Tuathal mac Máele-Brigte (died 854) was a King of Leinster of the Uí Muiredaig sept of the

Uí Dúnlainge The Uí Dúnlainge, from the Old Irish "grandsons (or descendants) of Dúnlaing", were an Irish dynasty of Leinster kings who traced their descent from Dúnlaing mac Énda Niada, a fifth-century King of Leinster. He was said to be a cousin of ...

branch of the Laigin. This sept had their royal seat at Maistiu (Mullaghmast) in South Kildare. He was possibly the son of

Muiredach mac Brain Muiredach mac Brain (died 885) was a King of Leinster of the Uí Dúnchada sept of the Uí Dúnlainge branch of the Laigin. This sept had their royal seat at Líamhain (Lyons Hill, on the Dublin-Kildare border). He was the son of Bran mac Fáel� ...

(died 818), a previous king. However he is known as the son of Máel-Brigte in the annals, which person's identity is unknown. The succession of kings in Leinster is difficult to follow in his time. The king lists in the ''Book of Leinster'' have Tuathal succeed his cousin Lorcán mac Cellaig and Tuathal is given a reign of three years giving a reign of 851–854.

Byrne Byrne is an Irish surname and less commonly a given name. It is derived from the Gaelic ''Ó Broin'' or ''Ó Beirn'', which are also linked to the surname O'Byrne. There are two Irish surnames which have Byrne as their English spelling; the mos ...

suggests that the root of this apparent confusion lay in the fact that the Uí Dúnlainge kings exercised little real authority due to the aggressions of their western neighbour

Cerball mac Dúnlainge Cerball mac Dúnlainge (patronymic sometimes spelled ''Dúngaile'', ) (died 888) was king of Ossory in south-east Ireland. The kingdom of Ossory (''Osraige'') occupied roughly the area of modern County Kilkenny and western County Laois and lay b ...

(died 888),

King of Osraige The kings of Osraige (alternately spelled ''Osraighe'' and Anglicised as ''Ossory'') reigned over the medieval Irish kingdom of Osraige from the first or second century AD until the late twelfth century. Osraige was a semi-provincial kingdom in s ...

. Cerball, while unable to install himself as king of Leinster, was able to prevent any rival king exercising real power there. In his death obit in the annals in 854 it states that he was wickedly killed by his own kinsmen. He is only accorded the title of King of the Uí Dúnlainge.''Annals of Ulster'', AU 854.1

Notes

References

* ''Annals of Ulster'' a
CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts
a
University College Cork
* ''Book of Leinster'',''Rig Laigin'' a

a
University College Cork
* Byrne, Francis John (2001), Irish Kings and High-Kings, Dublin: Four Courts Press,

External links

a
University College Cork
Kings of Leinster Kings of Uí Dúnlainge 854 deaths 9th-century Irish monarchs People from County Kildare Year of birth unknown {{Ireland-royal-stub