Conchobar mac Taidg Mór (died 882) was a

King 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 named ...

from 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 th ...

branch of the

Connachta The Connachta are a group of medieval Irish dynasty, dynasties who claimed descent from the legendary High King of Ireland, High King Conn of the Hundred Battles, Conn Cétchathach (Conn of the Hundred Battles). The modern western Provinces of ...

. He was the grandson of Muirgius mac Tommaltaig (died 815), a previous king. His father Tadg Mór (died 810) had been slain fighting in Muirgius' wars versus the minor tribes of

Connacht Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...

. He was of the Síl Muiredaig sept of the

. The Ó Conchobhair septs of

are named for him.

Biography

The exact dates of his reign are uncertain. According to the '' Book of Leinster'' king-list he is given a reign of 27 years which would synchronise to a reign of circa 855 to 882 The death of a co-ruler Mugron mac Máele Cothaid is mentioned in 872. Connacht was subject to the

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 ...

during this period. In 860 the men of Connacht participated in the expedition of the high king Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid (died 862) of Clann Cholmáin against the northern Ui Neill. They halted at Mag Dumai, near Armagh, where their camp was attacked but they beat this attack off and the expedition ended without a clear victor. In 863 the new high king Áed Findliath (died 879) of the

Cenél nEógain Cenél is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Cenél Conaill, the name of the "kindred" or descendants of Conall Gulban, son of Niall Noígiallach defined by oral and recorded history * Cenél nEógain (in English, Cenel Eogan) is ...

made an expedition into Connacht to impose his authority. Conchobar fought as an ally of the high king Áed Findliath against Flann mac Conaing (died 868), King of Brega, and his Viking allies at the Battle of Cell Ua nDaigri in 868. Despite being outnumbered, they won the victory. Conchobar's vassal king, Mannachan, lord of Ui Briuin Na Sinna slew Flann; of which was said:

"Great the triumph for Mannachan, for the hero of fierce valour, to have the head of the son of Conaing in his hand, to exhibit it before the face of the son of Tadhg."

The '' Fragmentary Annals of Ireland'' record a Norse raid through Connacht on their way to

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

in 867 but they were ambushed and defeated by the Connachtmen. In 873 Connacht was attacked by Dúnchad mac Duib-dá-Bairenn (died 888),

King of Munster The kings of Munster () ruled the Kingdom of Munster in Ireland from its establishment during the Irish Iron Age until the High Middle Ages. According to Gaelic traditional history, laid out in works such as the ''Book of Invasions'', the earli ...

and Cerball mac Dúnlainge (died 888), king of Osraige. The heir to Connacht, Abán son of Cinaed was killed with fire by Sochlachán son of Diarmait in 867 and in 872 his apparent co-ruler Mugron mac Máele Cothaid died. Conchobar himself died at an old age in 882, according to the annals.''Annals of Ulster'' AU 882.7. Conchobar had married Ailbe, daughter of the high king Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid. Conchobar's sons Áed mac Conchobair (died 888), Tadg mac Conchobair (died 900) and Cathal mac Conchobair (died 925) were all Kings of Connacht. Cathal's descendants were known as the Ua Conchobair (modern O'Connor), the descendants of Conchobar. Another son was named Máel Cluiche (died 913).

Notes

References

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External links

CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts
a
University College Cork
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conchobar Mac Taidg Mor Kings of Connacht 882 deaths 9th-century Irish monarchs O'Conor dynasty Year of birth unknown