Fiachnae mac Áedo Róin (died 789) was 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 ...
ruler of the over-kingdom 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 ...
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 ...
. He reigned from 750 to 789. He was the son of
Áed Róin
Áed Róin mac Bécce Bairrche (died 735) was the Dál Fiatach ruler of the over-kingdom of Ulaid in Ireland. He reigned from 708 to 735. He was the son of Bécc Bairrche mac Blathmaic, (died 718), a previous king of Ulaid who had abdicated in 707 ...
(died 735) and brother of
Bressal mac Áedo Róin (died 750), previous kings. This family had their base in modern-day
County Down,
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
.
Background
His father had been slain in battle in 735 by the
High King of Ireland Áed Allán
Áed Allán (or Áed mac Fergaile) (died 743) was an 8th-century Irish king of Ailech and High King of Ireland. Áed Allán was the son of Fergal mac Máele Dúin and a member of the Cenél nEógain, a branch of the Northern Uí Néill.
F ...
(died 743) of the
Cenél nEógain
Cenél is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Cenél Conaill, the name of the "kindred" or descendants of Conall Gulban, son of Niall Noígiallach defined by oral and recorded history
* Cenél nEógain (in English, Cenel Eogan) i ...
and the
kingship of Ulaid passed to the rival
Dál nAraidi
Dál nAraidi (; "Araide's part") or Dál Araide, sometimes Latinised as Dalaradia or Anglicised as Dalaray,Boyd, Hugh AlexanderIrish Dalriada ''The Glynns: Journal of The Glens of Antrim Historical Society''. Volume 76 (1978). was a Cruthin kin ...
of southern
County Antrim
County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...
in the person of
Cathussach mac Ailello (died 749). However, in 749 Cathussach was killed at Ráith Beithech (Rathveagh, modern County Antrim) probably in the interest of the Dál Fiatach and Fiachnae's brother, Bressal, became king. Bressal himself was killed in 750 but the Dál Fiatach retained the kingship. The historian Professor Byrne, however, believes that it is probable there was an interregnum in Ulaid between the reigns of Áed Róin and Fiachnae.
Reign
Fiachnae restored the fortunes of the Dál Fiatach during his long reign. In 759 he became involved in a dispute among the churchmen of Armagh. Fiachnae supported the abbot Fer-dá-Chrích versus a priest named Airechtach who had the support of
Dúngal mac Amalgado 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 ...
of
Brega. Fiachnae defeated them at the Battle of Emain Macha, near Armagh, and Dúngal and his ally Donn Bó mac Con Brettan, king of Fir Rois were slain.
In 761 Fiachnae defeated the
Uí Echach Cobo
Iveagh ( ; ) is the name of several historical territorial divisions in what is now County Down, Northern Ireland. Originally it was a Gaelic Irish territory, ruled by the ''Uí Echach Cobo'' and part of the overkingdom of Ulaid. From the 12th c ...
(a branch of the Dál nAraidi) of the west part of county Down in the Battle of Áth Duma where their king Ailill mac Feidlimid was slain. The Uí Echach Coba were to suffer another defeat in 776 this time at the hands of the Airthir (an
Airgialla tribe of modern County Armagh).
The Dál nAraidi proper engaged in internecine civil wars in 776 and 783. In one of these conflicts in 776 Fiachnae's son Eochaid gave support to the claimant
Tommaltach mac Indrechtaig (died 790) and they defeated and slew the ing of Dál nAraidi, Cinaed Ciarrge mac Cathussaig, and his ally Dúngal, king of the Uí Tuirtri (an Airgialla tribe west of Lough Neagh) in the Battle of Drong.
The power of Fiachnae was such that the high king
Donnchad Midi
Donnchad mac Domnaill (733 – 6 February 797), called Donnchad Midi, was High King of Ireland. His father, Domnall Midi, had been the first Uí Néill High King from the south-central Clann Cholmáin based in modern County Westmeath and weste ...
(died 797) sought a conference with him at Inis na Ríg in eastern Brega. However, mutual distrust prevented Fiachnae from coming ashore and Donnchad from going out to sea to meet him. The purpose of the meeting may have been to deliminate spheres of influence. Donnchad may have been seeking to settle affairs involving the Uí Echach Coba and Airthir and the border region of the Conailli Muirtheimne (in modern County Louth).
Expansion of Dál Fiatach influence
The expansion of the Dál Fiatach northwards to the shores of Lough Neagh began in his reign and this cut off the Dál nAraidi proper from their kinsmen the Uí Echach Coba in the south. Fiachnae also gave his patronage to
Bangor, traditionally a Dál nAraidi monastery. He also converted Downpatrick into a royal monastery (or this was done by his father). The first recorded abbot of Downpatrick in the annals has a death notice in 753.
His sons
Eochaid mac Fiachnai (died 810) and
Cairell mac Fiachnai (died 819) were Kings of Ulster. Another son, Loingsech mac Fiachnai (died 800) was abbot of Downpatrick. Fiachnae's nephew Diarmait Ua Áedo Róin (died 825) was a Céli Dé (
Culdee
The Culdees ( ga, Céilí Dé, "Spouses of God") were members of ascetic Christian monastic and eremitical communities of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England in the Middle Ages. Appearing first in Ireland and subsequently in Scotland, attac ...
) church reformer and founded the monastery of Diseart Diarmad (
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 ...
, modern County Kildare) in 812 renewing the ties of Bangor with Leinster.
[Byrne (NHI), pg.679]
Notes
References
* ''Annals of Ulster'' a
a
University College Cork* ''Annals of Tigernach'' a
a
University College Cork* Byrne, Francis John (2001), ''Irish Kings and High-Kings'', Dublin: Four Courts Press,
* Charles-Edwards, T. M. (2000), ''Early Christian Ireland'', Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
* Mac Niocaill, Gearoid (1972), ''Ireland before the Vikings'', Dublin: Gill and Macmillan
* Ó Cróinín, Dáibhí (2005), ''A New History of Ireland'', Volume One, Oxford: Oxford University Press
External links
a
University College Cork
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roin, Fiachnae Mac Aedo
Kings of Ulster
789 deaths
8th-century Irish monarchs
Year of birth unknown