Ailill mac Dúnlainge c. (831871) was a King of Leinster of the Uí Muiredaig sept of the

Uí Dúnlainge The Uí Dúnlainge, from the Old Irish "grandsons (or descendants) of Dúnlaing", were an Irish dynasty of Leinster kings who traced their descent from Dúnlaing mac Énda Niada, a fifth-century King of Leinster. He was said to be a cousin of ...

branch of the Laigin. This sept had their royal seat at Maistiu (Mullaghmast) in South

Kildare Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 10,302, making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. It is home to Kildare Cathedral, historically the site of an important abbey said to have been founded by Saint ...

in what is now

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. He was the son of

Dúnlaing mac Muiredaig Dúnlaing mac Muiredaig (died 869) was a King of Leinster of the Uí Muiredaig sept of the Uí Dúnlainge branch of the Laigin. This sept had their royal seat at Maistiu ( Mullaghmast) in South Kildare. He was the son of Muiredach mac Brain (di ...

(died 869), a previous king. He ruled from 869-871. There is much confusion in the king lists during this period for Leinster. Ailill is the first person awarded the title King of Leinster in the ''Annals of Ulster'' at his death notice since 838.

Francis John Byrne Francis John Byrne (1934 – 30 December 2017) was an Irish historian. Born in Shanghai where his father, a Dundalk man, captained a ship on the Yellow River, Byrne was evacuated with his mother to Australia on the outbreak of World War II. A ...

suggests that the root of this apparent confusion lay in the fact that the Uí Dúnlainge kings exercised little real authority due to the aggressions of their western neighbour

Cerball mac Dúnlainge Cerball mac Dúnlainge (patronymic sometimes spelled ''Dúngaile'', ) (died 888) was king of Ossory in south-east Ireland. The kingdom of Ossory (''Osraige'') occupied roughly the area of modern County Kilkenny and western County Laois and lay b ...

(died 888), King of Osraige. Cerball, while unable to install himself as king of Leinster, was able to prevent any rival king exercising real power there. In 870 the high king

Áed Findliath Áed mac Néill (died 879), called Áed Findliath ("fair-grey Áed"; Modern Irish: ''Aodh Fionnadhliath'') to distinguish him from his paternal grandfather Áed Oirdnide, was king of Ailech and High King of Ireland. He was also called Áed Olach ...

(died 879) invaded Leinster and overran it from Áth Cliath (Dublin) to Gabrán. Meanwhile, his ally

(died 888) of

Osraige Osraige (Old Irish) or Osraighe (Classical Irish), Osraí (Modern Irish), anglicized as Ossory, was a medieval Irish kingdom comprising what is now County Kilkenny and western County Laois, corresponding to the Diocese of Ossory. The home of ...

invaded Leinster from the west. He reached Dún Bolg where his camp was attacked by the Laigin who were at first successful, but in a counter-attack they were put to flight. Ailill's name is not connected with these events which state that Muiredach mac Brain was the King of Leinster who fought the forces of Cerball. The ''Fragmentary Annals'' give a lengthy account of this event and state that Cerball met up with the high king's forces at Belach Gabrán (the pass of Gowran in east-central Osraighe) but both forces then retired and the hostages of the Laigin were not taken. In 871 Ailill was killed by the Vikings of Dublin.AU 871.4 His son, Augaire mac Aililla (died 917) was also a King of Leinster.

Notes

References

* ''Annals of Ulster'' a

a
University College Cork
* ''Fragmentary Annals of Ireland'' a

a
University College Cork
* Byrne, Francis John (2001), ''Irish Kings and High-Kings'', Dublin: Four Courts Press, *Ó Corráin, Donnchad (1972), ''Ireland Before the Normans'', Dublin: Gill and Macmillan

External links

a
University College Cork
Kings of Leinster 9th-century Irish monarchs 830s births 871 deaths {{Ireland-royal-stub