9th century in Ireland
Encyclopedia
800s
802- Death of Muiredach mac Domnaill , King of Mide. He issucceeded by Diarmait mac Donnchado.
803
- Death of Diarmait mac Donnchado , King of Mide. He is succeeded by Conchobar mac DonnchadaConchobar mac DonnchadaConchobar mac Donnchada was High-King of Ireland with opposition between 819 and 833. Conchobar was the son of Donnchad Midi, high-king of Ireland ; his mother was Fuirseach, a noblewoman of the Dál nAraidi. Conchobar married Land, daughter of the former High-King Áed Oirdnide...
.
804
- Aed Oirnide of the Uí NéillUí NéillThe Uí Néill are Irish and Scottish dynasties who claim descent from Niall Noigiallach , an historical King of Tara who died about 405....
is ordained overking of the Uí Néill by the abbot of ArmaghArmaghArmagh is a large settlement in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh. It is a site of historical importance for both Celtic paganism and Christianity and is the seat, for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland, of the Archbishop of Armagh...
.
806
- VikingVikingThe term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
raid on Iona AbbeyIona AbbeyIona Abbey is located on the Isle of Iona, just off the Isle of Mull on the West Coast of Scotland. It is one of the oldest and most important religious centres in Western Europe. The abbey was a focal point for the spread of Christianity throughout Scotland and marks the foundation of a monastic...
in which 68 people, the entire population of the abbey, were massacred.
807
- Construction of the monasteryMonasteryMonastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
of KellsAbbey of KellsThe Abbey of Kells is a former monastery located in Kells, County Meath, Ireland, 40 miles north of Dublin. It was founded in the early ninth century, and the Book of Kells was kept there during the later medieval and early modern periods before finally leaving the Abbey in the 1650s...
is begun. - The Book of ArmaghBook of ArmaghThe Book of Armagh or Codex Ardmachanus , also known as the Canon of Patrick and the Liber Armachanus, is a 9th-century Irish manuscript written mainly in Latin. It is held by the Library of Trinity College, Dublin...
is compiled
810s
812- Death of Cosgrach mac FlannbhrathCosgrach mac FlannbhrathCosgrach mac Flannbhrath, King of Umaill, died 812.Flathghal's relationship to the kings Dunghal mac Flaithniadh and Aedhghal is uncertain, as they does not seem to appear in the extant genealogies....
, King of UmaillUmaillUmaill was a kingdom or territory located in the west of what is now County Mayo, Ireland. It comprmised of the baronies of Burrishoole and Murrisk, essentially all the land adjacent to Clew Bay.-Description:...
819
- Conchobar mac Donnchada or Conchobar mac Donnchado was High King of IrelandHigh King of IrelandThe High Kings of Ireland were sometimes historical and sometimes legendary figures who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over the whole of Ireland. Medieval and early modern Irish literature portrays an almost unbroken sequence of High Kings, ruling from Tara over a hierarchy of...
with opposition (rí Érenn co fressabra)
820s
820- Feidlimid mac CremthaninFeidlimid mac CremthaninFedelmid mac Crimthainn was the King of Munster between 820 and 846. He was numbered as a member of the Céli Dé, an abbot of Cork Abbey and Clonfert Abbey, and possibly a bishop...
begins his reign as King of MunsterKings of MunsterThe name Munster is derived from the Gaelic God, Muman. The province of Munster was once divided into six regions: Tuadh Mhuman , Des Mhuman , Aur/Ur Mumhan , Iar mumhan or Iarmuman , Ernaibh Muman , and Deisi Muman...
, reigning until his death in 847
830s
832- A Viking fleet of about 120 ships under TurgesiusTurgesiusTurgesius was a Viking chief active in Ireland who is said to have conquered Dublin. It is not at all clear whether the names in the Irish annals represent the Old Norse Thurgestr or Thorgísl...
invaded kingdoms on Ireland’s northern and eastern coasts.
