Cathal Carrach Ua Conchobair, anglicised as Cathal Carragh O'Conor, was

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 1189 to 1202. One of the seven sons of

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 ...

Conchobar Maenmaige Ua Conchobair Conchobar Maenmaige Ua Conchobair, son of High King of Ireland Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair, was King of Connacht from 1183 to 1189. He was a military commander and opponent of the Norman invasion of Ireland. Early life Conchobar Maenmaige took his n ...

, his nickname ''carragh'' ('scabby') suggests he had some sort of skin disease. The identities of his mother and wife are unknown. He first came to prominence during the ''war of the rigdamnae'' in 1185, supporting his father in a three-way contest against Conchobair's father, King Ruaidhri of Connacht, and Ruaidhri's brother, Cathal Crobderg Ua Conchobair. After his father's assassination in 1189, Cathal hunted down and killed the instigator, the mysterious

Conchobar ua nDiarmata Conchobar ua nDiarmata, Noble of Connacht and foster-son to Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair, died 1189. Annalistic references From the Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' ( ga, Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) or the ...

. Cathal became king but faced contention from Cathal Crobderg; the dynastic in-fighting aided the introduction of

Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 * Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature * Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...

forces west of the Shannon, who were employed by both men. Cathal was killed in battle at Corr Sliaib in the

Curlew Mountains The Curlew Mountains () are a range of low-lying hills situated between Boyle and Castlebaldwin in northeastern Connacht. Toponymy The assignation of the name ''Curlew'' to the mountains may not relate the Curlew bird, but rather to the ga, cor ...

in 1202. He was survived by at least one son, Melaghlin, who was killed ten years later.

References

*''Ua Conchobair, Cathal Carrach'', Ailbhe Mac Shamhrain, in ''Dictionary of Irish Biography ... to the year 2002: Volume 9, Staines - Z'', p. 569. Cambridge, 2010. Kings of Connacht 12th-century births 1202 deaths People from County Galway 12th-century Irish monarchs 13th-century Irish monarchs

Cathal Cathal or Cahal is a common given name in Ireland, spelled the same in both the Irish and English languages. The name is derived from two Celtic elements: the first, ''cath'', means "battle"; the second element, ''val'', means "rule". There is no ...

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