muircheartach Ua lochlainn 1156-1166

Muircheatach Ua Lochlainn 1156-1166

Muirchartach m Niall m Domnall M Ardgar M Loclainn m Mael Seachnaill m Mael Ruinaid m Flann m Domnall m Aed Findliath m Niall Caille m Aed Oridide m Niall Frossach m Fergal m Mael Duin of Ailech
became the 49th hi king of Ireland.

Muircheartach took his army to Ulidia who had rebelled against him.
He subdued them and than went into Leinster and gave that kingship to Diarmaid m Murcheda. Dermott m Murrough.
He thana plundere Osraige its churches and its territories.

There was a good harvest of fruit that year.
The year also broght snow and ice freezing lakes and rivers and many birds died of this great frost.

In 1157 Cuulad Ua Caindealbain was killed the lord of Laegaire he was. He was killed by Donnchad m Comnall Ua Maeleachlainn king of Meath.
Cuulad had surities from allm the princes of the Church, the king Nuirchertach, the king of Oirgialla O Carroll, Briefne under Ua Ruairc, the king of Leinster Diarmaid and all the men of Meath and Teathba.
A great sorrow ovr the deed of murder to a loved and respected chieftain.

O Ruairc made a prey in revenge of this killing and the breaking of his guarantee.


In 1157 a synod at Droicheat-atha [Drogeda] 17 Bishops and the Legate and coarb of Patrick with countless monks and clerics.
The hi kings attended this synod Muircheratach, Ua Ruairc, Ua Eochada and Ua Cearbaill.
The Church there was consecrated and for his killing of the honorable man Cuual Ui Caindealbainn Lord of Laegaire whose safety had been assured by the Church and corab of Patrick, Tigernan O Ruairc of Briefne O Carroll of Uireal and the king of the north Mc Loughlain Donoch M maelechlainn King of meath and Donnchadm Domnaill Ui Maoileachlain the king of Mide the killer was excomunicted and banished from Meath And cursed by the clergy.
His brother Diarmaid was installed as King of Meath.

This was an instance amongst the fury of vengance of the condition of Ireland where the Tigerna and the Church had acted in consert and by jury to punish an offender against law and order by excommunication and removal from office rather than individual reprisal against the perpetrator where surities of protection were produced and upheld all be it after the fact.

Muirchad granted the Church 30 oz of gold, 70 cows and a tract of land south of the Boyne called Finnabair na Ningean
Cearbaill gave 30 oz of gold and O Rourkes wife gave more and a gold chalice with alter cloths.

Muircheartach led an army into Leinster where Laegis Ui Failge and half the people of Osraighe fled to Connact when Dermott gave hostages to this northen king.
They than went to Desmond and took hostages.
Than to Dal Cais and expelled them from Thomond.

They laid seige to Limeric and the foreigners there submitted to him and banished the beggar king Toirdealback O Brien from their midst.

Muireachtach divided Munster between McCarthy and O Brien.
He went into kings county from Munster but his host was defeated there.

He than went home to Tyrone near Strabane and Derry to plunder Ros Cree[Clay Wood].

Ruidri O Connor while they wer gone went to Tir Eogain burned Inis Eanagh near Strabane and cut down its orchard than plundered on to Derry.
He O Connor than went into Munster and divided the kingdom again both OBrien and McCarthy of Desmond giving him hostages.

A large head that of the 1st century king of Thomond was found Clare. It belong to Eocaid m Lucta.
It was reputed to be larger than a cauldron with eye sockets large enoughfor a goose to pass through.

Melifont was conscrated by the corab of Patrick Giolla Mac Liacc.



muircheartach loclain pg 2


In 1159 Muircheartach went into Meath again divided the province dethroning Diarmaid at Rath Chonail and installing Conail at Westmeath again enforcing with force the will of a hi king over that of a provincial to decide the fate of various triaghas and cantreds of Ireland.
Tigernan went to meet with Ruidri O Connor and they made peace and hence Ruairc went over to O Conner against Lochlainn.

O Conor built a new bridge at AthLone with the purpose of plundering Meath. He was met there by Donnchad m Donnall ua Maeleachlainn who had been just made king by Lochlinn.
A battle was fought at AthLuain and Aed m Ruidri Ua Conor the Roydamna of Connact was wounded and died a week later.

OConor then invaded Meath with his allys the men of Briefne and Thomond to the plain of Airgialla.

Lochlainn with Conaill And Eogain clans went to relieve the clann Airgialla at Ath Firdiad.
The Connactmen wer defeated all 6 battalions 2 of whom wer slaughtered.

