedh Dall Ua Conchobair, Prince of Connacht, died 1194. Aedh was the eldest child of King Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair (1088–1156). His mother's identity is uncertain - Tairrdelbach had six wives - but his full brothers were Tadhg Alainn (died ...

, was blinded by Tairrdelbach for rebellion in 1136. Tommaltach was nephew to Ruaidhri, King of Ireland (reigned 1156–1183) and King Cathal of Connacht, (reigned 1202–1224); first cousin to Rose, wife of

Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath, 4th Baron Lacy (; before 1135 – 25 July 1186), was an Anglo-Norman landowner and royal office-holder. He had substantial land holdings in Herefordshire and Shropshire. Following his participation in the Norman Inva ...

(died 1186), and associate of

archbishop of Dublin The Archbishop of Dublin is an archepiscopal title which takes its name after Dublin, Ireland. Since the Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic successions to the title: one in the Catholic Church and the other in the Church of Irelan ...

Lorcan Ua Tuathail Lorcan or Lorcán is an Irish language male given name, meaning 'little fierce one' and may refer to: *Lorcan Allen (born 1940), Irish farmer and former Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála TD *Lorcan Cranitch (born 1959), Irish actor * Lorcan Dempsey (born ...

(died 1180).

Early career

He became bishop of

Elphin Elphin may refer to: Places Canada * Elphin, Ontario, a hamlet in North Sherbrooke, Lanark County Ireland * Elphin, County Roscommon, Ireland * Diocese of Elphin, a diocese in Ireland * Roman Catholic Diocese of Elphin Scotland * Elphin, Highl ...

about 1174, and may have travelled to Rome to receive confirmation. He may have been responsible for the founding of a

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...

house at

Athlone Athlone (; ) is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midlands Region with a population of ...

. In 1179 he attended Ua Tuathail's council in

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

, giving the latter's reforms his support. Ua Conchobair travelled with the archbishop to

Armagh Armagh ( ; ga, Ard Mhacha, , "Macha's height") is the county town of County Armagh and a city in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Pri ...

early in 1180 to settle the diocese's succession dispute; Ua Tuathail, at the time the

Papal Legate 300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the pope's legate. A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title ''legatus'') is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic ...

to Ireland, appointed Ua Conchobair to the position.

Archbishop of Armagh

However, he was not fully accepted by the local clergy on his own terms until 1181. In 1184, there was an attempt to replace him with a member of the ruling dynasty of the kingdom of Airgialla, bishop Mael Isu Ua Cerbaill of

Clogher Clogher () is a village and civil parish in the border area of south County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Blackwater, 5.8 miles from the border crossing to County Monaghan. It stands on the townlands of Clogher Demesne and C ...

, with Ua Conchobair unable to fully regain his see until 1186. He appears to have maintained good relations with

, and

King John King John may refer to: Rulers * John, King of England (1166–1216) * John I of Jerusalem (c. 1170–1237) * John Balliol, King of Scotland (c. 1249–1314) * John I of France (15–20 November 1316) * John II of France (1319–1364) * John I o ...

during the latter's visit to Ireland in 1185. Later he was assisted by de Courcy in commissioning a life of

Saint Patrick Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints be ...

to advance Armagh's claim to the primacy of Ireland, against that of Dublin. At the 1192 Synod of Dublin, he successfully regained for Armagh control of the diocese of

Louth Louth may refer to: Australia *Hundred of Louth, a cadastral unit in South Australia * Louth, New South Wales, a town *Louth Bay, a bay in South Australia **Louth Bay, South Australia, a town and locality Canada * Louth, Ontario Ireland * County ...

, which had been claimed by King

Donnchadh Ua Cearbaill Donnchad Ua Cerbaill or Donnchadh Ó Cearbhaill, king of Airgíalla, fl. –1168. Ua Cerbaill was a supporter of the Irish religious reform movement of the 12th century. He was a close associate of Saint Malachy, and with him founded Mellifont Ab ...

of Airgialla in the 1150s. Ua Conchobair spent the last five years of his life in

Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...

. Much of his correspondence and diocesan documents have been lost, but those that survive include letters from

Innocent III Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 J ...

concerning disputed elections, support for canons of the Arrouasian order and the canonical position of women. He died in 1201 while travelling to Armagh, and was buried at the

abbey of

Mellifont Mellifont Abbey ( ga, An Mhainistir Mhór, literally 'the Big Monastery'), was a Cistercian abbey located close to Drogheda in County Louth, Ireland. It was the first abbey of the order to be built in Ireland. In 1152, it hosted the Synod of Ke ...

References

* ''Tomaltach Ua Conchobair, coarb of Patrick'',

Aubrey Gwynn Aubrey Osborn Gwynn (17 February 1892 – 18 May 1983) was an Irish Jesuit historian. Life Aubrey Gwynn was born in Dublin on 17 February 1892. His father was the author and sometime Member of Parliament Stephen Gwynn; his paternal grandfather ...

, ''Seanchas Ardmhacha'' vii (1973-7), pp. 231–74 * ''Ua Conchobair, Tommaltach'', David Beresford, ''Dictionary of Irish Biography ... to the Year 2002: Volume 9, Staines – Z'', pp. 579–80 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ua Conchobair, Tommaltach Medieval Gaels from Ireland People from County Galway 12th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Ireland Archbishops of Armagh