Oriel Airgíalla | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 331–1585 | |||||||||
 Airgíalla and other Irish kingdoms in the 7th–8th century | |||||||||
| Common languages | Middle Irish,Early Modern Irish,Latin | ||||||||
| Religion | |||||||||
| Government | Tanistry | ||||||||
| Rí | |||||||||
• 331–? | Colla Uais | ||||||||
• 1579–1585 | Rossa Buidhe Mac Mathghamhna | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | 331 | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 1585 | ||||||||
| ISO 3166 code | IE | ||||||||
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| Today part of | |||||||||
Airgíalla (Old Irish pronunciation:[ˈœɾʲɣʲiːa̯l̪a];Modern Irish:Oirialla, English:Oriel,[1] Latin:Ergallia) was a medieval Irishover-kingdom and the collective name for the confederation of tribes that formed it. The confederation consisted of nine minor kingdoms, all independent of each other but paying nominalsuzerainty to anoverking, usually from the most powerful dynasty.[2] Airgíalla at its peak roughly matched the moderndioceses ofArmagh andClogher, spanning parts ofcountiesArmagh,Monaghan,Louth,Fermanagh,Tyrone andLondonderry.[2] Its main towns wereArmagh andClogher. The name's usage survives as a cultural area of folk tradition in South East Ulster and adjoining areas of County Louth.
According to legend, Airgíalla was founded by theThree Collas,[2] who are said to have conquered what is now centralUlster from theUlaid. The decisive victory was the battle ofAchadh Leithdheirg, said to have been fought around the year 331. However, this tale is thought to be mostly fiction, and the actual year and circumstances of how the Airgíalla confederation came about is unknown.
Originally thought to have been under the dominance of the neighbouring Ulaid to the east, the territory of the Airgíalla from the 6th century onwards was gradually eroded by the encroachment of their northern neighbours, the Cenél nEógain of theNorthern Uí Néill,[3] as well as theSouthern Uí Néill to their south. From 735 they fell under the dominance of the Cenél nEógain, and by 827 had become their vassals.[3] The kingdom of Airgíalla was at its peak in the 12th century, under kingDonnchad Ua Cerbaill. The later constricted kingdom of Airgíalla survived in Monaghan—which was known as Oirghialla and Oriel after theNorman Invasion of Ireland—under theMac Mathghamhna, until the end of theGaelic order in Ireland.[2]
Airgíalla, referring to both the Irish over-kingdom of Airgíalla, and the confederation of tribes that formed it, may mean 'those who give hostages' or 'hostage givers',[2][4] presumably in reference to the included territories' vassalage. It is commonly anglicised asOriel; however, archaic anglicisations includeUriel,Orial,Orgialla,Orgiall, andOryallia, along with the latinisationErgallia.[citation needed]
After the Anglo-Norman invasion, the anglicisationUriel became the name of the part of Airgíalla that had extended into modern-day County Louth.[2] Similarly, the portion of Airgíalla that survived in modern-day County Monaghan, became known asOirghialla,[2] from which derives the anglicisationOriel.
In early manuscripts, theBishop of Clogher was styled "Bishop of Oirialla".
In the beginning of the 4th century, three warlike brothers, known as theThree Collas, made a conquest of a great part of Ulster, which they wrested from the Ulaid. It was the after the battle ofAchadh Leithdheirg, fought around 331, that they founded Airgíalla.[5][6] In this battle the forces of theThree Collas defeated the forces ofFergus Foga,king of Ulster, who was slain, and the victors burned to the groundEmain Macha, the ancient capital of Ulaid.
However, in general it can be shown that the origin legend was written (or composed) in the second quarter of the 8th century to seal their alliance with theNorthern Uí Néill.[attribution needed]
The earliest reference to the Airgíalla occurs in the Annals of Tigernach under the year 677, where the death of Dunchad mac Ultan,"Rí Oigriall", is noted. However, it is suspected of being a retrospective interpolation. On the other hand, the entry in the Annals of Ulster under the year 697 which lists Mael Fothataig mac Mael Dub as"Rex na nAirgialla" may indeed be genuine. Both Mael Fothatag and his son, Eochu Lemnae (died 704), are listed among the guarantors of the"Cáin Adomnáin" in 697. Thus it is believed that the Airgíalla were probably in existence as an entity by then, or certainly by the opening years of the 8th century.
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The Kingdom of Airgíalla came to an end in 1585 whenRossa Boy MacMahon agreed tosurrender and regrant his territories to theEnglish Crown in Ireland, with his territory becomingCounty Monaghan in the TudorKingdom of Ireland. Rossa Buidhe had ascended to the Airgíalla kingship in 1579 and found himself geopolitically in an undesirable position; wedged between an expanding Tudor kingdom andTír Eoghain under theO'Neill. Initially, Rossa Boy made moves which suggested an alliance with Tír Eoghain, as he married the daughter ofHugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone. However, evidently hoping to be left alone to run affairs locally, while pledging allegiance to a distant monarch inElizabeth I, the MacMahon met withJohn Perrot, thenLord Deputy of Ireland (according to some, a natural son of Tudor monarchHenry VIII) and agreed to join their Kingdom of Ireland.[7] Airgíalla, now known as Monaghan, was divided into five baronies under nativeGaelic chiefs, mostly from the MacMahon themselves.
This was not the end of the matter, however. Fearing the encroachment of the English, moving in closer and closer to his own territories, Hugh O'Neill turned toBrian Mac Hugh Og MacMahon ofDartree and married off another daughter to him. Brian Mac Hugh Og was then thetanist to the chieftainship of his people according to the nativeBrehon laws and O'Neill was hoping to bring the "phantom" Airgíalla realm back into his camp on the death of Rossa Buidhe through this pact. For his part, Ross Buidhe was trying to engineer a pro-English succession through his brotherHugh Roe MacMahon. When the new Lord Deputy,William FitzWilliam began to pressure the acceptance of an EnglishHigh Sheriff of Monaghan, O'Neill used his influence to exact opposition to it from clansmen in Monaghan (the same policy was promoted in Leitrim, Fermanagh and Donegal to encircle Tyrone). As a consequence, a military force led byHenry Bagenal was sent into the county in early 1589 to impose the sheriff and by the summer of that year, Rossa Boy was dead[how?].
Airgíalla was composed of nine minor-kingdoms, each named after their ruling dynasty. These were:[3]
The Uí Tuirtri, Uí Maic Cairthinn, and Uí Fiachrach Arda Sratha, were collectively known as the Uí Moccu Úais as they claimed descent from Colla Uais.[3] The pedigrees in theBook of Leinster states that Colla Uais had two sons, Erc and Fiachra Tort. From Fiachra Tort came the Uí Tuirtri. From Erc, came Cairthend and Fiachrach, who were respectively the ancestors of the Uí Maic Cairthinn and the Uí Fiachrach Arda Sratha. The Fir Lí are also claimed as being descended from Fiachra Tort, though other sources claim they descend from another son of Colla Uais called Faradach.
The Uí Moccu Uais were also found in countiesMeath andWestmeath.[3] They were known as Uí Moccu Uais Midi and Uí Moccu Uais Breg, meaning the Uí Moccu Uais of Meath and Brega, respectively.
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