The land aof all these tribes was given out by Lochlainn and he retured home with his allys.

He than took this army to Connact burned Dunna n Gall in Galway and Dun Ciarraige and generally distroyed the country side.

He than went into Meath to expell Ua Ruairc where he stayed on the men of Meath for a month in billet.
One on the West Meath and one on Meath east.
He than concluded a peace with Ua Ruairc and left him his lands.

He gave the kingdom of Leinster to Mac Murchada.

On his return he plundered Dealbna and Ui Mic Uais-Brega.

In 1160 the north was disturbed by discent and contention within the Clann ua Neill where a battle was fought at Onagh Tyrone where many of the nobles were killed.

Ruidri marched into Meath again and replaced the lordhip.
He met at EAS Ruid with Muirceratach o Lochlinn and his people about him but they did not conclude a peace.

In 1161 Muirchertach took his army and plundered Ui Briuin..
Tt Leac Bladma Meath the Gallaib with Leinster came into his house.

Ruidri O Conor gave his hostages for UiBriuin Conmacne half of Munster and in turn Ua Lochlainn gave O Connor his entire province of Connact.
He than gave the entire province of Leinster to Diarmaid m Murchada of Ceinnseallach.

On this occasion he was king without opposition.

He gave Meath to Diarmaid Ua Maoilechlainn. The other half West Meath was in the posession of Ruidri O Conor.

An army was led into Meath by Mortaugh to attend a meeting of the Irishmen, laity, and clergy. All gave him hostages.

The Colum Cille churchesin Meath were set free of tribute by the bishop O Brolcain and he was given the tribute and jurisdcition of these churches.
The bishop accepted also 42 oz of pure silver from Osraige.

Some fighting occured between Thomond[OBrien] and Desmond[McCarthy]
Thomaond won and a second battle was held.

Donnall m Conmeada Ua Laegacain of Clann Suibe had been killed by Ruidri O Connor while he was chained in fetters and under the protection of the Church.

In 1162 Brolcain the Sucessor of Colum Cille with O Lochlainn removed 80 houses from the Doire Church and Built a Castle the Caiseal an Urlair by Brolcain who pronounced a curse on any that woudl try to overthrow it.

A synod of the clergy of Ireland with Giolla mac Liacc m Ruadri Comarba Patraicc at Claen Ard with 26 Bishops abbots and clergy to establish rules and morals for laity and clergy.
To become the lector of any church one must first be an alumnus of Ard Macha.

Giolla Mac Liacc visted clann Eogain a new event and unheard of previously.

Lochalinn took his army and his allys Meath and Conaill to Ath Cliath but only plundered Fine Gall north of the city.

He left the Leinster and Meath men to pursue the seige but a peace was made and 120 oz of gold given by the gallaib to Lochlinn and 100 in gold given by Maolmeachlainn of East Meath to Ruidri O Conor of West Meath.

Another war beteen Desmond and Thomond caused great distruction in Munster.

muireachtach loclain pg 3


1163 saw a lime kiln 70x70 built at Colum Cille by flaithbeartach Ua Brolcain following the lead of Armagh Arch Bishop Giolla meic Liacc.

Niall m Muireadtach Ua Lochlain the kings son made a progress threw the north.

He went east through Ulidian and than to Airgilla, Tir Briuin than Meath.
While on this progress he committed acts of violence against some Churches in Meath including clommacnoise.

He than went acroos Athlone into Connact with 240 men where they made a feast onthe Ui Maine who subsequently killed them all but Niall who they imprisoned and sent him back to his home.

Muircheartach bought West Meath for 100 oz of gold.

At this time the son Neale was king of Aileach.

In 1164 the great church at Doire Templemore was erected by ua Brolicain and the clergy with the help of Muircheartach ua Lochlainn.
The building was 80 feet long and took 40 days to construct.

The chieftains and lords continued uninterupted in the pursuit of killing one another.

In 1165 many preys were made beteeen Connact, Briefne, Ulidia and Meath including Ua Breasail, Aitheir and Dal Riada [down].

Muircheartach took his northern army into Ulidia plundered it and slaughtered many.
He banished Eocaid m Duinnsleibe from the kingdom and took hostages of all the Ulidian cheifs.
He than burned Inis Locain[Loughan] a large earthern fort betwen Antrim and Down which was in the middlle of a bog and an impassable wood surrounded by 2 ditches with pallisades.

Eogain than returned home with vast spoils and many ships.

