Biography

Amhalgaidh was the son of the previous king, Cathal mac Ruaidhri

Cathal mac Ruaidhri

-Biography:Cathal is very obscure. He does not appear in the genealogies nor is his relationship to other members of the Muintir Murchada known. The year after he became king, the annals record that "Cathal, son of Ruaidhri, lord of West Connaught, went on his pilgrimage to Ard-Macha ." He appears...

, who appears to have died at Armagh

Armagh

Armagh 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...

 in 1043. He was lord in 1051 when the annals state that:

Amhalgaidh, son of Cathal, lord of West Connaught, was blinded by Aedh Ua Conchobhair

Áed in Gai Bernaig

Áed Ua Conchobair or Áed in Gai Bernaig, King of Connacht, reigned 1046–1067.King Art of Connaught was slain by the Cinel-Conaill in 1046, "the second year after his having plundered Cluain-mic-Nois."...

, lord of East Connaught, after he had been held in captivity for the space of one year and upwards; after which he (Ua Conchobhair) fixed his residence in West Connaught.

The Annals of Inisfallen

Annals of Inisfallen

The Annals of Inisfallen are a chronicle of the medieval history of Ireland. There are more than 2,500 entries spanning the years between AD 433 and AD 1450, but it is believed to have been written between the 12th and 15th centuries...

 state that in 1048 Inis Locha Cime was sacked and razed by Ua Conchobuir, king of Connachta.

From this point onwards, the Ua Conchobair kings of Connacht made their residence in Maigh Seola

Maigh Seola

Maigh Seola was a term used to describe the land along the east shore of Lough Corrib in County Galway, Ireland. It was bounded by the Uí Maine vassal kingdom of Soghain. Its rulers up to the 1220s were the Muintir Murchada, who took the surname O'Flaherty...

. While they still possessed lands on the east shores of Lough Corrib

Lough Corrib

Lough Corrib is a lake in the west of Ireland. The River Corrib or Galway river connects the lake to the sea at Galway. It is the second largest lough in Ireland . It covers 178 km² and lies mostly in County Galway with a small area of its northeast corner in County Mayo.The first canal in...

, the Muintir Murchada

Muintir Murchada

Muintir Murchada was the name of an Irish territory which derived its name from the ruling dynasty, who were in turn a branchh of the Uí Briúin. The name was derived from Murchadh mac Maenach, King of Uí Briúin Seóla, who died 891.-Overview:...

 began to move into what is now known as Connemara

Connemara

Connemara is a district in the west of Ireland consisting of a broad peninsula between Killary Harbour and Kilkieran Bay in the west of County Galway.-Overview:...

.

Amhalgaidh died in 1075.