833
- Death of Conchobar mac Donnchada, King of Mide and High King of Ireland with opposition
836
- Viking raids penetrate deep inland
837
- Large Viking fleets appear on the River BoyneRiver BoyneThe River Boyne is a river in Leinster, Ireland, the course of which is about long. It rises at Trinity Well, Newbury Hall, near Carbury, County Kildare, and flows towards the Northeast through County Meath to reach the Irish Sea between Mornington, County Meath and Baltray, County Louth. Salmon...
and the River LiffeyRiver LiffeyThe Liffey is a river in Ireland, which flows through the centre of Dublin. Its major tributaries include the River Dodder, the River Poddle and the River Camac. The river supplies much of Dublin's water, and a range of recreational opportunities.-Name:The river was previously named An Ruirthech,...
, made up of sixty ships at each location.
838 - 841
- A small Viking fleet entered the River Liffey in eastern Ireland, probably led by the chieftain Saxolb (Soxulfr) who was killed later that year. The Vikings overwinter on Lough NeaghLough NeaghLough Neagh, sometimes Loch Neagh, is a large freshwater lake in Northern Ireland. Its name comes .-Geography:With an area of , it is the largest lake in the British Isles and ranks among the forty largest lakes of Europe. Located twenty miles to the west of Belfast, it is approximately twenty...
in 840 and set up a base, which the Irish called longphorts. This longphort would eventually become Dublin.
839
- Thorgest (in Latin Turgesius) was the first Viking to attempt an Irish kingdom. He sailed up the ShannonRiver ShannonThe River Shannon is the longest river in Ireland at . It divides the west of Ireland from the east and south . County Clare, being west of the Shannon but part of the province of Munster, is the major exception...
and the River BannRiver BannThe River Bann is the longest river in Northern Ireland, the total length being 80 miles . The river winds its way from the south east corner of Northern Ireland to the north west coast, pausing in the middle to widen into the enormous Lough Neagh...
to Armagh in 839 where he forged a realm spanning UlsterUlsterUlster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
, ConnachtConnachtConnacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...
and Meath.
840s
841- First Longphort built at Linn DuachaillLinn DuachaillLinn Duachaill is the name of a Viking longphort near the village of Annagassan, County Louth, Ireland. The settlement was built in 841 AD, the same time as the settlement of Dubh Linn, or Dublin...
(now AnnagassanAnnagassanAnnagassan is a village in the townland of Ballynagassan, County Louth, Ireland. It sits where the River Glyde enters the Irish Sea.It was first mentioned as Linn Duachaill in AD 841 when the establishment of a Viking longphort was recorded...
) on the County LouthCounty LouthCounty Louth is a county of Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Louth. Louth County Council is the local authority for the county...
coast and at the hurdle ford of the River LiffeyRiver LiffeyThe Liffey is a river in Ireland, which flows through the centre of Dublin. Its major tributaries include the River Dodder, the River Poddle and the River Camac. The river supplies much of Dublin's water, and a range of recreational opportunities.-Name:The river was previously named An Ruirthech,...
. - Abbot of ArmaghArmaghArmagh is a large settlement in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh. It is a site of historical importance for both Celtic paganism and Christianity and is the seat, for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland, of the Archbishop of Armagh...
driven out by Turgesius, Viking leader.
842
- First reported Viking-Irish alliance
- Mael Sechnaill I becomes High King of Ireland
843
- Death of Mael Ruanaid mac Dunnchado, King of Mide since 833.
845
- ForannanForannanHis clan held the plain of Magh Feimhin, near Clonmel. Forannan was chosen bishop by popular election, and consecrated, according to his 'Life,' in 'the city called in the barbarous dialect of the Irish Domhnach mor,' i.e. Donoughmore, which, it is added, is the metropolis of Ireland. From this...
, abbot of Armagh, is captured by the Vikings - Viking leader Turgesius captured and killed by Mael Sechnaill I, King of Mide.
846
- Mael Sechnaill I becomes Overking of the Uí NéillUí NéillThe Uí Néill are Irish and Scottish dynasties who claim descent from Niall Noigiallach , an historical King of Tara who died about 405....
, reigning until his death in 862
847
- Death of Feidlimid mac Cremthanin, King of Munster, who had reigned since 820
847 or 848
- Birth of Flann SinnaFlann SinnaFlann Sinna was the son of Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid of Clann Cholmáin, a branch of the southern Uí Néill. He was King of Mide from 877 onwards and is counted as a High King of Ireland...
