Events from the 9th 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 ...

800s

;802 *Death of Muiredach mac Domnaill, King of Mide. He is succeeded by Diarmait mac Donnchado. ;803 *Death of Diarmait mac Donnchado, King of Mide. He is succeeded by

Conchobar mac Donnchada Conchobar mac Donnchada (or Conchobar mac Donnchado) was High-King of Ireland with opposition (''rí Érenn co fressabra'') between 819 and 833. Conchobar was the son of Donnchad Midi, high-king of Ireland (733– 797); his mother was Fuirseach, ...

. ;804 * Aed Oirdnide of the

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 ...

is ordained overking of the Uí Néill by the abbot of Armagh. ;806 *

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 ...

raid on

Iona Abbey Iona Abbey is an abbey located on the island of Iona, just off the Isle of Mull on the West Coast of Scotland. It is one of the oldest Christian religious centres in Western Europe. The abbey was a focal point for the spread of Christianity t ...

in which 68 people, the entire population of the abbey, are massacred. ;807 *Construction of the

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...

of Kells is begun. *The

Book of Armagh The ''Book of Armagh'' or Codex Ardmachanus (ar or 61) ( ga, Leabhar Ard Mhacha), also known as the ''Canon of Patrick'' and the ''Liber Ar(d)machanus'', is a 9th-century Irish illuminated manuscript written mainly in Latin. It is held by the L ...

is compiled. *Vikings raid Roscam and Sligo Abbey.

810s

;812 *Death of Cosgrach mac Flannbhrath, King of

Umaill Umhaill or Umhall (anglicized as Owill or Owel) was a Gaelic territory around Clew Bay in the west of what is now County Mayo, Ireland, comprising the baronies of Burrishoole (Lower Owel) and Murrisk (Upper Owel). By the 12th century, its rul ...

. ;815 *Birth of Johannes Scotus Eriugena. ;819 *Conchobar mac Donnchada or Conchobar mac Donnchado is High King of Ireland with opposition ().

820s

;820 *

Feidlimid mac Cremthanin Fedelmid mac Crimthainn was the King of Munster between 820 and 846. He was numbered as a member of the Céli Dé, an abbot of Cork Abbey and Clonfert Abbey, and possibly a bishop. After his death, he was later considered a saint in some mart ...

begins his reign as

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 ...

, continuing until his death in 847. ;822 *Death of

Tighearnach mac Cathmogha Tighearnach mac Cathmogha (died 822) was King of Uí Fiachrach Aidhne Uí Fhiachrach Aidhne (also known as Hy Fiachrach) was a kingdom located in what is now the south of County Galway. Legendary origins and geography Originally known as Ai ...

, King of

Uí Fiachrach Aidhne Uí Fhiachrach Aidhne (also known as Hy Fiachrach) was a kingdom located in what is now the south of County Galway. Legendary origins and geography Originally known as Aidhne, it was said to have been settled by the mythical Fir Bolg. Dubhalta ...

830s

;832 *A Viking fleet of about 120 ships under

Turgesius Turgesius (died 845) (also called Turgeis, Tuirgeis, Turges, and Thorgest) was a Viking chief active in Ireland during the 9th century. Turgesius Island, the principal island on Lough Lene, is named after him. It is not at all clear whether the n ...

invades kingdoms on Ireland’s northern and eastern coasts. *

Clondalkin Clondalkin ( ; ) is a suburban town situated 10 km south-west of Dublin city centre, Ireland, under the administrative jurisdiction of South Dublin. It features an 8th-century round tower that acts as a focal point for the area. Clondal ...

was sacked by Vikings from Denmark and the monastery was burned to the ground. ;833 *Death of Conchobar mac Donnchada, King of Mide and High King of Ireland with opposition. ;836 *Viking raids penetrate deep inland. ;837 *Large Viking fleets appear on the

River Boyne The River Boyne ( ga, An Bhóinn or ''Abhainn na Bóinne'') is a river in Leinster, Ireland, the course of which is about long. It rises at Trinity Well, Newberry Hall, near Carbury, County Kildare, and flows towards the Northeast through C ...

and the

River Liffey The River Liffey ( Irish: ''An Life'', historically ''An Ruirthe(a)ch'') is a river in eastern Ireland that ultimately flows through the centre of Dublin to its mouth within Dublin Bay. Its major tributaries include the River Dodder, the Riv ...

, made up of sixty ships at each location. ;838 - 841 *A small Viking fleet enters the River Liffey in eastern Ireland, probably led by the chieftain Saxolb (Soxulfr) who is killed later this year. The Vikings overwinter on Lough Neagh in 840 and set up a base, which the Irish call

longphorts A longphort (Ir. plur. ''longphuirt'') is a term used in Ireland for a Viking ship enclosureConnolly S.J (1998). The Oxford Companion to Irish History. Oxford University Press. p. 580 or shore fortress. Although these ''longphorts'' were used as b ...

and which will eventually become

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 ...

