- Artrí mac Cathail
Artrí mac Cathail (died 821) was a
King of Munster from the Glendamnach branch of theEoganachta . He was the son ofCathal mac Finguine (died 742), a previous king. He reigned from 793-820.The kingship of Munster had rotated among the inner circle of Eoganachta during the seventh and most of the eighth centuries. But the Eoganachta experienced a decline after the death of Cathal mac Finguine in 742. The rotation was interrupted by the rule of
Máel Dúin mac Áedo (died 786) of theEóganacht Locha Léin branch which ruled inIarmumu (West Munster). The definitive restoration of the rule of the inner circle is considered to be the ordination of Artrí as king in 793. ["Annals of Ulster", AU 793.3] Simultanously with his ordination, the Law ofAilbe , patron saint ofEmly was proclaimed in Munster. In 794 an expedition by the high kingDonnchad Midi (died 797) is recorded to aid the laigin versus Munster but Artrí is not directly connected with this. [AU 794.6]Artrí may have recognized
Ólchobar mac Duib-Indrecht (died 805) of the Áine branch as heir, who is recognized as such in his death obit in the "Annals of Innisfallen". [Byrne, pg.213, "Annals of Innisfallen", AI 805.1] An alternative is that Ólchobar succeeded Máel Dúin in 786 and was deposed in 793 by Artrí. [Charles-Edwards, Appendix 10] Artrí may have had his sonTnúthgal mac Artrach ordained as King as well who died circa 807. [Byrne, corrigenda, pg.xxiii]The accession of
Feidlimid mac Cremthanin (died 847) of the Cashel branch is recorded in 820 with th death of Artrí the next year in 821. [AU 820.5, 821.1] . It is possible that the aged Artrí abdicated the throne. [Byrne, pg.215] Artrí was the last King of Munster from the Glendamnach line. His great grandson Art Caemh was ancestor of the Ó Caiomh (O'Keeffe's) of County Cork.Notes
References
* "Annals of Ulster" at [http://celt.ucc.ie/index.html CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts] at [http://www.ucc.ie/ University College Cork]
* "Annals of Innisfallen" at [http://celt.ucc.ie/index.html CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts] at [http://www.ucc.ie/ University College Cork]
* Byrne, Francis John (2001), Irish Kings and High-Kings, Dublin: Four Courts Press, ISBN 978-1-85182-196-9
* Charles-Edwards, T. M. (2000), "Early Christian Ireland", Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-36395-0External links
* [http://celt.ucc.ie/index.html CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts] at [http://www.ucc.ie/ University College Cork]
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