Tethbae

Tethbae (Old Irish pronunciation: [ˈteθve]; also spelled Tethba, often anglicised Teffia)^{[n 1]} was a confederation of túatha in central Ireland in the Middle Ages. It was divided into two distinct kingdoms, north Tethba, ruled by the Cenél Coirpri, and south Tethba, ruled by the Cenél Maini. It covered parts of County Westmeath and much of County Longford, counties which today are the far north-west part of the province of Leinster. In some cases, Tethbae may refer to South Tethbae only.

In

Medieval Irish traditions presented the lands of the Uí Néill as conquests by Niall of the Nine Hostages and his sons. Niall's son Coirpre was the eponymous ancestor of Cenél Coirpri. Along with Fiachu, he may have led the earliest Uí Néill conquests in the midlands.^[6]

North Tethbae, Cenél Coirpri Mór, was one of three kingdoms named for Coirpre mac Néill. To the north-west of Tethbae, on the shore of Donegal Bay, was the kingdom of Cenél Coirpi Dromma Clíab. To the south-east, in County Kildare, around Carbury, itself named for Coirpre, was a third branch of Cenél Coirpi but this was not established until much later. This alignment of territories, together with the evidence of the Irish annals, which include a series of entries crediting Coirpre with the conquest of the midlands, suggests that the kingdom of Coirpre once extended over 100 miles across Ireland.^[7]

Apart from Coirpre himself and his grandson Túathal Máelgarb, no king of Cenél Coirpri is included in later lists of High Kings of Ireland. Later kings of Cenél Coirpri are mentioned in the Annals of Ulster and other Irish annals with some frequency, although usually only to report their deaths. Most kings are simply called "king of Cenél Coirpri", although Conaing (died 752) is specifically called "king of Coirpri of Tethbae". An entry in 799 reporting the deaths of two kings of Coirpri, Murchad ua Cathail and Dub Innrecht mac Artgaile, shows that the kingship could be shared. In addition to the usual annalistic reports, Óengus Bronbachall, grandson of Túathal, is mentioned in Adomnán's Life of Saint Columba.^[8]

At least in earlier historical times, Cenél Coirpri may have been of sufficient importance to attract the attention of largely hostile writers. Tirechán's life of Patrick states that Coirpre was cursed by the saint, at the hill of Tara, that none of his descendants would be High King.^[9] Túathal Máelgarb is portrayed in a poor light by later writers dealing with the life of Diarmait mac Cerbaill, his perhaps-kinsman whose descendants, Clann Cholmáin and the Síl nÁedo Sláine, replaced the kindreds of Coirpre and Fiachu as rulers of the midlands.^[10]

In the 11th century, north Tethbae was largely absorbed by the expanding

Although officially incorporated into the Uí Néill, no king of Cenél Maini was ever reckoned a High King of Ireland. The Vita tripartita Sancti Patricii does, however, say that the kings of Cenél Maini had a privileged place in choosing and inaugurating High Kings, much like the Airgíalla, another group believed to have been associated with the Connachta, of which the Uí Néill were only the leading group, by genealogical fictions.^[13]

The Cenél Maini are still represented today among the