Uí Mhaine
357–1611
Coat of arms
Early peoples and kingdoms of Ireland, c.800
Status	Túatha ofConnacht (until 6th century)
Common languages	Old Irish,Middle Irish,Early Modern Irish,Latin
Religion	Gaelic Christianity Catholic Christianity Gaelic tradition
Government	Tanistry
Rí
• 357–407	Máine Mór
• 1593–1611	Feardorcha Ó Cellaigh
History
• Established	4th century
• Disestablished	1611
ISO 3166 code	IE
Preceded by Succeeded by Senchineoil Connacht Connacht Clanricarde Kingdom of Ireland
Today part of	Ireland

Uí Mháine, oftenAnglicised asHy Many, was one of the oldest and largest kingdoms located inConnacht, Ireland. Its territory of approximately 1,000 square miles (2,600 km²) encompassed all of what is now north, east and southCounty Galway, south and centralCounty Roscommon, an area nearCounty Clare, and at one stage had apparently subjugated land on the east bank of the Shannon, together with the parish ofLusmagh inOffaly.

There were two different Uí Mhaine, the Uí Mhaine ofTethbae and the Uí Mhaine of Connacht; these tribes were separated by theShannon River. The people of the kingdom were descendants ofMaine Mór, who won the territory by warfare. Its sub-kingdoms, also known as lordships, included – among others –Soghan,Corco Modhruadh,Delbhna Nuadat,Síol Anmchadha, andMáenmaige. These kingdoms were made up of offshoots of the Uí Mháine dynasty, or subject peoples of different backgrounds.^{[citation needed]}

The Uí Mhaine are among the ancient Irish dynasties still represented today among the recognisedIrish nobility andChiefs of the Name, by theO'Kelly of Gallagh and Tycooly, Prince of Uí Mhaine and Count of theHoly Roman Empire. TheFox (O'Kearney) may represent the eastern Uí Mhaine of Tethbae.

Maine Mór is said to have established the kingdom around 357 AD, and ruled for fifty years. Before his arrival, the area had been occupied by theFir Bolg, ruled by KingCian d'Fhearaibh Bolg.

Descendant clans of the dynasty include theO'Kelly,Kelly,Ó Ceallaigh,^[1]Ó Draighnáin,Ó hUallacháin,Ó Madadháin,^[1]Ó Neachtain,^[1]Ó Cnaimhín,^[1]Ó Domhnalláin,Ó Maolalaidh,^[1]Ó Fallamháin,^[1]Ó Cionnaith,^[1]Ó Géibheannaigh,Ó Bhreasail, andÓ Duigenan.

An early 15th-century text,Nosa Ua Maine, states that they were given rewards and treasures such as:

• A portion of all "strongholds and seaport towns in the province"
• A portion of all prizes and wrecks of the sea
  • This included any wines or goods that had been washed ashore from shipwrecks, etc.
  • It also included whales and fish, which came to be known as "royal fish" and were given to only the kings and queens
• Hidden treasures found underground, all silver and gold mines and other metals
• They were given a third of any revenues received by the king of Connacht of any other provinces where wrong had been done
• The revenue (oreric) of killing a person was considered very large, and in one document recorded was stated as being "168 cows"

Along with the privileges that kings and queens of Uí Maine received, the clans that fought for Uí Maine were also given privileges and rights:

• Any member of a clan was given a choice to go to battle in spring or autumn. Most members who chose not to attend battle spent time maintaining their crops.
• It was required that "no man of the province is to be taken as a witness against these tribes, but another Hy Manian is to bear witness".
• If the king of Connacht did not pull out or end a battle in six weeks or less when fighting inUlster orLeinster, any member was allowed to return home.
• "However great may be the accusation brought against them by dishonest people, only one man or one witness is required to dent it or prove it against the other party."
• Uí Mhaine were to be baptised by the Comharba of St. Bridget. If parents chose not to baptise their children at St. Bridget's because they lived too far away, they were required to pay the Comharba a penny.
• Uí Mhaine were required to pay asgreaball ongtha to the Comharba to prepare for death during an illness. This fee was said to be 3 Irish pennies.

