Niall of the Nine Hostages (Niall Noígiallag) established himself as king of Tara around the turn of the 5th century AD. Almost without interruption his descendants were considered among the highest kings (Ard Rí) of Ireland for 600 years. It was in the early 5th century that a son of Niall, named Lóegaire, succeeded his father at Tara (c. 427-430) and welcomed St. Patrick to his court (c. 432). Niall's sons and grandsons continued a conquest of the northern Laigin (north Leinster) territories to carve out the sub-kingdoms of Mide and Brega for their descendants, most notable among those were the Síl Áeda Sláine (of Brega) and Clan Cholmáin (of Mide).
The Constantinian shift began in 312 when Constantine I adopted Christianity as his imperial cult after the Battle of Milvian Bridge. Prior to the arrival of the sons of Niall of the Nine Hostages in the 5th and 6th centuries, this area of Ireland was probably inhabited by the tribes of the Uí Failge, Uí Enechglaiss and Dal Messin Corb, who later retreated into Leinster; the Cianachta, of Munster origin; the Déisi and Corco Roída, claimed to be descended from nephews of Conn of the Hundred Battles; the Uí Maic Uais, descended from one of the Three Collas; the Delbna septs; the Gailenga Brega, the Luigni Mide and Fir Chul, the Saithne Brega, and the Mugdorma, among others.
The sons of Niall of the Nine Hostages included Lóegaire (a quo Cenél Lóigaire), Conall Cremthann (a quo Síl Áeda Sláine and Clan Cholmáin), Cairpre (a quo Cairpre Gabra and Uí Cairpre Laigen), Maine (a quo Tethba), Fiachu (a quo Cenél Fiachach and Fir Cell). Their descendants later came to be referred to as the southern Uí Néill, some of whom alternated as Ard Rí's (high-kings) of Ireland with their cousins in northwest Ulster, the northern Uí Néill. Columba's departure from Ireland is attributed to Adomnan, leaving his foundations of Durrow in offaly and Kells in Meath.
Columba was commended by Finnian of Moville who demanded the copy of of the Psalter and Gospels in the manuscript of Jerome's text. Finnian made appeal to the high king at Tara in Meath, Diarmait, head of the southern Ui Neill. Diarmit gave the verdict following the Brehon law. Columba roused the clansmen of the norther Hy-neill to attack the forces of Diarmait. In the battle at Culdrenvey near Sligo, the party of Columba was victorious. Thereafter St. Molaise (Laisran) of Devenish who was Columba's soul-firend assigns to him the penance that he should depart from Ireland. While Finnian had been building up his monastery at Clonard, wished to have made Columba a bishop at Comfled in Meath. At Clonard he was in the company of those disciples of Finnian who were to be known as the twelve apostles of Ireland, forming a friendship with Kenneth (Canice) and with Comgall (Columba), both from association at Iona as well as Brendan the Voyager.
St. Mobhi left Clonard to found the monastery of Glasnevin on the Liffey and Columba followed until a visitation of the Plague in 543, then to return to Ulster where Columba founded the monastery of Derry on Lough Foyle at the royal fort of Aedh, son of Aimmmere. Adomnan was his biographer and ninth successor as abbot of Iona. Sailing forth from Derry, Columba took with him twelve companions, two of them being Ernan and Mochonna. To his cousin Conall, ruler of Dalriada in Scotland, aspects of the church accorded with a pacifying function beteen Pictish and Scotic powers. The ruler's fortified captial was Dunadd near the coast of Kintyre at the head of the Sound of Jura. A century earlier, Dalriada in Scotland had been settled by invaders from Dalriada in Ulster, as a kingdom expanded at the expense of the Picts until it embraced the area of modern Argyll. Conall troubled against the Pictish power of Brude MacMaelchon whose rule of the nothern Picts from Inverness stopped the expansion of the Irish kingdom in Scotland, regaining on its northern frontier. Leaving Dunadd, Columba founf Islay, Jura, Oronsay, and Colonsay and still within sight of an Irish skyline. Then to sail to the westernmost projection of the Mull at Port a Churaich, the Port of Coracle on 12 May, 563.
Iona, then called Hy, was disputed ground between the Scots and the Picts. As the monstery grew in numbers, it became necessary to bring some supplied from the farmlands of Tiree and the nearby island of Mull. From place names and local traditions, the thirty or more church foundations in the isles and in mainland Scotland west of Drumlaban are those localities in the Inner Hebrides, Skye, Harris, Lewis, and Uist. On the death of King Conall in 574, Columba was in his retreat at Hinba near the Argyle coast and was called by an angel to consecrate to the kingship of Aidan, son of Gabran, instead of Aidan's brother.
