Cináed mac Conaing (died 851) was
King of Knowth in the medieval
Irish province of
Mide, succeeding his father
Conaing mac Flainn in 849.
Cináed's family belonged to the Knowth, or Uí Chonaing, branch of the
Síl nÁedo Sláine, part of the southern branch of the dominant
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 ...
kin group. The leadership of the southern branch rested with the rival
Clann Cholmáin whose chief,
Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid, was
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 ...
. Even within the Síl nÁedo Sláine, Cináed and his kin had a rival in the shape of
Tigernach mac Fócartai, king of
Lagore.
In 850 Cináed allied himself with the
Viking
Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...
armies in the Irish midlands. He and his allies, say 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� ...
'', "plundered
he southernUí Néill from the
Shannon to the sea" burning churches and settlements. This is portrayed as a rebellion against Máel Sechnaill, but the target may well have been Cináed's local rival Tigernach whose
crannog
A crannog (; ; ) is typically a partially or entirely artificial island, usually constructed in lakes, bogs and estuary, estuarine waters of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Unlike the prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps, which were built ...
in
Loch Gabhair was burned, along with the nearby church at
Trevet.
The following year, 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 ...
record, Cináed was treacherously executed by being drowned by Máel Sechnaill and Tigernach, presumably at a conference as the annals add that this was "in spite of the guarantees of the nobles of Ireland, and the successor of
Patrick .e. the abbot of Armagh">Armagh.html" ;"title=".e. the abbot of Armagh">.e. the abbot of Armaghin particular".
Cináed was succeeded by his brother Flann mac Conaing">Flann. According to saga material embedded in the ''Fragmentary Annals of Ireland'', the Viking king Amlaíb Conung, Amlaíb was married to a daughter of Cináed, and killed his brother Auisle in an argument over her. Whether this wife existed, and if she did, whether she was the daughter of this Cináed, or of the
king of the Picts
The list of kings of the Picts is based on the Pictish Chronicle king lists. These are late documents and do not record the dates when the kings reigned. The various surviving lists disagree in places as to the names of kings, and the lengths ...
Cináed mac Ailpín, or of some other Cináed, is unclear.
References
*
*
Byrne, Francis John, ''Irish Kings and High Kings.'' London: Batsford, 1973.
* Charles-Edwards, T. M., ''Early Christian Ireland.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000.
*
Woolf, Alex, ''Pictland to Alba 789–1070.'' Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2007.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cinaed Mac Conaing
851 deaths
9th-century Irish monarchs
Year of birth unknown