Congalach mac Conaing Cuirre (died 696) was a King of Brega from the Uí Chonaing sept of the Síl nÁedo Sláine branch 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 ...

. 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 66]), a previous king of Brega. The territory of Brega that he ruled was called 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 ...

) or North Brega which he ruled from 662 to 696. He was king of all Brega from 695 to 696. The Síl nÁedo Sláine dominated the midlands in this period and began to engage in internecine strife among its various lineages. Congalach's first mention in the annals is in 688 when he was defeated at the Battle of Imlech Pich by Niall mac Cernaig Sotal of the Uí Chernaig sept of Lagore in south Brega. Congalach survived the battle but his allies Dub dá Inber, king of Ard Ciannachta, and Uarchride Ua Oissíne, of the Conaille Muirtheimne, were slain. According to 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 ...

'', the Ciannachta tribe came under foreign rule and were deprived of sovereignty as a result. In 695, Congalach and his kinsman Áed mac Dlúthaig of the Síl nDlúthaig of Fir Cúl Breg killed

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 ...

, 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 ...

, and his son Bresal of the Clan Fínsnechtai sept at Grellaigh Dollaith. According to the ''

Annals of Tigernach The ''Annals of Tigernach'' (Abbreviation, abbr. AT, ) are chronicles probably originating in Clonmacnoise, Ireland. The language is a mixture of Latin language, Latin and Old Irish, Old and Middle Irish. Many of the pre-historic entries come f ...

'', this occurred in battle, but the ''Fragmentary Annals of Ireland'' state that Finsnechta was murdered in a tent by Congalach and Áed. Congalach now became ruler of Brega. The record in ''

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� ...

'' may show that Congalach was a candidate for the high kingship after the killing of Fínsnechta, in competition with

Loingsech mac Óengusso Loingsech, an Irish language male name meaning ''exile'' or ''sailor'', might refer to: * Labhraidh Loingseach, a legendary high king of Ireland and ancestor of the Laigin * Loingsech mac Colmáin (died 655), king of Leinster * Loingsech mac Flaithb ...

of the northern Uí Néill kindred of

Cenél Conaill 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 ...

. It is not until after Congalach's death that the annal, probably based on a contemporaneous chronicle kept on

Iona Iona (; , sometimes simply ''Ì'') is an island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though there are other buildings on the island. Iona Abbey was a centre of Gaeli ...

, announces the beginning of Loingsech's reign. Congalach's son Amalgaid mac Congalaig (died 718) was also King of Brega. Another son was Fergal mac Congalaig (died 718). They were both slain at the Battle of Cenannas (near Kells) by the Uí Chernaig sept. Another son Suibne mac Congalaig (died 722) was slain at the Battle of Allen where the Ui Neill were crushed by the men of Leinster.''Fragmentary Annals of Ireland'', FA 178

Notes

References

* ''Annals of Tigernach'' a
CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts
a
University College Cork
* ''Annals of Ulster'' a

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

a
University College Cork
* Charles-Edwards, T. M. (2000), ''Early Christian Ireland'', Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, {{DEFAULTSORT:Congalach Mac Conaing Kings of Brega 696 deaths 7th-century Irish monarchs Year of birth unknown