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The act of consecration at Iona was of the earliest of such ceremonies in British history, extending his sway to the Orkneys as well as the Fourth. Among Columba's Hebridean foundations; the monasteries on the islands of Hinba, Tyree, and Skye. Then St. Donnan had come from Iona to form a monastic community on the island of Eigg fifty miles to the north. At Easter 617, fifty four brothers were massacred by Viking sea rovers. Monks of Pictish race from the small district in Ulster-Dalriada; the county Down was inhabited by Picts. Pictish travel established monasteries such as Bangor, Applecross in Rosshire, Loch Maree, Sutherland, Banffshire, Deer in Aberdeenshire. In 575 Columba revisted ireland with King Aidan of Dalriada to hold a national convention at Drumceatt (Mullagh) near Londonderry attributed separately from the Tara kings. In the Black Book of Clanranald, says that from Ferquhard was descended Gillapatrick the Red, son of Roderick or Ruaidri, and known traditionally as the Red Priest. |
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The southern Uí Néill were overlords in territories which included counties Meath and Westmeath, as well as portions of counties Longford, Offaly, Louth, Dublin and Kildare. In the 8th century a series of victories were gained by the Cenél Eóghain over the Cenél Conaill in Magh Ithe (east Co. Donegal), splitting their power between the territories of Fanad, in the north, and Tir nÁeda, in the south. By the beginning of the 9th century the Cenél Eóghain were the dominant Northern dynasty, as they spread their influence east into modern county Derry, pushing aside the Cruithin east of the river Bann, gaining control over the Ciannachta of mid-Derry, and steadily encroaching on the Airgiallan tribes of Uí Macc Uais.
The dominance of the Cenél Eóghain continued as they drove further south, subjugating other Airghiallan tribes, and by the 11th century the Cenél Eóghain had moved their power base from Aileach to that near Tullahogue in modern day county Tyrone (named from Tir Eóghain, or Tir Owen). Cenél Eóghain included those of Clan Neill, Clan Domnaill, Clan Birn, Cenél Fergusa, Cairrge Brachaidhe, Cenél Binnigh, Cenél Moen, Cenél Fearadhaigh, Cenél Tigernaich, Clan Conchobhair, Clan Diarmatta. By the 12th century much of the area of Magh Ithe, and later that of Inishowen, was taken by the O'Donnells and O'Dohertys of Cenél Conaill. By the mid 13th century a leading family of the Cenél Eóghain, the Mac Lochlainn (McLoughlin), began to lose prominence to their kinsmen, the Ó Neill.
In the time of Ptolemy, DONEGAL was inhabited by the Vennicnii and the Rhobogdii, the latter of whom also occupied part of the county of Londonderry. The Promontorium Vennicnium of this geographer appears to have been Ram's Head or Horn Head, near Dunfanaghy; and the Promontorium Rhobogdium, Malin Head, the most northern point of the peninsula of Innisoen or Ennishowen. The county afterwards formed the northern part of the district of Eircael or Eargal, which extended into the county of Fermanagh, and was known for several centuries as the country of the ancient and powerful sept of the O'Donells, descended, according to the Irish writers, from Conall Golban, son of Neil of the Nine Hostages, monarch of Ireland, who granted to his son the region now forming the county of Donegal. Hence it acquired the name of Tyr Conall, modernized into Tyrconnel or Tirconnel, "the land of Conall," which it retained till the reign of James I. The family was afterwards called Kinel Conall, or the descendants or tribe of Conall. Descendants of this family also include the O'Dohertys, lords of Innisoen. Other septs included the O'Boyles and Mac Sweeney and several others subordinate to the O'Donells of Tyrconnel.
Tribes outside the 750 A.D. Laigen territorial boundary (and within the boundary of modern Leinster province) included the powerful Southern Uí Néill septs of Clann Cholmaín and Síl nÁedo Sláine of Mide and Brega respectively. The territory of Osraige (Co. Kilkenny and southeast Co. Laois) was also not included in Laigen (Leinster) at this time, but instead was under the authority of Munster (Mumu or Mumhan). Éle (or Ely) in southern Offaly extended further south into Co. Tipperary and was considered part of Munster (Urmuma or Ormond).