- Áed Allán
Áed Allán (or Áed mac Fergaile) (died 743) was an 8th century Irish
king of Ailech andHigh King of Ireland . Áed Allán was the son ofFergal mac Máele Dúin and a member of theCenél nEógain , a branch of the NorthernUí Néill .Fergal was killed, along with many others, at the battle of Almain, in 722, fought against Murchad mac Brain of the
Uí Dúnlainge , the king ofLeinster . The king of the Northern Uí Néill at this time wasFlaithbertach mac Loingsig of theCenél Conaill . Áed Allán faced Flaithbertach in battle at Mag Itha in 734, and was defeated. Nonetheless, Flaithbertach abdicated or was deposed shortly after and joined themonastery at Ard Macha (Armagh ).The chief requirement of a would-be High King was success in battle, and Áed Allán faced the
Ulaid , underÁed Róin of theDál Fiatach atFaughart . The kings of the Ulaid controlled most of easternUlster while the Cenél nEógain heartland lay in the laterCounty Tyrone . Áed Allán defeated the Ulaid, killing Áed Róin and the king of theUí Echach Cobo , so gaining control ofConailli Muirthemne .In 737, Áed Allán met with the
Eóganachta kingCathal mac Finguine atTerryglass , probably neutral ground outwith the control of either king. Byrne says that it is unlikely that Cathal, king ofMunster , acknowledged Áed Allán's authority — the Uí Néill had little enough influence in the south — but if Cathal had expected some benefit from the meeting, where he perhaps acknowledged the ecclesiastical supremacy of Armagh, he was to be disappointed. However, the clerics of Armagh may have been well satisfied as the Annals of Ulster, in the entry following that which reports the meeting of Áed Allán and Cathal, say that the law of Patrick was in force in Ireland. The presumably means that Áed Allán and Cathal agreed to the special treatment of the church, its lands and its tenants, as prescribed by the law of Patrick.In 738, Áed Allán fought against the armies of Leinster at the battle of Áth Senaig — the battle of groans. The Annals of Ulster and the
Annals of Tigernach devote considerable space to the battle, in which Áed Allán was wounded and the Leinster kingÁed mac Colggen of theUí Cheinnselaig killed. Bran Bec of theUí Dúnlainge , the son of thatMurchad mac Brain Mut who had defeated Áed Allán's father in 722, was also killed. The Annals of Ulster say:And men say that so many fell in this great battle that we find no comparable slaughter in a single onslaught and fierce conflict throughout all preceding ages.
This defeat seems to have crushed the Uí Chennselaig as, for almost three centuries after the battle of Áth Senaig, the Uí Dúnlainge dominated the kingship of Leinster.Áed Allán died in 743, in battle at Seredmag, defeated by
Domnall Midi ofClann Cholmáin . The Annals quote a verse supposedly composed by Áed Allán on the day of battle:If my dear God had spared me
On the shore of Loch Sailchedáin,
Were I to commit sin thereafter,
It would have been like giving valuables to a slave.Áed Allán was succeeded as High King by
Domnall Midi . According to some listsNiall Frossach followed him as King of Ailech, but others disagree. Flaithbertach's son Áed Muinderg is called "rí in Tuaisceart"—King of the North, a title apparently meaning that he was acknowledged as chief ruler among the northern Uí Néill and perhaps as Domnall Midi's deputy—at his death in 764. His sonMáel Dúin mac Áedo Alláin (died 788) later became king of Ailech.References
* Byrne, Francis John, "Irish Kings and High-Kings." Batsford, London, 1973. ISBN 0-7134-5882-8
* Ó Cróinín, Dáibhí, "Early Medieval Ireland: 400–1200." Longman, London, 1995. ISBN 0-582-01565-0External links
* [http://celt.ucc.ie/index.html CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts] at [http://www.ucc.ie/ University College Cork] The Corpus of Electronic Texts includes the "Annals of Ulster", "Tigernach" and "the Four Masters" as well as Genealogies, and various Saints' Lives. Most are translated into English, or translations are in progress.
* [http://www.hastings.edu/academic/english/Kings/Fergal's%20Prophecy.html Fergal's Prophecy] by Dan M. Wiley.
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