| |
|
|
|
|
 - 778
-
| Name |
Niall Frossach macFergal O'Néill |
| Suffix |
King of Ireland |
| Gender |
Male |
| Acceded |
763 |
| Abdicated |
770 |
| Death |
778 |
| Burial |
Iona  |
| Notes |
- abdicated 770. King of Ailech.
«b»http://www.hull.ac.uk/php/cssbct/cgi-bin/gedlkup.php/n=royal?royal09613
Niall Frossach«/b» (or «b»Niall mac Fergaile«/b») (718-778) was an 8th century Irish «u»king of Ailech «/u», sometimes considered to have been «u»High King of Ireland «/u». Brother of high king «u»Áed Allán «/u» (died 743), Niall was the son of high king «u»Fergal mac Máele Dúin «/u» (died 722) and a member of the «u»Cenél nEógain «/u», a branch of the Northern «u»Uí Néill «/u».«u»[1]«/u» The «u»epithet «/u» «i»Frossach«/i» (showery) is said to come from showers of silver, honey and wheat which fell on his home at Fahan in «u»Inishowen «/u» at his birth.«u»[2]«/u»
Upon the death of his brother he became King of Ailech. He ruled as King of Ailech from 743-770. However the new high king «u»Domnall Midi «/u»(died 763) of the «u»Clann Cholmáin «/u» branch of the southern Ui Neill appointed «u»Áed Muinderg «/u» (died 747) of the rival «u»Cenél Conaill «/u» as his representative in the north («i»Rí in Tuaiscert«/i»). In 756 conflict with Domnall broke out and Domnall led a force of Laigin with him as far as Mag Muirtheimne in modern County Louth.«u»[3]«/u» This region had been recently brought under overlordship by Niall's brother Áed Allán in 735.
Niall followed «u»Domnall Midi «/u» as High King in 763.«u»[4]«/u» His reign was considered notably peaceful. The law of «u»Saint Patrick «/u» was again proclaimed in force in 767.«u»[5]«/u» (The Clann Cholmáin high kings had supported the Law of «u»Columba «/u» of «u»Iona «/u». Domnall Midi's son «u»Donnchad Midi «/u» (died 797) began to claim the throne of Tara in 770 when he campaigned against Leinster. In 771 Donnchad led a hosting to the north in 771 and 772.«u»[6]«/u» It is presumed that Niall abdicated sometime between 772-777 though possibly as early as 770.«u»[7]«/u» He died on «u»Iona «/u» in 778.«u»[8]«/u»
He was followed as King of Ailech by his nephew, «u»Máel Dúin mac Áedo Alláin «/u» (d.788) son of Áed Allán. The Kingship of Tara and supposed High Kingship passed back to «u»Clann Cholmáin «/u» in the person of Donnchad Midi. Niall married Dunlaith ingen Flaithbertaich (d.798) of the Cenél Conaill, daughter of the high king «u»Flaithbertach mac Loingsig «/u» (died 765) and their son «u»Áed Oirdnide «/u» (died 819) was a high king.
«b»Notes
«u»1. ^«/u»«/b» Byrne, Table 5; Charles-Edwards, Appendix V; Mac Niocaill, 152
«u»«b»2. ^«/u»«/b» «i»Annals of Ulster«/i», AU 718.7
«u»«b»3. ^«/u»«/b» AU 756.3; «i»Annals of Tigernach«/i», AT 756.4; Charles-Edwards, pg.573
«u»«b»4. ^«/u»«/b» AU 763.11; AT 763.9
«u»«b»5. ^«/u»«/b» AU 767.10
«u»«b»6. ^«/u»«/b» AU 771.10; AU 772.3
«u»«b»7. ^«/u»«/b» Byrne, pg.156; Charles-Edwards, pg.577
«u»«b»8. ^«/u»«/b» AU 778.7
«b»References
«tab»«/b»«i»Annals of Ulster«/i» at «u»[1] <http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100001A/index.html>«/u» at «u»University College Cork <http://www.ucc.ie/>«/u»
«i»«tab»Annals of Tigernach«/i» at «u»[2] <http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/G100002/index.html>«/u» at «u»University College Cork <http://www.ucc.ie/>«/u»
«tab»Byrne, Francis John (2001), «i»Irish Kings and High-Kings«/i», Dublin: Four Courts Press, «u»ISBN 978-1-85182-196-9 «/u»
«tab»Charles-Edwards, T. M. (2000), «i»Early Christian Ireland«/i», Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, «u»ISBN 0-521-36395-0 «/u»
«tab»Mac Niocaill, Gearoid (1972), «i»Ireland before the Vikings«/i», Dublin: Gill and Macmillan
|
| Person ID |
I9946 |
Glenn Cook Family |
| Last Modified |
21 Nov 2009 |
-
| Sources |
- [S36] Brian Tompsett, Dept of Computer Science, University of Hull, England(B.C.Tompsett@dcs.hull.ac.uk), Directory of Royal Genealogical Data, (This work is Copyright b 1994-2002 Brian C Tompsett).
|
|
|
|
|
|