(d. 916), son of Mael Sechnaill I of Clann CholmáinClann CholmáinClann Cholmáin is the name of the dynasty descended from Colmán Mór , son of Diarmait mac Cerbaill. Part of the Southern Uí Néill — they were the kings of Mide — they traced their descent to Niall Noígiallach and his son Conall Cremthainne.Related dynasties descended through Conall...
, a branch of the southern Uí Néill. He was King of Mide from 877.
848
- Death of Fínsnechta mac Tommaltaig, King of Connacht.
- Viking army defeated by Mael Sechnaill I, High King of Ireland, near modern SkreenSkreenSkreen is a village in County Sligo, Ireland. It is the birthplace of the poet Thady Connellan and the mathematician and physicist Sir George Gabriel Stokes . It shares its name with a village in County Meath which is locally spelt Skryne.- External links :* -See also:*List of towns and villages...
, County Sligo - Viking army defeated by the King of Lagore, Tigernach mac FócartaiTigernach mac FócartaiTigernach mac Fócartai , also called Tigernach of Lagore, was King of Lagore.-Background:Tigernach belonged to the Uí Chernaig branch of the once-powerful Síl nÁedo Sláine kindred, part of the southern Uí Néill. His great-great-grandfather Fogartach mac Néill had been High King of Ireland...
, somewhere in modern County Sligo - Viking army defeated by Ólchobar mac CináedaÓlchobar mac CináedaÓlchobar mac Cináeda was King of Munster from 847 until his death. He may be the "king of the Irish" who sent an embassy to Frankish Emperor Charles the Bald announcing a series of victories over Vikings in Ireland in 848.-Origins:...
, King of Munster, and Lorcán mac CellaigLorcán mac CellaigLorcán mac Cellaig was a King of Leinster of the Uí Muiredaig sept of the Uí Dúnlainge branch of the Laigin. This sept had their royal seat at Maistiu in the south of modern County Kildare. He was the son of Cellach mac Brain , a previous king.The succession of kings in Leinster is difficult to...
, King of Leinster, near modern CastledermotCastledermotCastledermot is an inland village in the south-east of Ireland in County Kildare, about from Dublin, and from the town of Carlow. The N9 road from Dublin to Waterford passes through the village but completion of a bypass is due during 2010.-Demographics:...
, County KildareCounty KildareCounty Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
. The Viking leader Tomrair was killed; he is called jarlEarlAn earl is a member of the nobility. The title is Anglo-Saxon, akin to the Scandinavian form jarl, and meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. In Scandinavia, it became obsolete in the Middle Ages and was replaced with duke...
and deputy of the king of LochlannLochlannLochlann is a geographical region in Classical Gaelic literature and in the history of Early Medieval Ireland. In the modern Gaelic and Welsh languages it signifies Scandinavia, and more specifically Norway...
. - Viking army defeated near CashelCashel, County TipperaryCashel is a town in South Tipperary in Ireland. Its population was 2936 at the 2006 census. The town gives its name to the ecclesiastical province of Cashel. Additionally, the cathedra of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly was originally in the town prior to the English Reformation....
by Ólchobar mac Cináeda. - Vikings at CorkCork (city)Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
; besieged by Ólchobar mac Cináeda. - The Annales BertinianiAnnales BertinianiAnnales Bertiniani, or The Annals of St. Bertin, are late Carolingian, Frankish annals that were found in the monastery of St. Bertin, after which they are named. Their account is taken to cover the period 830-82, thus continuing the Royal Frankish Annals , from which, however, it has circulated...
report the arrival of Irish envoys at the court of Frankish Emperor Charles the BaldCharles the BaldCharles the Bald , Holy Roman Emperor and King of West Francia , was the youngest son of the Emperor Louis the Pious by his second wife Judith.-Struggle against his brothers:He was born on 13 June 823 in Frankfurt, when his elder...
. They brought gifts from the "king of the Irish" and announced an Irish victory over Vikings. The Irish annalsIrish annalsA number of Irish annals were compiled up to and shortly after the end of Gaelic Ireland in the 17th century.Annals were originally a means by which monks determined the yearly chronology of feast days...
record several defeats for Viking armies, which of these is meant is unclear. The identity of the "king of the Irish" is no more certain, but Ólchobar mac Cináeda may be intended rather than Mael Sechnaill I. - Sedulius ScottusSedulius ScottusSedulius Scottus was an Irish teacher, Latin grammarian and Scriptural commentator, who lived in the ninth century.Sedulius is sometimes called Sedulius the Younger, to distinguish him from Coelius Sedulius . The Irish form of the name is Siadhal.Sedulius the Younger flourished from 840 to 860...
arrives at Liège, perhaps having been a member of the embassy to Charles the BaldCharles the BaldCharles the Bald , Holy Roman Emperor and King of West Francia , was the youngest son of the Emperor Louis the Pious by his second wife Judith.-Struggle against his brothers:He was born on 13 June 823 in Frankfurt, when his elder...
