Ailill mac Fáeláin was a King of Osraige in the south east of Gaelic Ireland. Ailill was of a dynasty known as the Dál Birn. Osraige was located in modern County Kilkenny, Ireland.
| Ailill mac Fáeláin | |
|---|---|
| King of Osraige | |
| Reign | after 712–before 728 |
| Predecessor | Fland mac Congaile |
| Successor | Cellach mac Fáelchair |
| Died | before 728 |
| House | Dál Birn |
| Father | Fáelán mac Crundmaíl |
Ailill was a "Reges Ossairge", a King of Osraige, his year of accession is unknown, however, it was after both the reign of Cú Cherca mac Fáeláin, who had died in 712,[1][2] and Fland mac Congaile who is without a date.[3] The end of his reign is also unknown, however, by 728 Cellach mac Fáelchair had been recorded King.[4]
Ailill is recorded in the Book of Leinster's king lists, and the synchronism's of Thurneysen, Boyle, as well as the Annals of Clonmacnoise.[3][4][5] He is recorded as "Oillill" in the Annals of Clonmacnoise.
Ailill does not appear in the MS Rawlinson B 502 genealogies,[5] but it is presumed[6] that this Ailill was the son of Fáelán mac Crundmaíl (died 660), and the brother of Cú Cherca mac Fáeláin (died 712), who were both King's of Osraige.[7][8]
Lineage
editThe Dál Birn (Old Irish: "the assembly" or "portion" of "Birn") is a tribal epithet found in Irish sources which refers to the descendants of Loegaire Birn Buadach, the hereditary ruling lineage of the kingdom of Osraige in Ireland.[7][9]
For a two-hundred year period beginning the late fifth century, the native Dál Birn kings were temporarily displaced by an allied Corcu Loígde dynasty which ruled Osraige until finally being overthrown. A number of the Corcu Loígde kings are recorded as being periodically slain by the native inhabitants of Osraige until the re-establishment of the Dál Birn.
Dál Birn descendants remained in control of parts of Osraige, even after the Norman Invasion of Ireland, with the continuation of the Mac Giolla Phádraig lordship in Upper Ossory. This senior Dál Birn lineage historically remained the most visible and in possession of an original portion of Osraige through the death of Bernard FitzPatrick, 2nd Baron Castletown in 1937.
References
editFootnotes
edit- ^ (Annals of Tigernach, p. AT 712.5)
- ^ (Annals of Ulster, p. AT 712.5)
- ^ a b (Book of Leinster, pp. Line 5674, p. 189–191, MS folio 40e)
- ^ a b Annals of Clonmacnoise, p. 101.
- ^ a b Baldwin 2011.
- ^ (Baldwin 2011)
- ^ a b "Part 2 of Genealogies from Rawlinson B 502". www.ucc.ie. p. 13.
- ^ (Annals of Clonmacnoise, p. 101)
- ^ (Carrigan 1905, p. 10,28)
Sources
edit- Annals of Clonmacnoise, translated by Connell MacGeoghegan (1627), ed. Denis Murphy (1896). The Annals of Clonmacnoise. Dublin: Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.
- Annals of Tigernach, ed. & partial trans. by Whitley Stokes (1895–1897). "The Annals of Tigernach". Revue Celtique. 16–18. (= Vol. 16 (1895), p. 374-419; 17 (1896), p. 6-33, 116-263, 337-420; 18 (1897), p. 9-59, 150-197, 267-303, 390-391). Edition available from CELT and Full PDF at Internet Archive. Full translation by Gearóid Mac Niocaill (2010), The Annals of Tigernach. Unpublished electronic file ed. by Emer Purcell and Donnchadh Ó Corráin for UCC.
- Book of Leinster, ed. R.I. Best; Osborn Bergin; M.A. O'Brien; Anne O'Sullivan (1954–83). The Book of Leinster, formerly Lebar na Núachongbála. 6 vols. Dublin: DIAS. Available from CELT: vols. 1 (pp. 1–260), 2 (pp. 400–70), 3 (pp. 471–638, 663), 4 (pp. 761–81 and 785–841), 5 (pp. 1119–92 and 1202–1325)
Further reading
edit- Carrigan, William (1905). The History and Antiquities of the Diocese of Ossory. Sealy, Bryers & Walker. ISBN 9785879206463.
- Seán Mac Airt; Gearóid Mac Niocaill, eds. (1983). The Annals of Ulster (to AD 1131). Translated by Mac Airt; Mac Niocaill. Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.
External links
edit- Baldwin, Stewart (2011). "Kings of Osraige (Ossory)". sbaldw.home.mindspring.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
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