Sechnassach mac Blathmaic (died 671) followed his father

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

(died 665) and uncle

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) as

High King of Ireland High King of Ireland ( ga, Ardrí na hÉireann ) was a royal title in Gaelic Ireland held by those who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over all of Ireland. The title was held by historical kings and later sometimes assigned ana ...

and

King of Brega 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 ...

. He belonged to 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 Conall ...

kindred of the southern

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 ...

, named for his grandfather

Áed Sláine Áed mac Diarmato (died 604), called Áed Sláine (Áed of Slane), was the son of Diarmait mac Cerbaill. Legendary stories exist of Áed's birth. Saint Columba is said to have prophesied his death. His descendants, the Síl nÁedo Sláine—t ...

(died 604). Sechnassach's father and uncle are said to have died in a great

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...

—the ''buide Chonaill''—which struck

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 ...

from 664 or 665 onwards. While the '' Baile Chuinn Cétchathaigh'', compiled in the reign of

Fínsnechta Fledach Fínsnechta Fledach mac Dúnchada (died 695) was High King of Ireland. Fínsnechta belonged to the southern Síl nÁedo Sláine sept of the Uí Néill and was King of Brega, in modern County Meath, Ireland. He was a grandson of Áed Sláine. His ...

(died 695), does not include Sechnassach or his brother

Cenn Fáelad Cenn Fáelad mac Blathmaic (died 675) followed his father Blathmac mac Áedo Sláine (d. 665) and his brother Sechnassach (d. 671) as High King of Ireland and king of Brega. He belonged to the Síl nÁedo Sláine kindred of the southern Uí Néil ...

(died 675) among its High Kings, the

Chronicle of Ireland The Chronicle of Ireland ( ga, Croinic na hÉireann) is the modern name for a hypothesized collection of ecclesiastical annals recording events in Ireland from 432 to 911 AD. Several surviving annals share events in the same sequence and wordin ...

, on which other

Irish annals A number of Irish annals, of which the earliest was the Chronicle of Ireland, were compiled up to and shortly after the end of the 17th century. Annals were originally a means by which monks determined the yearly chronology of feast days. Over t ...

were founded, named him as a High King on his death. The omission of Sechnassach and his brother Cenn Fáelad from this king list may be deliberate as it was compiled in the reign of Cenn Fáelad's killer Fínsnechta Fledach. Sechnassach's marital alliances suggest that he had close relations with the kingdom of

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...

. His only recorded marriage was with one Findelb ingen Chellaig, who may have been a daughter of

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). His daughter, Bé Fáil (died 741), was in turn married to Cellach Cualann. Two other daughters of Sechnassach, Murgal and Mumain, are known, but no sons.Irwin, "Sechnassach mac Blathmaic". Little is recorded in the annals of Sechnassach's reign except his death. He was killed in November 671 by Dub Dúin, king of

Cenél Coirpri Tethbae (; also spelled ''Tethba'', often anglicised ''Teffia'') was a confederation of túatha in central Ireland in the Middle Ages. It was divided into two distinct kingdoms, north Tethba, ruled by the Cenél Coirpri, and south Tethba, ruled ...

, a minor Uí Néill kingdom on the upper reaches of 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 ...

near Clonard. His brother Cenn Fáelad became high king after him, probably in 672. The ''Annals of the Four Masters'' record of him:

Full of bridles and horsewhips, was the house in which dwelt Seachnasach,
Many were the leavings of plunder in the house in which dwelt the son of Blathmac.''Annals of the Four Masters'', M669.1.

He has appeared in both the novels and short stories of Peter Tremayne's

Sister Fidelma mysteries The Sister Fidelma mysteries are a series of historical mystery novels and short stories by Peter Tremayne (pseudonym of Peter Berresford Ellis) about a fictional detective who is the eponymous heroine of a series. Fidelma is both a ''dalaigh' ...

Notes

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sechnassach mac Blathmaic 671 deaths High Kings of Ireland Kings of Brega 7th-century Irish monarchs Year of birth unknown Gaels