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Connachta
The Connachta are a group of medieval Irish dynasties who claimed descent from the legendary High King Conn Cétchathach (Conn of the Hundred Battles). The modern western province of Connacht ( Irish ''Cúige Chonnacht'', province, literally "fifth", of the Connachta) takes its name from them, although the territories of the Connachta also included at various times parts of southern and western Ulster and northern Leinster. Their traditional capital was Cruachan (modern Rathcroghan, County Roscommon). Origins The use of the word ''cúige'', earlier ''cóiced'', literally "fifth", to denote a province indicates the existence of a pentarchy in prehistory, whose members are believed to have been population groups the Connachta, the Ulaid (Ulster) and the Laigin (Leinster), the region of Mumu (Munster), and the central kingdom of Mide. This pentarchy appears to have been broken up by the dawn of history in the early 5th century with the reduction of the Ulaid and the foundin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 Delbhna). Between the reigns of Conchobar mac Taidg Mór (died 882) and his descendant, Aedh mac Ruaidri Ó Conchobair (reigned 1228–33), it became a kingdom under the rule of the Uí Briúin Aí dynasty, whose ruling sept adopted the surname Ua Conchobair. At its greatest extent, it incorporated the often independent Kingdom of Breifne, as well as vassalage from the lordships of western Mide and west Leinster. Two of its greatest kings, Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair (1088–1156) and his son Ruaidri Ua Conchobair (c. 1115–1198) greatly expanded the kingdom's dominance, so much so that both became High King of Ireland. The Kingdom of Connacht collapsed in the 1230s because of civil war within the royal dynasty, which enabled wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kings 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 and Irish mythology, although national kingship was never a historical reality in early Ireland. The term also represented a prehistoric and mythical ideal of sacred kingship in Ireland. Holding the title King of Tara invested the incumbent with a powerful status. Many Irish High Kings were simultaneously Kings of Tara. The title emerged in the ninth and tenth centuries. In later times, actual claimants to this title used their position to promote themselves in status and fact to the High Kingship. Prior to this, various branches of the Uí Néill dynasty appear to have used it to denote overlordship of their kindred and realms. It was associated with ''Feis Temro'' (Feast of Tara), a pagan inauguration rite. The titles King of Tara an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Niall Of The Nine Hostages
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. Irish annalistic and chronicle sources place his reign in the late 4th and early 5th centuries, although modern scholars, through critical study of the annals, date him about half a century later. Historicity and dates Niall is presumed, on the basis of the importance of his sons and grandsons, to have been a historical person,Francis J. Byrne, ''Irish Kings and High-Kings'', Second Edition, Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2001, but the early Irish annals say little about him. The '' Annals of Inisfallen'' date his death before 382, and the ''Chronicon Scotorum'' to 411.Kathleen Hughes, "The church in Irish society, 400–800, in Dáibhí Ó Cróinín (ed.), ''A New History of Ireland Vol I: Prehistoric and Early Ireland'', Oxford Univer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 in Cóiced, Irish for "the Fifth". The king of Ulaid was called the '' rí Ulad'' or ''rí in Chóicid''. Ulaid also refers to a people of early Ireland, and it is from them that the province of Ulster derives its name. Some of the dynasties in the over-kingdom claimed descent from the Ulaid, but others are cited as being of Cruithin descent. In historical documents, the term Ulaid was used to refer to the population group of which the Dál Fiatach was the ruling dynasty. As such, the title ''Rí Ulad'' held two meanings: over-king of Ulaid and king of the Ulaid, as in the Dál Fiatach. The Ulaid feature prominently in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. According to legend, the ancient territory of Ulaid spanned the whole of the modern ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uí Fiachrach
The Uí Fiachrach () were a royal dynasty who originated in, and whose descendants later ruled, the ''coicead'' or ''fifth'' of Connacht (a western province of Ireland) at different times from the mid-first millennium onwards. They claimed descent from Fiachrae, an older half-brother of Niall Noigiallach or Niall of the Nine Hostages. Fiachrae and his two full brothers, Brion and Ailill, were the collective ancestors of the Connachta dynasty that eventually became the new name of the province. Their mother was Mongfind. History The other two dynasties within the Connachta were the Uí Briúin – descendants of Brion – and the Uí nAilello – descendants of Ailill. The latter sank into obscurity at an early stage but both the Uí Fiachrach and Ui Briuin and their many sub-septs featured prominently in the history of Connacht for one thousand years. In the 12th century, an Ui Briuin descendant, Toirdhealbhach Mór Ua Conchobhair became High King of Ireland. Toirdhealbhach� ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uí Briúin
