Írgalach mac Conaing Cuirre (died 702), also called Írgalach ua Conaing, was a

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 the ...

from the Uí Chonaing sept of Cnogba (

Knowth Knowth (; ) is a prehistoric tomb overlooking the River Boyne in County Meath, Ireland. It comprises a large passage tomb surrounded by 17 smaller tombs, built during the Neolithic era around 3200 BC. It contains the largest assemblage of megali ...

) 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 Con ...

branch of the southern Ui Neill. He was the son of

Conaing Cuirre __NOTOC__ Conaing mac Congaile (died 662), called Conaing Cuirre, was a King of Kings of Brega, Brega from the Síl nÁedo Sláine branch of the southern Ui Neill. He was the son of Congal mac Áedo Sláine (died 634), a previous king of Brega. Th ...

mac Congaile (died 662) and brother of Congalach mac Conaing Cuirre (died 696), previous kings of Brega. He ruled from 696 to 702. Írgalach 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 Gaels, Gaelic and Picts, Pictish notables at the Synod of Birr in 697 in Ireland, 697. It is named ...

("Law of the Innocents") of Saint

Adomnán Adomnán or Adamnán of Iona (; , ''Adomnanus''; 624 – 704), also known as Eunan ( ; from ), was an abbot of Iona Abbey ( 679–704), hagiographer, statesman, canon jurist, and Christian saint, saint. He was the author of the ''Life ...

arranged at the Synod of Birr in 697 where he is called King of Ciannachta. Írgalach's reign began an intense rivalry between the Uí Chonaing and Uí Chernaig sept of Lagore in south Brega of the Síl nÁedo Sláine. His brother Congalach had been defeated by Niall mac Cernaig Sotal (died 701) of this sept at the Battle of Imlech Pich in 688. In 701, Irgalach killed Niall, who was under Adomnán's protection, at Drumain Ua Casan. The ''

Fragmentary Annals of Ireland The ''Fragmentary Annals of Ireland'' or ''Three Fragments'' are a Middle Irish combination of chronicles from various Irish annals and narrative history. They were compiled in the kingdom of Osraige, probably in the lifetime of Donnchad mac Gill ...

'' give the story of the curse the saint laid upon Irgalach for this act:

"Cursed son," said he, "hardest and worst man of God's making, know that shortly you will be separated from your sovereignty, and you will go to Hell."

According to the account in the ''Fragmentary Annals'' Adomnán also cursed Írgalach's descendants. His wife Muirenn (died 748), daughter of

Cellach Cualann Cellach Cualann mac Gerthidi (died 715) was the last king of Leinster from the Uí Máil dynasty. Cellach's byname is derived from the land of ''Cualu'' which lay around Glendalough. Cellach's father was not king of Leinster; his second cousin ...

(died 715), the Uí Máil king of

Leinster Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland. The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...

was pregnant and begged Adomnán to spare her unborn child. This he did, in part, but her child,

Cináed mac Írgalaig Cináed mac Írgalaig (died 728) or Cináed Cáech, "the one-eyed", was an Irish King of Brega who was High King of Ireland. Background Cináed was the son of Írgalach mac Conaing (died 702), a previous King of Brega. He belonged to the Uí ...

, later

High King of Ireland High King of Ireland ( ) 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 was later sometimes assigned anachronously or to leg ...

, was born half-blind, from which he derived his byname Cináed Cáech. . The ''

Annals of Ulster The ''Annals of Ulster'' () are annals of History of Ireland, medieval Ireland. The entries span the years from 431 AD to 1540 AD. The entries up to 1489 AD were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luin� ...

'' record that Írgalach met his death the next year in 702 when invading Britons slew him on the coast opposite Inis Mac Nesáin (

Ireland's Eye Ireland's Eye () is a small long-uninhabited island off the coast of County Dublin, Ireland. In ancient times it was called 'Adros' by Ptolemy, 'Adrea Deserta' by Pliny, and 'Andros' and 'Edria' by other early navigators. Colloquially calle ...

), and the ''Fragmentary Annals'' link this with Adomnán's curse. Joan Radner, translator of the ''Fragmentary Annals'', notes that while the deaths of Niall and Írgalach, and Cináed's blindness, are all attested by the

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 ti ...

, the remainder of the account is of unknown reliability and "the legend fits into the cracks between annal entries".Radner, "Writing history", p. 318.

Notes

References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Irgalach Mac Conaing Kings of Brega 7th-century births 702 deaths 7th-century Irish monarchs 8th-century Irish monarchs