Fogartach mac Néill
Fogartach Mac'Artain (died 724), sometimes called Fogartach ua Cernaich, was an Irish king who is reckoned a High King of Ireland. He belonged to the Uí Chernaig sept of the Síl nÁedo Sláine branch of the southern Uí Néill. He was King of Brega and was the son of Niall mac Cernaig Sotal (died 701) and great-grandson of the high king Diarmait mac Áedo Sláine (died 665).[1]
King of Brega
Fogartach may be identified with the "Focortoch" who signed as a guarantor of the Cáin Adomnáin at Birr in 697.[2] The earliest report of him in the
In 714, Fogartach was deposed as
He caused some manner of disturbance in 717 at the Oenach Tailtiu—an annual Uí Néill gathering held at Teltown—where "Ruba's son and Dub Sléibe's son" were killed, but the annalistic record lacks sufficient context to explain what happened there and why.[6] The following year Conall Grant won a battle against a coalition of southern Uí Néill kings at Kells, but was killed by Fergal mac Máele Dúin later that year.[7]
In the early 720s, Fogartach's lands were under attack by the kings of Leinster and
High King
Fogartach replaced Fergal as High King, but himself fell victim to the war within the Síl nÁedo Sláine, being killed in the battle of Cenn Deilgden by his distant kinsman and successor Cináed mac Írgalaig of the Uí Chonaing sept of North Brega.[11] This was an old feud, Cináed's father having assassinated Fogartach's father in 701.[12] The report of his death in the Annals of Ulster does not refer to him as High King.
Descendants
His sons included:
- Flann Foirbthe (died 716) who died in his father's lifetime.[13]
- -His son Cernach was slain at the Battle of Bolg Bóinne in 770.[14]
- Cernach mac Fogartaig (died 738) killed by his criminal adherents.[15]
- Fergus mac Fogartaig (died 751) called King of South Brega at his death obit.[16]
- Finsnechta mac Fogartaig (died 761)
- Coirpre mac Fogartaig (died 771) called King of Brega in his death obit.[17]
- Fogartach mac Cummascaig (died 786) king of South Brega
- Cummuscach mac Fogartaig (flourished 778)
His descendants representing the main line of the Uí Chernaig sept based at
Notes
- ^ T.M. Charles-Edwards, Early Christian Ireland, Appendix III
- ^ Charles-Edwards, pg.603
- ^ Annals of Ulster AU 704.4
- ^ Annals of Ulster AU 714.4
- ^ Annals of Tigernach AT 715.3; 716.2
- ^ Annals of Ulster AU 717.6
- ^ Annals of Ulster AU 718.3
- ^ Annals of Ulster AU 721.6
- ^ Annals of Ulster AU 722.8; Annals of Tigernach AT 722.7;722.8
- ^ Annals of Ulster claim this was Aed Laigen son of Fithchellach, king of Uí Maine; Annals of Tigernach claim Aedh Laigen h-ua Cernaigh
- ^ Annals of Ulster AU 724.3
- ^ Annals of Ulster AU 701.11
- ^ Annals of Ulster AU 716.7
- ^ Annals of Ulster AU 770.9
- ^ Annals of Ulster AU 738.3
- ^ Annals of Ulster AU 751.2
- ^ Annals of Ulster AU 771.4
- ^ Charles-Edwards, pg.572
References
- "The Annals of Ulster AD 431-1201". CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts. Retrieved 24 October 2007.
- Annals of Tigernach at CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts at University College Cork
- ISBN 0-7134-5882-8
- Charles-Edwards, T.M., Early Christian Ireland. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2000. ISBN 0-521-36395-0
- Irwin, Philip (2004). "Fogartach mac Néill (d. 724)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 25 October 2007.