Talk:Cathal mac Ailell

Year of death

The year of death isn't consistent with the reign. - Eastmain (talk • contribs) 09:47, 15 February 2010 (UTC)

Descendants are Meic Con Ghaola and the Meic Mheic Cathail

MacFirbis in his Great Book of Genealogies, writes
"Diarmuid was sixteen years in the kingship of Connacht and he fought four battles to obtain it: the battle of Magh Muirisce in the territory of Uf Fhiachrach of the Moy against Ceinéal Conaill s. Niall and the battle of Råth Aradh in the territory of Ui Mhaine and the battle of Baghna in the territory of eastern Connacht and the battle of Tarbhgha in which fell Dünchadh s. Cionaoth and Colga s. Dünchadh, the two kings of Bréifne; it was they who fought the battle(s) of Tarbhgha against Diarmuid. It was that battle of Tarbhgha that took the kingship of Connacht from the family of Diarmuid. This is how that happened. Diarmuid went to talk to Cathal s. Oilill, king of Uf Mhaine, to bring him [with him] to battle against the men of Bréifne. Cathal said that he would not go on loan into battle to dispute territory with anyone else. 'I will give your own award to you,' said Diarmuid. 'I will go there,' said Cathal, 'for my own award.'

The award Cathal demanded of Diarmuid was to take the abbacy of Ciarån from Ailghile and give it to Ciothach (or Ceatach) s. Flann, a mother's son ( mother's son ?) [=half-brother] to Cathal. Diarmuid promised to give that, and he sent a messenger to Ailghile [telling him] that he should vacate the abbacy of Ciarån. Ailghile said that he would not leave it until either of the two kings who were banishing him should seize him by the hands [and remove him] from his abbacy. Diarmuid and Cathal went together to confront Ailghile. Diarmuid said to Cathal to take Ailghile by the hand out of his abbot's seat. Cathal said: 'I will not delay [doing so] at all.' Cathal seized the hand of Ailghile and Ailghile cursed that Cathal and took away the kingship of Ui Mhaine from his family, and thus it came to pass.

The seed of Cathal are Meic Con Ghaola s. Muireadhach and Meic Mheic Cathail also. Råth Cathail and [Råth] Oilealla are deserted from then until today."

Nosa Ui Maine, states in regard to the McCathail to be a leading family of the Ui Maine:
Is iad so lucht cóimíicca1 Chlainni Ceallaig: h-I Duibgind,146 ocus h-I Geibendaig, ocus Mé Cathail, ocus Meg Floind, ocus Muinter Murchadan; ocus Cland Aedagáan, no cur druideadur re h-Ollamnacht an aird-righ.


From the Book of Ballymote from the end of the 14th century:

"It was they who gave the battle of Tarbhda to Diarmait, and it is in that battle of Tarbhda that the kingship of Connacht was divided among the men of the descendants of Diarmait, son of Tomaltach. This is how the men of Caemnagar recount that event. Diarmait went to meet Cathal, son of Ailill, king of the Uí Maine, and made a pact with him to face the men of Breifne in battle. Cathal said that he would not enter a battle to defend the land for anyone else unless it was given to him personally. Diarmait agreed, and Cathal said he would go to assess the judgment of the situation. Cathal's decision was this: he would receive the abbacy of Ciarán for himself from Ailghile as his payment. Murchad, son of Flann, [decided] to give it to Cathal, and Diarmait sent a messenger to Ailghile asking that the abbacy of Ciarán be handed over. Ailghile responded that it could not be granted unless one of the two kings who were disputing over the abbey was taken down.

Diarmait and Cathal then went together to confront Ailghile. Diarmait said to Cathal that Ailghile should be removed from his position as abbot. Cathal said he would not consent to it, but he did take Ailghile's hand and stripped Ailghile of his abbacy. Thus, Cathal secured the kingship of Uí Maine for the men of his clan, based on that event. The descendants of Cathal are the sons of Congal, son of Muiredach, and the sons of Cathal Archena. Thus, the fort of Cathil mac Ailell has been empty from then until now.

Ailghile went to where the men of his mother's family were and begged them to recover the abbacy for him from Diarmait, the king of Connacht, and from the descendants of the cleric. The wife of the king was present during this dispute, and she was pregnant. The woman placed the pregnancy in the protection of the cleric, and the cleric raised the child. ‘I curse this pregnancy in the womb of the queen,’ said the cleric, ‘for the benefit of the woman who bore the child.’ It was said that the child was Dathlaech, son of Diarmait, who was left in the care of the cleric after the nobles of Diarmait.

The king of Connacht gave battle at Fuilech Tarbhda after that, and he was victorious. Two kings of Breifne were killed in that battle. Uadu, son of Dathlaech, and his brothers fought bravely and killed many, including the sons of Uadach. They slaughtered many as they drank in the house of Corcorach of Feadha Manach. The sons of Tomrar of Cill McNa Ingin took the land around Loch Blonag and seized the territory of Aedh from the Ceneoil Cuirithir and the Ceneoil Dubhain and from the Clann Cosgraidh.

At Oghla, a man of good land fought and gained his territory. Riasc of Feadha Tuama was seized along with Ochuain Cian. Their leaders were fierce, and no one could stand against them. They conquered the land and drove the Clann Cosgraidh from their lands. Mael Tenedh took possession of the land of Clann Cosgraidh, and the same Aingne took power over the lands of the Conmaicne. They plundered many of the lands around them and left behind destruction in every place they went. Ailghile's lands were left to them, and every time they conquered a place, they made sure to leave permanent ruin behind. They were fierce, and none could challenge them for those lands. No one from the territories nearby could withstand them, and their hold over the land was so great that no one could exert control over them.