. ;839 *Thorgest (in Latin ''Turgesius'') is the first Viking to attempt creation of an Irish kingdom. He sails up the Shannon and the Bann to Armagh where he forges a realm spanning

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

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 ...

and Meath.

840s

;840 *Death of Murchad mac Áedo is a

King 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 ...

from the

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 U ...

branch of the Connachta. ;841 *First longphort built at

Linn Duachaill Linn Duachaill (; "Duachall's pool") is the name of a Viking longphort near the village of Annagassan, County Louth, Ireland. The settlement was built in 841 CE, the same time as the settlement of ''Dubh Linn'', or Dublin. In contrast to Dublin, t ...

(now

Annagassan Annagassan ()"Annagassan" A Dictionary of British Place-Names. A. D. Mills. Oxford University Press, 2003. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Solihull Libraries. 16 April 2008 is a village in the townland of Ballynagassan, County ...

) on the County Louth coast and at the hurdle ford of the

. *Abbot of Armagh driven out by Turgesius, Viking leader. ;842 *First reported Viking-Irish alliance. *

Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid Máel Sechnaill mac Máel Ruanaida (Modern Irish: ''Maolsheachlann Mac Maolruanaidh''), also known as Máel Sechnaill I, anglicised as Malachy MacMulrooney (died 27 November 862) was High King of Ireland. The Annals of Ulster use the Old Irish ...

becomes High King of Ireland. ;843 *Death of Mael Ruanaid mac Dunnchado, King of Mide since 833. ;845 * Forannan, abbot of Armagh, is captured by the Vikings. *Viking leader Turgesius is captured and killed by Máel Sechnaill, King of Mide. * Johannes Scotus Eriugena, philosopher and poet moves from Ireland to France and takes over the Palatine Academy at the invitation of Carolingian King

Charles the Bald Charles the Bald (french: Charles le Chauve; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as Charles II, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), king of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a ...

. ;846 *Máel Sechnaill becomes overking of the

, reigning until his death in 862. ;847 *Death of Feidlimid mac Cremthanin, King of Munster, who has reigned since 820. ;847 or 848 *Birth of

Flann Sinna Flann Sinna ( lit. ''Flann of the Shannon''; Irish: ''Flann na Sionainne''; 84725 May 916), also known as Flann mac Máel Sechnaill, was the son of Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid of Clann Cholmáin, a branch of the Southern Uí Néill. He wa ...

(d. 916), son of Máel Sechnaill I of

Clann Cholmáin Clann Cholmáin is the dynasty descended from Colmán Már mac Diarmato, son of Diarmait mac Cerbaill. Part of the Southern Uí Néill — they were the kings of Mide (Meath) — they traced their descent to Niall Noígiallach and his ...

, a branch of the southern Uí Néill. He is King of Mide from 877. ;848 * Death of Fínsnechta mac Tommaltaig,

. * Viking army defeated by Máel Sechnaill, High King of Ireland, near modern Skreen,

County Sligo County Sligo ( , gle, Contae Shligigh) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the Border Region and is part of the province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the an ...

. * Viking army defeated by

Tigernach mac Fócartai Tigernach mac Fócartai (died 865), also called Tigernach of Lagore, was King of Lagore. Background Tigernach belonged to the Uí Chernaig branch of the once-powerful Síl nÁedo Sláine kindred, part of the southern Uí Néill. His great-great-g ...

King of Lagore The Kings of Brega were rulers of Brega, a petty kingdom north of Dublin in medieval Ireland. Overview Brega took its name from ' ('), meaning "fine plain", in modern County Meath, County Louth and County Dublin, Ireland. They formed part of th ...

, somewhere in modern

* Viking army defeated by

Ólchobar mac Cináeda Ólchobar mac Cináeda (died 851) was King of Munster from 847 until his death. He may be the "king of the Irish" who sent an embassy to Frankish Emperor Charles the Bald announcing a series of victories over Vikings in Ireland in 848. Origins ...

, King of Munster, and

Lorcán mac Cellaig Lorcán mac Cellaig (flourished 848) was a King of Leinster of the Uí Muiredaig sept of the Uí Dúnlainge branch of the Laigin. This sept had their royal seat at Maistiu (Mullaghmast) in the south of modern County Kildare. He was the son of Ce ...

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 ...

, near modern

Castledermot Castledermot () is an inland village in the south-east of Ireland in County Kildare, about from Dublin, and from the town of Carlow. The N9 road from Dublin to Waterford previously passed through the village but upon completion of a motorway ...

