Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill (), also called Máel Sechnaill Mór or Máel Sechnaill II (949 – 2 September 1022), was a
King of Mide and
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 ...
. His great victory at the
Battle of Tara against
Olaf Cuaran in 980 resulted in Gaelic Irish control of the
Kingdom of Dublin.
First reign as High King
Máel Sechnaill belonged to the
Clann Cholmáin branch of the
Uí Néill dynasty. He was the grandson of
Donnchad Donn, great-grandson of
Flann Sinna and great-great-grandson of the first Máel Sechnaill,
Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid. The
Kings of Tara or High Kings of Ireland had for centuries alternated between the various Uí Néill branches. By Máel Sechnaill's time this alternating succession passed between Clann Cholmáin in the south and the
Cenél nEógain in the north, so that he succeeded
Domnall ua Néill in 980. This system had survived previous challenges by outsiders including the kings of
Ulster
Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...
,
Munster
Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...
and
Leinster
Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland.
The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...
, and 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� ...
invasions.
Defeat of Olaf Cuaran at the Battle of Tara
In 980,
Olav Cuarán,
King of Dublin, summoned auxiliaries from Norse-ruled Scottish Isles and from Mann and attacked Meath, but was defeated by Máel Sechnaill at the
Battle of Tara. Reginald, Olaf's heir, was killed. Máel Sechnaill followed up his victory with a siege of Dublin which surrendered after three days and nights. When Maél Sechnaill took Dublin in 980, according to the
Annals of Tigernach, he freed all the slaves then residing in the city:
Battle of Glenmama
In 997, at a royal meeting near
Clonfert
Clonfert () is a small village in east County Galway, Ireland, halfway between Ballinasloe and Portumna. The village gives its name to the Diocese of Clonfert (Roman Catholic), Diocese of Clonfert. Clonfert Cathedral is one of the eight cathedr ...
, Máel Sechnaill met with his long-time rival
Brian Boru
Brian Boru (; modern ; 23 April 1014) was the High King of Ireland from 1002 to 1014. He ended the domination of the High King of Ireland, High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill, and is likely responsible for ending Vikings, Viking invasio ...
,
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 ...
.
[Ó Corráin, p 123] The two kings made a truce, by which Brian was granted rule over the southern half of Ireland, while Máel Sechnaill retained the northern half and high kingship.
In honour of this arrangement, Máel Sechnaill handed over to Brian the
hostages he had taken from
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
and
Leinster
Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland.
The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...
;
and in 998, Brian handed over to Máel Sechnaill the hostages 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 ...
.
In the same year, Brian and Máel Sechnaill began co-operating against the
Norse of Dublin for the first time.
Late in 999, however, the Leinstermen, historically hostile to domination by either the
Uí Néill overkings or the
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 ...
, allied themselves with the Norse of Dublin and revolted against Brian.
The ''
Annals of the Four Masters
The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' () or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' () are chronicles of Middle Ages, medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Genesis flood narrative, Deluge, dated as 2,242 Anno Mundi, years after crea ...
'' records that Brian and Máel Sechnaill united their forces,
and according to 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� ...
'', they met the Leinster-Dublin army at
Glenmama on Thursday, 30 December 999.
Glenmama, near
Lyons Hill in
Ardclough,
County Kildare
County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...
, between Windmill Hill and Blackchurch, was the ancient stronghold of the
Kings of Leinster.
The Munster-Meath army defeated the Leinster-Dublin army. Ó Corráin refers to it as a "crushing defeat" of Leinster and Dublin,
[Ó Corráin, p 123] while ''The dictionary of English history'' says the battle effectively "quelled" the "desperate revolt" of Leinster and Dublin. Most importantly, the defeat left the road to Dublin "free and unimpeded for the victorious legions of Brian and Mael Sechlainn".
[Todd, p cxlvi]
Overthrow and restoration
The system of alternating succession between the various Uí Néill branches was ended by Brian Boru's so-called overthrow of Máel Sechnaill in 1002. In fact this was a bloodless shift resulting from the failure of the Northern Uí Néill, his kinsmen, to support Máel Sechnaill against the aspirations of the extremely militarized overlord of Munster. Brian would have little more success with them himself.
Because of the death of Brian Boru in 1014, as well as the death of his son, grandson and many other Munster nobles at the
Battle of Clontarf, Máel Sechnaill succeeded in regaining the titular High Kingship,
King Malachy More
/ref> with the aid of his northern kinsman Flaithbertach Ua Néill, but the High Kingship, albeit with opposition, did not reappear until Diarmait mac Maíl na mBó of Leinster rose to power. Clann Cholmáin provided no further High Kings, but the northern Uí Néill of the Cenél nEógain provided two: Domnall Ua Lochlainn and Muirchertach Mac Lochlainn.
Marriages and issue
Máel Sechnaill had two known wives:
* Gormflaith ingen Murchada
* Máel Muire ingen Amlaíb, possibly a daughter of the former but by another man
He also had six known children:[Benjamin T. Hudson, ‘Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill (948–1022)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004.]
*Conchobar (d 1030)
*Flann (d 1013)
*Congalach (d 1017)
*Domnall (d 1019)
*Murchad Rua (d 1049)
*Muirchertach (d 1049)
His senior descendant, as of the mid-20th century, was Cornelius Frederic McLoughlin, Chief of the Name, born 11 July 1897.
References
* Breen, Aidan "Coleman" in ''Dictionary of Irish Biography'', p 696, vol. two (2009)
* Brady, John: ''Kingdom and County of Meath'', 6–13. Ríocht na Mídhe I, 2, (1956)
* Jaski, Bart (2005). "Máel-Sechnaill II (949/950–1022)". In Seán Duffy. Medieval Ireland. An Encyclopedia.
Abingdon and New York. pp. 310–312.
* Moran, W.: ''The hereditary lands and Royal Tuath of the O'Melaghlins'', 33–44. Ríocht na Mídhe I, 4, (1958)
* Moran, W.: ''Uisneagh, Tara and the rise of monarchy'', 3–17.Ríocht na Mídhe II, 1, (1959)
* Cox, Liam: ''The O Maeleachlainn Kings of Meath'', 22–53. Ríocht na Mídhe V, 2, (1972)
* O'Flynn, Eoin:''The career of Máelsechnaill II'', Ríocht na Mídhe XX (2009), pp. 29–68
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mael Sechnaill mac Domnaill
949 births
1022 deaths
Kings of Mide
People from County Westmeath
11th-century Irish monarchs
10th-century High Kings of Ireland