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 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 ...

and king of

Brega Brega , also known as ''Mersa Brega'' or ''Marsa al-Brega'' ( , i.e. "Brega Seaport"), is a complex of several smaller towns, industry installations and education establishments situated in Libya on the Gulf of Sidra, the most southerly point of ...

. He belonged to the Síl nÁedo Sláine kindred of the southern

Uí Néill The Uí Néill (; meaning "descendants of Niall") are Irish dynasties that claim descent from Niall Noígíallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages), a historical King of Tara who is believed to have died around c. 405. They are generally divided ...

which took its name from 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— ...

(died 604). He was killed, probably in an ambush during a royal circuit of Ireland, near Lough Derg, by his first cousin, rival, and eventual successor,

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. H ...

(died 695). The ''Fragmentary Annals of Ireland'' say of this:

The soldiers from the west of the land closed about Fínnachta; Cenn Fáelad's kingship was shorn from him—great its propriety.

While the '' Baile Chuinn Chétchathaig'', compiled in the reign of Fínsnechta, does not include Cenn Fáelad among its High Kings, the

Chronicle of Ireland The Chronicle of Ireland () 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 wording, until 911 when they con ...

, 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 ti ...

were founded, named him as a High King. The omission of Cenn Faelad from this king list may be deliberate as it was compiled in the reign of his killer Fínsnechta Fledach.T.M. Charles-Edwards, ''Early Christian Ireland'', pg.492 His descendants the Uí Chinn Fháelad sept played no major role.

Notes

References

* Byrne, Francis John, ''Irish Kings and High-Kings.'' Batsford, London, 1973. * Charles-Edwards, T. M. (2000), ''Early Christian Ireland'', Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, * * ''Annals of Ulster'' a
CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts
a
University College Cork
* ''Fragmentary Annals of Ireland'' a

a
University College Cork
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cenn Faelad Mac Blathmaic 675 deaths High Kings of Ireland Kings of Brega 7th-century Irish monarchs Year of birth unknown