.
850s
851- Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid secured the submission of the King of UlaidUlaidThe Ulaid or Ulaidh were a people of early Ireland who gave their name to the modern province of Ulster...
. - Cináed mac ConaingCináed mac ConaingCináed mac Conaing was King of Knowth in the medieval Irish province of Mide, succeeding his father Conaing mac Flainn in 849.Cináed's family belonged to the Knowth, or Uí Chonaing, branch of the Síl nÁedo Sláine, part of the southern branch of the dominant Uí Néill kin group...
was drowned on the orders of Máel Sechnaill and Tigernach mac Fócartai.
853
- The Annals of UlsterAnnals of UlsterThe Annals of Ulster are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years between AD 431 to AD 1540. The entries up to AD 1489 were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, under his patron Cathal Óg Mac Maghnusa on the island of Belle Isle on Lough Erne in the...
report that AmlaíbAmlaíb ConungAmlaíb Conung was a Norse or Norse-Gael leader in Ireland and Scotland in the years after 850. Together with his brothers Ímar and Auisle he appears frequently in the Irish annals....
, "son of the king of Laithlind" arrived in Ireland and collected tribute from the Vikings and the Irish.
860s
860 or 862- Death of Mael Sechnaill I, Overking of the Uí Néill, who had reigned since 846.
864
- Death of Lorcan mac Cathail, King of Mide since 862.
866
- Aed FinliathAed FinliathÁed mac Neíll , called Áed Findliath to distinguish him from his paternal grandfather Áed Oirdnide, was king of Ailech and High King of Ireland...
clears the northern coastline of Viking bases. He defeated the Vikings at Lough FoyleLough FoyleLough Foyle, sometimes Loch Foyle , is the estuary of the River Foyle in Ulster. It starts where the Foyle leaves Derry. It separates the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland from County Londonderry in Northern Ireland.-Transport:...
.
870s
876- Flann Sinna becomes King of Ireland
877
- Flann Sinna mac Maíl Sechnaill becomes King of Mide
879
- Death of Finshnechta mac Maele CorcraiFinshnechta mac Maele CorcraiFinshnechta mac Maele Corcrai, King of Luighne Connacht, died 879.The Annals of Ulster, sub anno 879, state"Finnechta son of Mael Corcra, king of the Luigni of Connacht, dies."...
, KingKing- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
of Luighne ConnachtLuighne ConnachtLuighne Connacht was a territory located in north-central Connacht, on the boarders of what is now County Mayo and County Sligo.-Origin:The Luighne were a people, originally found in Brega, south of Kells in what is now County Meath. The baronys of Lune in Meath, and Leyney in Sligo, were called...
880s
880- Death of philosopher and poet Johannes Scotus EriugenaJohannes Scotus EriugenaJohannes Scotus Eriugena was an Irish theologian, Neoplatonist philosopher, and poet. He is known for having translated and made commentaries upon the work of Pseudo-Dionysius.-Name:...
885
- Death of Máel PátraicMáel PátraicMael Patraic died 885 was Abbot of Clonmacnoise.Mael Patraic was of the Ui Maine.-External links:...
, Abbot of ClonmacnoiseAbbot of ClonmacnoiseThe Abbot of Clonmacnoise was the monastic head of Clonmacnoise. They also bore the title "Comarba of Saint Ciarán", "successor of Saint Ciarán". The following is a list of abbots:-List of abbots to 1539:-References:...
890s
896- Death of Flann mac LonáinFlann mac Lonáin-Background and career:Flann mac Lonáin was a famed and at times controversial poet. He was the Chief Ollam of Ireland He seems to have being born in the east Clare/west Tipperary region...
, poet - Death of Sitriuc mac Ímair (Sigtryggr), Viking king (perhaps king of Dublin)