Maine mac Néill (died 712) was a king in southern Brega of the Uí Chernaig sept of

Lagore Loch Gabhair (Lagore), meaning "Lake of the Goats", is an area in the barony of Ratoath, County Meath, Ireland. It is located between the villages of Ratoath and Dunshaughlin and is the namesake of the townlands of Lagore Big (Loch Gabhar Mór) an ...

of the

Síl nÁedo Sláine Síl nÁedo Sláine () are the descendants of Áed Sláine (Áed mac Diarmato), son of Diarmait mac Cerbaill. Part of the Southern Uí Néill—they were the kings of Brega—they claimed descent from Niall Noígiallach and his son Cona ...

. He was the son of

Niall mac Cernaig Sotal Niall mac Cernaig Sotal (died 701) was a king in southern Brega of the Uí Chernaig sept of Lagore of the Síl nÁedo Sláine. He was the grandson of the high king Diarmait mac Áedo Sláine (died 665).Charles-Edwards, ''Early Christian Ireland'', ...

(died 701) and great-grandson of the high king

Diarmait mac Áedo Sláine Diarmait (died 665) was a son of Áed Sláine. According to the Irish annals, he was High King of Ireland. Sons of Áed Sláine Diarmait's father Áed Sláine was a son of Diarmait mac Cerbaill, the apical ancestor of the southern branches of ...

(died 665). Maine is listed as one of the guarantors of the

Cáin Adomnáin The ''Cáin Adomnáin'' (Law of Adomnán), also known as the ''Lex Innocentium'' (Law of Innocents), was promulgated amongst a gathering of Irish, Dál Riatan and Pictish notables at the Synod of Birr in 697. It is named after its initiator ...

("Law of the Innocents") of Saint Adomnán arranged at the Synod of Birr in

697 __NOTOC__ Year 697 ( DCXCVII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 697 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar e ...

during his father's lifetime. In his time a feud broke out among the Síl nÁedo Sláine between the Uí Chernaig sept and the northern septs of Uí Chonaing of Cnogba (

Knowth Knowth (; ga, Cnóbha) is a Neolithic passage grave and an ancient monument of the World Heritage Site of Brú na Bóinne located 8.4 km west of Drogheda in Ireland's valley of the River Boyne. It is the largest passage grave of the Brú ...

) and the Síl nDlúthaig of Fir Cúl. In 701 Maine's father Niall had been killed by the Uí Chonaing king of Brega,

Írgalach mac Conaing Írgalach mac Conaing Cuirre (died 702), also called Írgalach ua Conaing, was a King of Brega from the Uí Chonaing sept of Cnogba (Knowth) of the Síl nÁedo Sláine branch of the southern Ui Neill. He was the son of Conaing Cuirre mac Congaile ...

Cuirre (died

702 __NOTOC__ Year 702 ( DCCII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 702 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era b ...

). His brother

Fogartach mac Néill Fogartach Mac'Artain (died 724), sometimes called Fogartach ua Cernaich, was an Irish king who is reckoned a High King of Ireland. He belonged to the Uí Chernaig sept of the Síl nÁedo Sláine branch of the southern Uí Néill. He was King of B ...

(died 724) held power as well and was defeated at the Battle of Claenath, fought near Clane in modern County Kildare by

Cellach Cualann Cellach Cualann mac Gerthidi (died 715) was the last Uí Máil king of Leinster. Cellach's byname is derived from the land of ''Cualu'' which lay around Glendalough. The name Uí Máil may mean "grandsons of the princes". This, along with their ...

(died

715 __NOTOC__ Year 715 ( DCCXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 715 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era ...

), the King of Leinster in

704 __NOTOC__ Year 704 ( DCCIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 704 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era be ...

. His brother Fogartach was able to hold the kingship of all Brega at times. Maine himself was slain in battle in 712 as part of the Síl nÁedo Sláine feud by

Flann mac Áedo Flann mac Áedo (died 714) was a King of Fir Cúl in Brega of the Síl nDlúthaig sept of the Síl nÁedo Sláine of Brega. He was the son of Áed mac Dlúthaig (died 701), King of Fir Cúl and great-grandson of Ailill Cruitire mac Áedo Sláine ( ...

(died

714 __NOTOC__ Year 714 ( DCCXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 714 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era ...

) of the Síl nDlúthaig.''Annals of Ulster'' AU 712.6

Notes

References

* ''Annals of Tigernach'' a
CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts
a
University College Cork
* ''Annals of Ulster'' a

a
University College Cork
* Charles-Edwards, T. M. (2000), ''Early Christian Ireland'', Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,

External links

a
University College Cork
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maine Mac Neill Kings of Brega Monarchs killed in action 712 deaths 8th-century Irish monarchs Year of birth unknown