• Thomas MacNevin
• Albéric O'Kelly de Galway
• William O'Kelly Nevin (Irish Republican and personal physician to Empress Maria Theresa of the Holy Roman Empire)
• Edward Kelley, also known as Edward Talbot (11 August 1555 – 1 November 1597), Tudor occultist and self-declared spirit medium who worked with John Dee.
• Gerald Lally-Tollendahl (Marquis de Lally-Tollendal, prime minister of Scotland under James I; Lord of Tollendahl)

FromIreland passed toFrance Bernard then Bernardo O'Kelly, who served in theArmy with so much distinction that he came to beGovernor of a hold with patent ofColonel, and from this country he transferred toPortugal, where he married. He was the father of Guilherme O'Kelly,Lieutenant ofCavalry of theRegiment ofMoura, and Hugo O'Kelly, first Colonel and thenBrigadier of the same Regiment. They were relatives ofCount O'Kelly,Lieutenant-General ofInfantry in the Armies of theHoly Roman Emperor. That Guilherme O'Kelly married Mariana Josefa, and from then on was born Diogo O'Kelly,Captain of Horses in the Regiment of Moura, to whom was issued a Chart of Arms, of succession, with those of his surname, on 14 April 1785. FromDublin,County Dublin,Leinster, Ireland, came also James Thomas then Diogo Tomás O'Kelly, dance master, who was an attendant of theInfante António of Portugal, and was prosecuted by theHoly Office for being a Freemason, iniciated in 1735, and his brother Michael then Miguel O'Kelly, contractor of the factory of glasses, iniciated in theFreemasonry in 1736 and prosecuted with his brother. Hugo O'Kelly, above-mentioned, also belonged to the Freemasonry and was implicated in the same process. The arms of the O'Kelly family are: broken, the first azure, a tower argent over a mount proper, between two lions assailant or, chained to the tower by the waist with chains sable, the second argent, with six crosslets recrossed, on top, whittled, sable, put 2, 2 and 2, and chief gules, charged with three roses natural argent; crest: a greyhound running argent, brindled sable; motto: TURRIS FORTIS MIHI DEUS.^[2] A third branch came to Portugal in the person of Waldron Kelly of Maddenstown, born inMaddenstown,County Kildare, Leinster, on 1 October 1794, who died at theCaribbean Sea, nearLucea,Hanover Parish, andMontego Bay,Saint James Parish,Cornwall County,Jamaica, on 11 November 1836 and was buried there. He married twice, firtsly to Jane Owens and secondly to Ana Ludovina de Lemos Pacheco de Aguilar, born inCedovim,Vila Nova de Foz Coa, on 1 October 1794 and died in Dublin, County Dublin, Leinster, 4 April 1883, and buried there, a relative of the 1stViscount and 1stCount ofSamodães, and had issue by both marriages.

• Kings of Uí Maine
• Leabhar Ua Maine
• Edward Kelley
• The Uí Maine were traditionally thought to be descended from Colla da Crioch, one of theThree Collas. Their original homeland wasOirghialla. DNA testing of descendants ofUilliam Buidhe Ó Cellaigh, however, speculates that the Uí Maine were not descended from the Three Collas.^[3]

• http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~irlkik/ihm/uimaine.htm
• Annals of Ulster atCELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts atUniversity College Cork
• Annals of Tigernach atCELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts atUniversity College Cork
• Revised edition of McCarthy's synchronisms atTrinity College Dublin.
• Irish Kings and High-Kings,Francis John Byrne, Dublin (1971;2003) Four Courts Press,ISBN 978-1-85182-196-9
• History of the O'Maddens of Hy-Many, Gerard Madden, 2004.ISBN 0-9529511-7-7.
• The Life, Legends and Legacy of Saint Kerrill: A Fifth-Century East Galway Evangelist by Joseph Mannion, 2004.ISBN 0-9547698-1-3
• http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/G105007/index.html

• Connachta
• States and territories established in the 4th century
• Kingdoms of medieval Ireland
• History of County Galway
• Geography of County Galway
• Gaels
• Former kingdoms in Ireland

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