Umhaill or Umhall (anglicized as Owill or Owel) was a

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

territory around

Clew Bay Clew Bay (; ga, Cuan Mó) is a natural ocean bay in County Mayo, Republic of Ireland. It contains Ireland's best example of sunken drumlins. The bay is overlooked by Croagh Patrick to the south and the Nephin Range mountains of North Mayo. Cla ...

in the west of what is now County Mayo,

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 ...

, comprising the baronies of Burrishoole (Lower Owel) and

Murrisk Murrisk () is a village in County Mayo, Ireland, on the south side of Clew Bay, about 8 km west of Westport and 4 km east of Lecanvey. Murrisk lies at the foot of Croagh Patrick and is the starting-point for pilgrims who visit the m ...

(Upper Owel). By the 12th century, its ruling dynasty were known as the Uí Máille ( O'Malleys). Originally an autonomous part of the

kingdom 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 name ...

, it later became one of the vassal territories of the

Mac William Íochtar Mac William Íochtar (Lower Mac William), also known as the Mayo Burkes, were a fully Gaelicised branch of the Hiberno-Norman House of Burgh in Ireland. Mayo covered much of the northern part of the province of Connacht and the Mac William Í ...

. Umhaill's last and most famous ruler was

Grace O'Malley Grace O'Malley ( – c. 1603), also known as Gráinne O'Malley ( ga, Gráinne Ní Mháille, ), was the head of the Ó Máille dynasty in the west of Ireland, and the daughter of Eóghan Dubhdara Ó Máille. In Irish folklore she is commonly k ...

(Gráinne Ní Mháille), nicknamed "the pirate queen". In 1576, during the

Tudor conquest of Ireland The Tudor conquest (or reconquest) of Ireland took place under the Tudor dynasty, which held the Kingdom of England during the 16th century. Following a failed rebellion against the crown by Silken Thomas, the Earl of Kildare, in the 1530s, ...

, she agreed to the

surrender and regrant During the Tudor conquest of Ireland (c.1540–1603), "surrender and regrant" was the legal mechanism by which Irish clans were to be converted from a power structure rooted in clan and kin loyalties, to a late-feudal system under the English l ...

policy, accepting English inheritance law in return for official

title deeds A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

to her lands. On her death the lands were inherited by her son Tibbot "na Long". Umhaill had a strong

seafaring Seamanship is the Art (skill), art, knowledge and Competence (human resources), competence of operating a ship, boat or other craft on water. The'' Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford Dictionary'' states that seamanship is "The skill, techniques ...

culture. Important sites associated with it include

Carrickkildavnet Castle Carrickkildavnet Castle or Kildavnet Castle is a tower house and National Monument located in Achill Island, Ireland. Location Carrickkildavnet Castle is located in the southeast corner of Achill Island, across from the Corraun Peninsula. Thi ...

, Carrickahowley Castle, Granuaile's Castle and Clare Island Abbey.

Description

Knox says of Murrisk "With Burrishoole it forms the kingdom of Aicill and Umall, which comes into history at the battle of Moy Lena. Aicill seems to be a descriptive term applied to mountainous country. Umall means low, and applies in this sense to the country lying east of Clew Bay, as Aicill applies to the parts lying north and south of the bay. The title may be translated as King of Highland and Lowland. Aicill survives in

Achill Island Achill Island (; ga, Acaill, Oileán Acla) in County Mayo is the largest of the Irish isles, and is situated off the west coast of Ireland. It has a population of 2,594. Its area is . Achill is attached to the mainland by Michael Davitt Br ...

and Curraun peninsula. The term was applied to the country between Clew Bay and the Killeries in the thirteenth century. Though at all times an independent kingdom acknowledging supremacy of only the King of Connacht, it was too small to play an independent part, and therefore is rarely mentioned in the annals." (p. 303).