, County Kildare. The Viking leader

Tomrair Tomrair (died 848) was a ninth-century Viking active in Ireland. He is one of the first Vikings recorded by Irish sources. Tomrair is reported to have been killed at the Battle of Sciath Nechtain, a conflict in which twelve hundred Vikings were ...

is killed; he is called

jarl Jarl is a rank of the nobility in Scandinavia. In Old Norse, it meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. ''Jarl'' could also mean a sovereign prince. For example, the rulers of several of the petty k ...

and deputy of the king of

Laithlind In the modern Gaelic languages, () signifies Scandinavia or, more specifically, Norway. As such it is cognate with the Welsh name for Scandinavia, (). In both old Gaelic and old Welsh, such names literally mean 'land of lakes' or 'land of ...

. * Viking army defeated near Cashel by Ólchobar mac Cináeda. * Vikings at Cork; besieged by Ólchobar mac Cináeda. * The ''

Annales Bertiniani ''Annales Bertiniani'' (''Annals of Saint Bertin'') are late Carolingian, Frankish annals that were found in the Abbey of Saint Bertin, Saint-Omer, France, after which they are named. Their account is taken to cover the period 830-82, thus contin ...

'' report the arrival of Irish envoys at the court of

Frankish Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperator ...

. They bring gifts from the "king of the Irish" and announced an Irish victory over Vikings. The Irish annals record several defeats for Viking armies; which of these is meant is unclear. The identity of the "king of the Irish" is no more certain, but Ólchobar mac Cináeda may be intended rather than Máel Sechnaill. *

Sedulius Scottus Sedulius Scotus or Scottus ( fl. 840–860) was an Irish teacher, Latin grammarian, and scriptural commentator who lived in the 9th century. During the reign of the Emperor Lothair (840–855), he was one of a colony of Irish teachers at Liège. ...

arrives at Liège, perhaps having been a member of the embassy to

850s

;851 * Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid secures the submission of the King 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 ...

. * Cináed mac Conaing is drowned on the orders of Máel Sechnaill and Tigernach mac Fócartai. ;853 * Amlaíb, "son of the king of

", arrives in Ireland and collects tribute from the Vikings and the Irish.'' Annals of Ulster''.

860s

;860 or 862 *Death of Mael Sechnaill I, overking of the Uí Néill, who has reigned since 846. ;864 *Death of Lorcan mac Cathail, King of Mide since 862. ;866 *

Aed Finliath Aed or AED may refer to: People * Áed (given name) * Aed Carabao (Yuenyong Opakul, born 1954), Thai leader of the band Carabao Science and medicine * Antiepileptic drug * Automated external defibrillator * Atomic-emission detector, in chromat ...

clears the northern coastline of Viking bases. He defeats the Vikings at Lough Foyle.

870s

;874 *

Amlaíb Conung Amlaíb Conung ( non, Óláfr ; died c. 874) was a Viking leader in Ireland and Scotland in the mid-late ninth century. He was the son of the king of Lochlann, identified in the non-contemporary ''Fragmentary Annals of Ireland'' as Gofraid, and ...

is killed in Scotland on a campaign against

Causantín mac Cináeda Causantín mac Cináeda ( Modern Gaelic: ; died 877) was a king of the Picts. He is often known as Constantine I in reference to his place in modern lists of kings of Scots, but contemporary sources described only as a Pictish king. A son of ("K ...

at about this date. ;875 *

Oistin mac Amlaíb Oistin mac Amlaíb ( non, Eysteinn Óláfsson) was a ninth-century Norse or Norse-Gael leader who is sometimes identified as a King of Dublin. He was a son of Amlaíb Conung and nephew of Ímar, founder of the Uí Ímair dynasty. He is sometime ...

, Norse

King of Dublin Vikings invaded the territory around Dublin in the 9th century, establishing the Norse Kingdom of Dublin, the earliest and longest-lasting Norse kingdom in Ireland. Its territory corresponded to most of present-day County Dublin. The Norse refe ...

, is deceitfully killed, probably by

Halfdan Ragnarsson Halfdan Ragnarsson ( non, Hálfdan; oe, Halfdene or ''Healfdene''; sga, Albann; died 877) was a Viking leader and a commander of the Great Heathen Army which invaded the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England, starting in 865. One of six sons of R ...

. ;877 *

kills

Donnchad mac Aedacain Donnchad mac Aedacain (or Donnchad Ua Conchobair) (died 877) was a King of Uisnech and Mide of the Clann Cholmáin. He was the grandson of the High King Conchobar mac Donnchada (died 833). He ruled as King of Mide from 864 to 877. He came to the t ...

and becomes King of Mide. *

Battle of Strangford Lough The Battle of Strangford Lough was fought in 877 between two groups of rival Vikings described by the Irish Annals as the "fair heathens" and the "dark heathens". The ''Annals of Ulster'' describe "Albann", a figure usually identified with Halfd ...

