Malachy resumes kingship 1014-1022

malachy 2 1014

In 1014 Ad Maelsechnaill Mor m Donnall resumed his kingship.

The princes and rulers of Ireland continued as before Clontarb. The preying of each other and their internicine warfare.

It was as though nothing had happened and the battle given the Irish a licence to kill.
Donnchad and Tadg m Brian met Donnal m Dubda Boireann at Limerick and the Obriens defeated them.

Maelsechlniall lead an army to Ath Cliath and they burned the fortress and all the houses outside it.
Moyledorie with his Tir Conaill than went to Ceinnsealaugh Leinster plundered that the whole territory and took of that thousands of captives and cattle.

They plundered Osraige and appointed Dunlaing [Dowling] King of Leinster.

In 1015 Mac Liag died. He was chief poet of Ireland under Brian and Mael and was a particular favorite of Brain.
He composed a book on the battle of Clontarb and wrote many lasting poems.

Mael lead an amy to Ulaid to rescue hostages from there .
Teachbas prince was killed by Donn Donngaile and Duinn mic at Sligo.

Lightning struck Dun da leathGlas and burned it with the Church and shrine and the steeple round tower, the Cloichteach,.

Clonmacnoise was burned.

Mael led an army into Osraige. He was now 60 years old carrying of spoils and prisoners killing their lord Dungail m Goilla Padraic and others.

He than went to Ua Ceinsnsealach in south Leinster plunderd that and took their cows and prisoners.

Conaill plundered Ceann Corad [Kincora] in Killaloe demolishing it.

The Munstermen plundered Connact to Loch Ree between Athlone and Lanesburough.

More princes were killed by each other.

There was a scarcity of corn and food. It cost a penny for every cake.

In 1016 The Cinel Eogain killed their prince Fergal m Domnall m Concobair royal heir to Ailech.

The people of Brega killed their prince roydamna of Erinn and Lord of Brega, Donchad Ua Congalaich.

Maelsechnial again fought the Sallail at Odba.

In 1017 Sitric waas still at Ath Cliath and blinded Bran m Maelmorda m Murchad king of Leinster of which he died.

Malmorda's son Cearbail the roydamna of Leinster was killed.

Maelsehnaial vs the Ui Neills of the north.

Mael to Feara Ceall where Donnall Ua Caindeal Bain Lord of Cinel Laegaire was killed.

This was Quinlan son of Maelcron the desendant of Laegaire m Niall Naigiallach.
Moylecron was of the race of Lagerius.
The Quinlans were of the Route in Antrim in later years.
Congalach m Maelsechnail was wounded here at Bregia.

In 1018 Donnal m Maelsecnial m Donnall died.

Kells again plundered by the gallaib under Sitric of Ath Cliath killing many and taking plunder and prisoners.

Ardgar and Ardcu royal heirs of Ailech and twins were killed by Cinel Eogan their own people .This was in reprisal for the murder of their brother Niall.
These were the sons of Mael Runaid .

Donchad m Bryan was attached by the Ui Caisen and one of them a son of Catharnach m Aed struck him with a sword in the head and across his right arm slicing of Donnchads right hand but Brian was able to escape.
This may have been a preminitionary strike as some of the royal coats of arms bear a severed right hand and there is a story relating it was cast ashore by one of the conquering melisian invadors as a bet to obtain the land by being first to land.

Flaithbeartach O Neill went to Tir Connell and plundered Tir Enda and Tir Lugdach[O Donnell].
1019 Mael leads an army with Ui Neill Donchad m Brian Art ua Ruairc to the Shannon where they gave the Connact hostages to Malachy.

malachy 1014 pg 7

In 1020 Ard Macha burned totally. No house survived but the library
.Cloichteadh burned there with bells. Home of the students also.

Kildare again burned.
Glendaloch burned.
Clonmacnoise burned
.The shrine of Patrick and his bell the Finnfaideach taken and 700 coins.

Maelmurie m Eocha the sage of the west and all europe died in June.

In 1021 Maelsechnialls wife the daughter of Amlaeis [Awley] and mother of Flann Died.
Her grandson Aed m Flann and heir to the soverenty of Irlaend the roydamna was killed by Ua Maigteachair.

Ugaire m Dunlaing of Leinster gained a victory over the gallaib of Ath Cliath under Sitric at Wicklow.

Maelseachlaniall again assembled an army and attached the foreigners.the Ui Nell attached and depreciated the Cianachta.

Mael attacked the Cinel Eogain and drove the north over Sliab Fuaid.

Osraige had a shower of wheat.

Amalgaid corab of Patrick made a circuit of Ireland.