The Uí Briúin were a royal dynasty of Connacht. Their eponymous apical ancestor was Brión, son of Eochaid Mugmedon and Mongfind, and an elder half brother of Niall of the Nine Hostages. They formed part of the Connachta, along with the Uí Fiachrach and Uí Ailello, putative descendants of Eochaid Mugmedon's sons Fiachra and Ailill. The Uí Ailello were later replaced as the third of the Three Connachta, through genealogical sleight of hand, by the Uí Maine. Connacht was ruled in early times by the Uí Fiachrach, the Uí Briúin only becoming the dominant force in Connacht in the 7th and 8th centuries. The Uí Briúin divided into multiple septs, the three major ones being: * The Uí Briúin Aí, named for the region they controlled—Mag nAí, the lands around the ancient centre of Connacht, Cruachan in modern County Roscommon. The most notable sept of the Uí Briúin Ai was the Síol Muireadaigh, from whom the ruling families of Ó Conchubhair (O'Connor) a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 named after the Connachta. The old name for the province was Cóiced Ol nEchmacht (the fifth of the Ol nEchmacht). Ptolemy's map of c. 150 AD does in fact list a people called the Nagnatae as living in the west of Ireland. Some are of the opinion that Ptolemy's Map of Ireland may be based on cartography carried out as much as five hundred years before his time. The Connachta were a group of dynasties who claimed descent from the three eldest sons of Eochaid Mugmedon: Brion, Ailill and Fiachrae. They took their collective name from their alleged descent from Conn Cétchathach. Their younger brother, Niall Noigiallach was ancestor to the Uí Néill. The following is a list of kings of Connacht from the fifth to fifteenth centuries. Pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eochaid Mugmedon
Eochaid Mugmedón () was a semi-legendary Irish king. According to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, Eochaid was a High King of Ireland, best known as the father of Niall of the Nine Hostages and ancestor of the Uí Néill and Connachta dynasties. He is not mentioned in the list of kings of Tara in the '' Baile Chuind'' (The Ecstasy of Conn), but is included in the synthetic lists of High Kings in the ''Lebor Gabála Érenn'', the Irish annals, Geoffrey Keating's history, and the ''Laud Synchronisms''. According to the ''Lebor Gabála Érenn'' and its derivative works, Eochaid was the son of the former High King Muiredach Tírech, a descendant of Conn Cétchathach. Muiredach was overthrown and killed by Cáelbad son of Cronn Bradruí, an Ulster king, but Cáelbad only ruled one year before Eochaid killed him and took the throne. The ''Lebor Gabála'' says he extracted the ''bórama'' or cow tribute from Leinster without a battle. However, Keating records that ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Conn Of The Hundred Battles
Conn Cétchathach (; "of the Hundred Battles"), son of Fedlimid Rechtmar, was a semi-legendary High King of Ireland and the ancestor of the Connachta, and, through his descendant Niall Noígiallach, the Uí Néill dynasties, which dominated Ireland in the early Middle Ages. Literary tradition Early life and accession The ''Annals of the Four Masters'' says that five roads to Tara, which had never been seen before, were discovered on the night of Conn's birth. According to the ''Lebor Gabála Érenn'', he took power after killing his predecessor Cathair Mór. In other sources his predecessor is Dáire Doimthech. The '' Lia Fáil'', the coronation stone at Tara which was said to roar when the rightful king stood on it, roared under Conn for the first time since Cúchulainn split it with his sword when it failed to roar for Lugaid Riab nDerg. In the saga ''Baile in Scáil'' ("The Phantom's Ecstatic Vision"), Conn treads on the stone by accident while walking the ramparts of Ta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Provinces Of Ireland
There have been four Provinces of Ireland: Connacht (Connaught), Leinster, Munster, and Ulster. The Irish word for this territorial division, , meaning "fifth part", suggests that there were once five, and at times Meath has been considered to be the fifth province; in the medieval period, however, there were often more than five. The number of provinces and their delimitation fluctuated until 1610, when they were permanently set by the English administration of James I. The provinces of Ireland no longer serve administrative or political purposes but function as historical and cultural entities. Etymology In modern Irish the word for province is (pl. ). The modern Irish term derives from the Old Irish (pl. ) which literally meant "a fifth". This term appears in 8th-century law texts such as and in the legendary tales of the Ulster Cycle where it refers to the five kingdoms of the "Pentarchy". MacNeill enumerates the five earliest fifths mentioned, these comprising the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cruachan, Ireland
Rathcroghan () is a complex of archaeological sites near Tulsk in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is identified as the site of Cruachan, the traditional capital of the Connachta, the prehistoric and early historic rulers of the western territory. The Rathcroghan Complex (Crúachan Aí) is a unique archaeological landscape with many references found in early Irish medieval manuscripts. Located on the plains of Connacht (Mag nAí/Machaire Connacht), Rathcroghan is one of the six Royal Sites of Ireland. This landscape which extends over six square kilometres, consists of over 240 archaeological sites, sixty of which are protected national monuments. These monuments range from the Neolithic (4000 – 2500 BC), through the Bronze (2500 – 500 BC) and Iron Age (500 BC – 400 AD), to the early medieval period and beyond. These monuments include burial mounds, ringforts and medieval field boundaries amongst others. The most fascinating of these are the multi period Rathcroghan Mound, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 the Northern and Southern Uí Néill.Downham, 2018, pp. 93-7. Branches The founders of the Uí Néill branches are the alleged sons of Niall Noigiallach, seven in all: The Northern Uí Néill branch: * Conall Gulban, ancestor of the Cenél Conaill dynasty, * Eógan, ancestor of the Cenél nEógain dynasty. The Southern Uí Néill branch: * Éndae, ancestor of the Cenél nÉndai, * Coirpre, ancestor of the Cenél Coirpri dynasty, * Lóegaire, ancestor of the Cenél Lóegaire dynasty, * Conall Cremthainne, ancestor of the Clann Cholmáin and Síl nÁedo Sláine, * Fiachu, ancestor of the Cenél Fiachach. All these men were in their lifetime known as members of Connachta dynasty, or as "the sons of Niall." The term Uí Néill di ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