On the request of Tigerna O Carroll of Airgilaln Muircheartach went to Ard Macha to meet him and Donsliebe where they asked O Lochlain to restore Ulidia to Duinnsliebe which O Lochlainn did upon reciept of hostages of a son for every chieftain of Ulidia and Duinnslives own daughter
along with jewels and the sword of the Earl that being the sword won from the Danes of the Hebrides.
He also gave O Lochlainn the Mountain of Bairche is south Down but Ua Lochlainn gave it immediatly to O Carroll and for luck he gave a townland to the Church at Saball.

Ruidr O Conor called Roderick by the English again marched into Munster into Desmond where the Deswmond chiefs came into his house with the McCarthys.

In 1166 Ruidri O Connor put an embrodery on the shrine of Manacan at Maelhail in Leitrim.

At Ardmacha fire again consuming 2 streets from Colum Cille Cross to Bishop Eogain Coss and than to the Cross at the door of the fort.
The fort was burned and its churches except St Peter and Paul.
West of the fort from the Ctross of Seachnall to Brigits Cross.

Colum Cille was burned as was Ard Bo at Dungannon Tyrone.

Muircheartach blinded Eochaid m
Duinsleibe and 3 of Dal Raidas best men.
Mac Loingsig and Cathach and Ua Flatrig grandsons were killed by the king.
These were all under the surity of Patrick the Staff of Jesus and Donnchad Ua Cearbaill Lord o fAirgillan and the protection of all north Ireland.

Carroll took his army to Tir Eogain to revenge these killing and the violatoion of his guarantees.
He had with him his battaltion of Oirgialla, Ui Briuin of Brefne and the Conmaccne of Connact.

At Tyrone O Lochlain was defeated and killed.

He had hensceforth never been defeated in battle.

This battle was fought near or at Leiter-Luan the Fews in Armagh on part of the abby of Peter and Paul Armagh.

The land was later granted to Sir Toby Caufield in the Inqusitions.
It was the Feada of Ui Echdach grandson of Aed Findliath .

With the passing in battle of Muircheratach Ua Lochlian Ruidr O Conor marched his army into Eas Ruide taking hostages of Cenel Conaill.
He than went to Ath Cliath with the men of Meath and Teathba where he was inagurated king of the Gaeidil.

He laid a tax of 400 cows on Ireland for the foreigners and than went up to Droiceart-atha [Drogeda] where Donnchad Ua Cearbaill came into his house and gave hostages to Ruidri O Conor..
After this submission of the Airgialls Ruidri went back into Leinster and took hostages of them.

He than went into Ui Ceanseallaigh and took hostages of Diarmait m Murhada.

He took an army to Breifne, Meath, to Osraighe and than Munster.
All Leith Mogas kings came into his house and submitted to him.

At this point all Irealnd but the O Neill of the Eogain and Conall and Ulidia had submitted to O Conor the inagurated king of Ireland.

However Breifne and Meath with the Gaelenga of Connanct took an army into Ui Ceannsealaigh under Tigernan Ua Ruairc where he banished Dermott m Murrough Murchada over seas and demolished his castle at Fearna.

They than set up Murchad the grandson of Murchad who gave 17 hostages for Ruidri O Conor.

Tigernan took this vengfull act on his own for the taking of his wife Dearvorgaill but this king Dermott was also hated by his subjects because of his pround tyrany and bad govenrment.

Dermott went to king Henry II where he obtained permission from this king to seek help for the recovery of his Irish holdings.

With this he brought back the Norman adventurers Fitt Stephens [Robert[ and his Welsh archers who preyed Osraigh and so ended the reign in 1166 where one king was killed and a son of Toirdealbach ua Concobar of Connact was accepted as king of all Ireland and an out of vengance by o Ruairc for the kidnapping of his wife by Dermott smote a distruction on a whole Gaelic order of Ireland in the ensuing two years by the Norman Invasion of 1167-to1169.

Dermott though this action regained his kigdom of Leinster by giving his daughter Ife
[Eave] to Mauice Fitzgerald also called Strongbow of Cheapston who inherited his kingdom through her when Diarmaid died of an unknown wasting desase in 1170.

Muircheartach was survived by 4 sons
Conor who was deposed as king of Ailech in 1177
Neal who ruled jointly with his cousin Aed ua Neill as king of Ailech,
Maelseachnial who died in 1185 and Muirchertach who died in 1196.

H is sadi by the Cnnals of Clnmacnoise to be buried at that cemetary but this may be a claim for anther king as the Ua Neils had their own roayl cemetary at Ard Macha.

Judi Donnelly
copyright may 22 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, London
Early 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