In 1022 Maelseachniall had another victory over the foreigners of Ath Cliath.
30 days later he died.

Maelsechniall Mor m Donnall m Donchad Mide died at Lock Ennell near Mullingar West Meath in a small stone house there..
Dun na Sciath had been his seat of rule a cyclopedian entrenchment opposite this island.

He had been king including the interlude of Brian for 43 years as long as Ollum Fodla of 703 BC.

He was 73 years old and died on September 4 a Sunday.
He had penance for his sins and recieved the body and blood of Christ and was annointed by Bishop Amalgada the successor of Patricks law, Colum Cills law and Ciarans law.
With the senior priests and clerics they sung mass hyms psalms and canticles for the welfare of Malachys soul.

A quatrain to him said:
'300 forts had the king in which flesh and food were given.'
The poor of Ireland would miss him.

Maelachy left 6 sonsFlann, Congalah, Donnall, Concobar, Murchad, Miuredach.

None of his descendants became hi King although his grandaughter daughter Derbforgail became the famous wife of Tigernal Ua Rouirc and ran off with the king of Leinster at the age of 40 causing him to be deported by the king of that day Rory O Connor wheer he sought help from Henry II bringing in the Norman invasion from Wales.

The princes continued killing one another.

The foreigners continued to arrive in their ships.

Hail fell in that summer.

Great thunder and lightning distroying men and cattle.

In 1023 the country continued each warlord and family waring amongst itself.

No one was appointed King although it was said a priest and a poet were running the country or Donchad m Brian.

As Ireland took an interregmum from its kingship so this website closes its cronology of these 1000 years of some 60 listed kings from Crimthain Nia Nair through the last O Neill dynastic king of Maelsechniall M Donall covering kingships from the sons of Nial Noigiallach m Muigmeadoin almost all coming from Conall Cremtahaine, Conal Gulban, Eogain and Diarmait Cerball.

The future hosts 5 more kings from the house of Munster, Conail and Eogain of the north covering 147 years till the Norman invasion of 1169 when most of the waring nobles of Ireland accepted the policy of submit and regrant offered by Henry II Plantangent King of England, Anjou and Acquaitaine and Scotland.

During the 1000 years covering 1 Ad throughh 1022 Ad none of the hi kings were able to overcome the natural divisive states of Erinn or to maintain law and order and property among the common people or their overlords.
Killing and stealing became an accepted was of life from the top down.
The church did little but pray.
Its churches and greed of thought and possession although sorely challanged by the Norse years did not rise to the command of the Gospels by Jesus rather preserving itself within stone monasterys throughout the country all supplied with ample cattle ,tenants and land by the ruling tigernachs.
Tts ranks of priests ,clerics and Bishops were amply filled by lesser and upper nobles of old Ireland who conformed themselves and their subjects to the Church teaching and values.

No progress was made in Ireland or for that matter in Europe in areas of betterment or conquest of desease or with malady s of mankind.
Little knowlede was created- nor works of art other than those glorifying the Church.
No agricultureal or agronomy was advanced.
It became customary for those educated in Latin, the nobles to forget their heritage and the language and to become devious among themsleves resulting in an explosion of intolerance, killing and totalitarian thinking.

The kings were no better than their subjects and oftimes worse.

A psycology of the mafia prevailed both a lord against lord, province against provence.
The peasant lost in obsurity to be usedd as foot soldiers to his lordship and preyed upon for their food and comfort by the incesant armys fleeting over the land. Century after Century.

Throughout ,with the morass of human life came great enlightening thinking in religion and literature where Irish missionarys allied with monastarys and abbys on the Continent kept alive an enlightment and a light shinning from the merry Irish Eye as to thought religion and mans place on Earth as well as a smattering of science mathmatics and ancient lore from the pre Christian day.

Pilgramages were made to Rome by nobles and kings.
Poetry flourished. music survived and children were born healthy to women totally ignorant as existant throughout this society.
The simple peasant clung to his folklore superstitions and customs throughout and still retains small pockets of it in the modern world.

With Brian and Malachy of Midi an era came to an end in Ireland.
Death and internicene fueding continued but it was tired, rythimcal and systematic.

And so we leave the Irish kings for a time.

A Ceann

Judi Donnelly
copyright April 5 2008

Sourses:
Early Christian Ireland,T M Charles-Edwards, 2000, Cambridge University Press Cambridge UK
Irish Kings and High Kings, F J Byrne, 1973, B T Batsford Ltd, LondonEarly
Irish Kingship and Sucession, Baret Jaski,2000, Four Courts Press, Dublin
Annala Rioghachta Eireann, Four Masters,J O Donnovan ,Vol 1, 1856, Hodges Smith and Co, Dublin