The people of Uí Maine did not defend any land for the descendants of Muiredach's five sons except for the descendants of Diarmait alone. Thus, an educated man said: 'This is how it was:

The Ua Diarmada from the house of Duach,
Noble and generous lords in their wisdom,
Long have I heard of them,
They stood head to head with everyone.

In Dúnarcán, in the wood of the monks,
Their prosperity was ever-growing.
Uatu, son of Dathlaech, defended the land,
For all, it was for that he was given his share.

Uatu, son of Dathlaech, without doubt,
Was in Dúnarcán in his youth,
In the blind slaughter, he would be by the river,
Where the strong plowshare would cut the stream.

Clonmacnois

From Annette Kehnel's "Clonmacnois the_Church and Lnds of St. Ciaran"
"6.3.2.2 Rewriting of the Registry in the fourteenth century
A most striking element in the Registry is the disproportionare extent of land donation made to St. Ciaran by the alleged ancestors of the Ui Cheallaigh from Ui Maine. First there is Cairpre Crum, who is said to have granted seventeen townlands to St. Ciaran, which in the actual text is extended to thirty-three individual donations. Another seven donations are ascribed to Kellagh Mc FInachta Mc Oillille, so that the total of the Ui Cheallaigh endowments to Clonmacnois amounts to teh respectable number of forty seperate donations.

The second benefactor, Ceallach, son of FInacht, son of Ailill, is the eponymous ancestor of the Ui Cheallaigh. He is said to have given seven churches to St. Ciaran. The same claim is made in the Chronicon Scotorum in regard to Cathal, so of Ailill, king of the Ui Maine in the early ninth century, who supported the community in Clonmacnois in defending it against the king of Munster. The memory of him seems to have got lost in the later middle ages. He does not appear on the list of the lords of Ui Maine, in a poem addressed to EOgan O Madden, composed in the fourteenth century. Instead Ceallach, son of FInacht appears as king of the Ui Maine during the mid-ninth century. Cathal, as son of Ailill, would have been the uncle of Ceallach, the grandson of Ailill. It seems likely that by the fourteenth century the memory of king Cathal had merged with that of king Ceallach, the alleged eponym of the Ui Cheallaigh dynasty. It is therefore plausible that a gift of seven churches to St. Ciaran by the Ui Maine dates back to an original ninth century grant, when friendly relations between St. Ciaran and his neighbours to the west prevailed."
2601:5C0:8300:21E0:7DE1:334F:5FBC:A88A (talk) 01:52, 2 April 2024 (UTC)

Desposing of the Abbot of Clonmacnois?

As described above by MacFirbis Great Book of Genealogies, Cathal mac Ailell had Ailghile, abbot of CLonmacnois, deposed and replacing the abbot with Ciothach s. Flann. To which Ailghile cursed that Cathal and took away the kingship of Ui Mhaine from his family.

Here is the version from the 14th century Book of Ballymote:

"Do luidh tra Diarmaid do agallaim Cathail mc. Ailella righ .H. Maine datha bairt leis i cenn catha in adhaigh fer mBreifni. Is ed roraidh Cathal nach radhadh ariasacht i cath do chosnam feraind doneoch ele dobersa dobreth bhodhein diet ar Diarmait raghatsa and ar Cathal do chind mobreithi donaisge star Catal amhlaidh sin. Is si breat rug Cathal ar Diarmait .i. abdhaine Chiaran dobodhein o Ailghile & ataabairt dochiatudhuch. Mc. Flaind do mc. mc. mathar Cathail. Rogell Diarmaid gotibredh amail sin & rochuir techtaire go hAilge gorofagbadh abdhaine Ciaran. Is edh roraidh Ailghile nach fuighfedh nogo nghabadh nechtar dano da righ dobai i gatafand alain asabghaine. Doluidh Diarmaid & Cathal imaille dothachur Ailgile roraidh Diarmaid fri Cathal lamh Ailgile dogabhail asa shuidhe abbadh. Rororaidh Cathal nisfuireghad and, roghabh Cathal lamh Ailgile, roesgain Ailghile inni Cathal & robe an righe mainech feraclaind & i acht on inni rofiradh sin. Is iat Sil Cathail tra mc. Congaela mc. Muiredaig & mc. mc. Cathail Archene."

While CS823 records:

Ronan ab Cluana Muc Nois do ága{ibh a} abdaine. Saruccadh Cluana Muc Nois do Cathal mac Aililla rí h. Maine for secnabad Muman .i. Flann mac Flaithbertaigh do Uib Forga contard isin Sinainn contorcair. Dligedh .uii. cell inn. Maidm ria Cathal mac Oilella for Fedlimid mac Crimthain a Maig hÍ ubi multi ceciderunt:

Robtar trena Connachta a Maigh nÍ; Nibdar fanna Ria Fedlimidh.

Rónán abbot of Cluain moccu Nóis, resigned his office as abbot. The profanation of Cluain moccu Nóis by Cathal son of Ailill, king of Uí Maine, against the tanist abbot from Munu, i.e. Flann son of Flaithbertach of the Uí Forgo, and he threw him into the Shannon so that he perished. Seven churches were adjudged to Cluain moccu Nois for that. A defeat inflicted by Cathal son of Ailill on Feidlimid son of Crimthann in Mad Aí, in which many fell.

Strong were the Connachtmen in Magh Ai; They were weak against Feidhlimidh.