: In a battle between

Dubgaill and Finngaill ''Dubgaill'' and ''Finngaill'', or ''Dubgenti'' and ''Finngenti'', are Middle Irish terms used to denote different rival groups of Vikings in Ireland and Britain. Literally, ''Dub-/Finngaill'' is translated as "dark and fair foreigners" Downham (2 ...

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 ...

Strangford Lough Strangford Lough (from Old Norse ''Strangr Fjörðr'', meaning "strong sea-inlet"PlaceNames N ...

, leader of the

Great Heathen Army The Great Heathen Army,; da, Store Hedenske Hær also known as the Viking Great Army,Hadley. "The Winter Camp of the Viking Great Army, AD 872–3, Torksey, Lincolnshire", ''Antiquaries Journal''. 96, pp. 23–67 was a coalition of Scandin ...

, is killed in an attempt to claim the

Kingdom of Dublin Vikings invaded the territory around Dublin in the 9th century, establishing the Norsemen, Norse Kingdom of Dublin, the earliest and longest-lasting Norse kingdom in Ireland. Its territory corresponded to most of present-day County Dublin. The N ...

from

Bárid mac Ímair Bárid mac Ímar (also referred to as Baraid or Bardur Ivarsson); non, Bárðr or ; d. 881) was a ninth-century King of Dublin. He was a son of Ivar (Ímar) Ragnarsson and a member of the Uí Ímair. Biography The earliest mention of Bárid ...

(who is lamed). ;879 * Death of Finshnechta mac Maele Corcrai,

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 ...

Luighne Connacht Luighne Connacht was a territory located in north-central Connacht, on the borders of what is now County Mayo and County Sligo, Ireland. Origin The Luighne were a people, originally found in Brega, south of Kells in what is now County Mea ...

. * Death of

Áed Findliath Áed mac Néill (died 879), called Áed Findliath ("fair-grey Áed"; Modern Irish: ''Aodh Fionnadhliath'') to distinguish him from his paternal grandfather Áed Oirdnide, was king of Ailech and High King of Ireland. He was also called Áed Olac ...

, High King of Ireland.

880s

;880 * Death of Irish philosopher and poet Johannes Scotus Eriugena in France (877 also commonly given as the date). ;882 * Death of

Conchobar mac Taidg Mór Conchobar mac Taidg Mór (died 882) was a King of Connacht from the Uí Briúin branch of the Connachta. He was the grandson of Muirgius mac Tommaltaig (died 815), a previous king. His father Tadg Mór (died 810) had been slain fighting in Muirgi ...

from the

branch of the Connachta. ;883 * Death of Eochocán mac Áedo, king of

. ;885 * Death of Máel Pátraic,

Abbot of Clonmacnoise The Abbot of Clonmacnoise was the monastic head of Clonmacnoise. They also bore the title " Comarba of Saint Ciarán", "successor of Saint Ciarán". The following is a list of abbots: List of abbots to 1539 Notes References *Annette Kehnel, ...

. ;888 *Death of Áed mac Conchobair,

890s

;895 *Death of Muiredach mac Eochocáin or Muiredach mac Eochucáin, a

Dál Fiatach Dál Fiatach was a Gaelic dynastic-grouping and the name of their territory in the north-east of Ireland during the Middle Ages. It was part of the over-kingdom of Ulaid, and they were its main ruling dynasty for most of Ulaid's history. Their ...

king of

. ;896 *Death of

Flann mac Lonáin Flann mac Lonáin (died 896) was an Irish poet. Background and career Flann mac Lonáin was a famed and at times controversial poet. He was the Chief Ollam of Ireland He seems to have been born in the east Clare/west Tipperary region. Distinguis ...

, poet. *Death of

Sitriuc mac Ímair Sihtric mac Ímair ( non, Sigtryggr Ívarrsson ; died 896) was a ninth-century King of Dublin. He was a son of Ímar and a member of the Uí Ímair. Biography Sitriuc succeeded his brother Sichfrith as King of Dublin in 888.Downham p. 25 For mo ...

(Sigtryggr), Viking king (perhaps

king of Dublin Vikings invaded the territory around Dublin in the 9th century, establishing the Norse Kingdom of Dublin, the earliest and longest-lasting Norse kingdom in Ireland. Its territory corresponded to most of present-day County Dublin. The Norse refe ...

). * Death of

Murchadh mac Maenach Murchadh mac Maenach (died 896) was King of Maigh Seóla. Biography Murchadh is one of the earliest-attested kings of his region. He is noteworthy as the person who gave his name to the Muintir Murchada, a dynasty whose leading family later ...

, King of Uí Briúin Seóla

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:9th Century In Ireland