Legacy

The

Gaelic culture The Gaels ( ; ga, Na Gaeil ; gd, Na Gàidheil ; gv, Ny Gaeil ) are an ethnolinguistic group native to Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man in the British Isles. They are associated with the Gaelic languages: a branch of the Celtic languag ...

and

Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...

continued on in the area longer than most other parts of Ireland. Today, ''

Acaill Achill Island (; ga, Acaill, Oileán Acla) in County Mayo is the largest of the Irish isles, and is situated off the west coast of Ireland. It has a population of 2,594. Its area is . Achill is attached to the mainland by Michael Davitt Brid ...

'' and '' An Corrán'' are part of the Mayo

Gaeltacht ( , , ) are the districts of Ireland, individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The ''Gaeltacht'' districts were first officially reco ...

Kings of Umaill

Its earliest rulers were the semi-historical Tuath mhac nUmhoir. The Umaill, its early historical rulers, were renamed the Uí Briúin Umaill to claim a fictitious relationship with 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 ...

. By the 12th century the ruling family adopted the surname Ó Máille, and were reckoned with the Ó Dubhda,

Ó Flaithbheartaigh O'Flaherty ( , ; mga, Ua Flaithbertach; ga, label= Modern Irish, Ó Flaithbheartaigh ) is an Irish Gaelic clan based most prominently in what is today County Galway. The clan name originated in the 10th century as a derivative of its foun ...

and Mac Conraoi as supreme seafaring clans of Connacht.

Annalistic references

* ''812.A slaughter was made of the foreigners'' .e._Vikings.html"_;"title="Vikings.html"_;"title=".e._Vikings">.e._Vikings">Vikings.html"_;"title=".e._Vikings">.e._Vikings'_by_the_men_of_Umhall.'' *_''813.A_battle_between_the_men_of_Umhall_and_the_foreigners,_in_which_the_men_of_Umhall_were_slaughtered,_and_Cosgrach,_son_of_Flannabhrat,_and_Dunadhach,_lord_of_Umhall,_were_slain.'' *_''848._Loch_Laeigh,_in_the_territory_of_Umhall,_in_Connaught,_migrated.'' *_''U913.6._Niall_Glúndub.html" ;"title="Vikings">.e._Vikings.html" ;"title="Vikings.html" ;"title=".e. Vikings">.e. Vikings">Vikings.html" ;"title=".e. Vikings">.e. Vikings' by the men of Umhall.'' * ''813.A battle between the men of Umhall and the foreigners, in which the men of Umhall were slaughtered, and Cosgrach, son of Flannabhrat, and Dunadhach, lord of Umhall, were slain.'' * ''848. Loch Laeigh, in the territory of Umhall, in Connaught, migrated.'' * ''U913.6. Niall Glúndub">Niall son of Aed led an expedition to Connacht and inflicted a battle-rout on the warriors of the north of Connacht, i.e. on the Uí Amalgada and the men of Umall, and they left behind a very large number either dead or captured, including Mael Cluiche son of Conchobor.'' * ''M1002.10 - Conchobhar, son of Maelseachlainn, lord of Corca-Modhruadh; and Aicher Ua Traighthech, with many others, were slain by the men of Umhall.'' * ''M1219.6. Duvdara, the son of Murray O'Malley, was put to death for his crimes by Cathal Crovderg O'Conor, while in fetters in O'Conor's fortress.'' * ''1415. A great prey was taken by O'Malley, i.e. Hugh, from Dermot O'Malley. Dermot in retaliation took O'Malley's Island, upon which Hugh went in pursuit of Dermot; and a battle was fought between them, in which Hugh O'Malley, Lord of Umallia, was slain by Dermot and his son Conor, and also the son of Thomas O'Malley, and Donnell, the son of Dermot O'Malley. The chieftainship of Umallia was thenceforth wrested from the descendants of Hugh; and Dermot assumed the lordship.'' * ''1417. Rory, the son of Murrough O'Flaherty; Rory, the son of Dermot Duv O'Flaherty, and sixteen others of the O'Flahertys, were drowned in the bay of Umallia.''

References

* ''The History of Mayo'', p. 303, Hubert T. Knox, 1908.

External links