Mac Cairthinn mac Coelboth
Encyclopedia
Mac Cairthinn mac Coelboth of the Uí Enechglaiss
, King of Leinster, died 446
?/530?.
inscription on a stone near Slane
in the neighbouring County Louth
. It reads MAQI CAIRATINI AVI INEQUAGLASI, which translates as [the stone] of Mac Cairthinn grandson [or perhaps descendant] of Enechglass. This would make him a contemporary of Niall Noigíallach.
The Irish annals
, recording the battle of Mag Femen, say of Mac Cairthinn, "[s]ome say he was of the Cruithni". This appears to be based on the false assumption that his father was the eponymous ancestor of the Dál nAraidi
sept
of Uí Chóelbad. Other unreliable and late sources may have linked Mac Cairthinn with the Uí Néill, by making his father Cóelbad a son of Niall.
the above demonstrates "how far north Leinster's territorial claims once extended" and that warfare between the Laigin
and the emerging Uí Néill
occurred in the north of Brega
and on the plains of what is now County Meath
and County Westmeath
. All these territories would be lost to the Uí Néill in the following century.
and 447 in the Annals of Inisfallen
.
However, Devane (p.189, 2005) proposes that the date has been misplaced, as a result of "the original source of the entries being wrongly entered by one, if not indeed two, cycles in the Irish 84-year cycle, by the which the Irish and British churches until the sixth century reckoned the date of Easter
. A discrepancy of one calendar cycle would push the date of the battel of Femen forward to the year 530, which ... would lend weight to the argument that is was the son or sons of Coirpre, and not Coirpre himself who defeated the Ui Enechglaiss
at the battle of Femen."
Uí Enechglaiss
The Ui Enechglaiss were a were a dynasty attested in fifth-century Ireland, who provided some of the early kings of Laigin.-Background:The dynasty were initially based on the plains of Kildare around Naas, but were forced east over the Wicklow Mountains by the invasions and conquests by the Ui...
, King of Leinster, died 446
446
Year 446 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Aetius and Symmachus...
?/530?.
Background
Mac Cairthinn is one of the very earliest verifiable Irish kings. Though not listed in any extant Irish genealogies, the Annals of Innisfallen record his death at the battle of Mag Femen in the kingdom of Brega in 446. Almost uniquely, this otherwise unverifiable reference is coroborated by an OghamOgham
Ogham is an Early Medieval alphabet used primarily to write the Old Irish language, and occasionally the Brythonic language. Ogham is sometimes called the "Celtic Tree Alphabet", based on a High Medieval Bríatharogam tradition ascribing names of trees to the individual letters.There are roughly...
inscription on a stone near Slane
Slane
Slane is a village in County Meath, in Ireland. The village stands on a steep hillside on the left bank of the River Boyne at the intersection of the N2 and the N51 . In 2006 Slane's population was 1,099, having grown from 823 in 2002. The population of the village and the surrounding rural area...
in the neighbouring County Louth
County Louth
County 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...
. It reads MAQI CAIRATINI AVI INEQUAGLASI, which translates as [the stone] of Mac Cairthinn grandson [or perhaps descendant] of Enechglass. This would make him a contemporary of Niall Noigíallach.
The Irish annals
Irish annals
A 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...
, recording the battle of Mag Femen, say of Mac Cairthinn, "[s]ome say he was of the Cruithni". This appears to be based on the false assumption that his father was the eponymous ancestor of the Dál nAraidi
Dál nAraidi
Dál nAraidi was a kingdom of the Cruthin in the north-east of Ireland in the first millennium. The lands of the Dál nAraidi appear to correspond with the Robogdii of Ptolemy's Geographia, a region shared with Dál Riata...
sept
Sept (social)
A sept is an English word for a division of a family, especially a division of a clan. The word might have its origin from Latin saeptum "enclosure, fold", or it can be an alteration of sect.The term is found in both Ireland and Scotland...
of Uí Chóelbad. Other unreliable and late sources may have linked Mac Cairthinn with the Uí Néill, by making his father Cóelbad a son of Niall.
Early historic Leinster
According to Dáibhí Ó CróinínDáibhí Ó Cróinín
Dáibhí Ó Cróinín is an academic Irish historian, the current Professor of History at the National University of Ireland, Galway . M.Phil., Ph.D. , and Member of the Royal Irish Academy. He is a grandson of Elizabeth Cronin , an Irish traditional singer...
the above demonstrates "how far north Leinster's territorial claims once extended" and that warfare between the Laigin
Laigin
The Laigin, modern spelling Laighin , were a population group of early Ireland who gave their name to the province of Leinster...
and the emerging Uí Néill
Uí Néill
The Uí Néill are Irish and Scottish dynasties who claim descent from Niall Noigiallach , an historical King of Tara who died about 405....
occurred in the north of Brega
Kings of Brega
-Overview:Brega took its name from Mag Breg, the plain of Brega, in modern County Meath, County Louth and County Dublin, Ireland. They formed part of the Uí Néill kindred, belonging to the Síl nÁedo Sláine branch of the southern Uí Néill. The kingdom of Brega included the Hill of Tara, the site...
and on the plains of what is now County Meath
County Meath
County Meath 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 ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
and County Westmeath
County Westmeath
-Economy:Westmeath has a strong agricultural economy. Initially, development occurred around the major market centres of Mullingar, Moate, and Kinnegad. Athlone developed due to its military significance, and its strategic location on the main Dublin–Galway route across the River Shannon. Mullingar...
. All these territories would be lost to the Uí Néill in the following century.
Date of Cath Mag Femen
The date of the battle of Mag Femen is given as 446 in the Annals of UlsterAnnals of Ulster
The 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...
and 447 in 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...
.
However, Devane (p.189, 2005) proposes that the date has been misplaced, as a result of "the original source of the entries being wrongly entered by one, if not indeed two, cycles in the Irish 84-year cycle, by the which the Irish and British churches until the sixth century reckoned the date of Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
. A discrepancy of one calendar cycle would push the date of the battel of Femen forward to the year 530, which ... would lend weight to the argument that is was the son or sons of Coirpre, and not Coirpre himself who defeated the Ui Enechglaiss
Uí Enechglaiss
The Ui Enechglaiss were a were a dynasty attested in fifth-century Ireland, who provided some of the early kings of Laigin.-Background:The dynasty were initially based on the plains of Kildare around Naas, but were forced east over the Wicklow Mountains by the invasions and conquests by the Ui...
at the battle of Femen."
External links
- CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts at University College Cork includes: Gein Branduib (original & translation), Annals of Ulster, Annals of Tigernach, Annals of Innisfallen and others.