The Uí Néill take their name from Niall Noígíallach, Niall of the Nine Hostages, a semi-historical king who reigned sometime around the fifth century.1 Niall is said to have had fourteen sons, eight of which would rise to prominence and become known as the ‘Uí Néill’.
The sons of Niall who settled in the north of Ireland became collectively known as the ‘Northern Uí Néill’. Two of these families in particular rose to prominence: Cenél Conall and Cenél nEóghain. They took the title ‘Kings of Aileach’ and ruled from The Grianán – an imposing stone fort overlooking Lough Swilly in Donegal. The Cenel nEóghain later pushed eastwards into Tyrone and seized the mid-Ulster kingdom of Airgíalla. They were the dominant power in Ulster and the strongest of the Northern Uí Néill clans.
The sons of Niall who settled in the midlands also established independent kingdoms. These became collectively known as the ‘Southern Uí Néill’, and divided the old province of Midhe up into three distinct parts: Mide, Brega and Tethba (although Tethba was effectively a sub-kingdom of Mide).2 Uí Néill politics in the midlands ran in a similar fashion to those in the north; there were also two principal families. These were the Clann Cholmáin in Mide (greater Westmeath), and the Síl nÁedo Sláine in Brega (greater Meath).
The northern and southern Uí Néill factions had a tendency to fight each other as much as anyone else, but had a system in place where they took turns in proclaiming themselves ‘King of Tara’, thereby assuming the high kingship of Ireland. The high kingship probably never extended over the entirety of the country and was likely limited to ‘Leth Cuinn’,3 meaning Conn’s division, which is to the north of the Esker Riada drumlin ridge running from Dublin to Galway.
While the north of the island was controlled by the Uí Néill, the south – Leth Moga, was largely controlled by the Eóganachta dynasty until the rise of the Dál Cais.4 From the 9th century onwards, however, the idea of a high kingship became more of a reality and a significant portion of the island would have been under control.5 Malachy 1st is generally regarded as being the first historical high king and on two occasions convened a Rígdál – a rare royal conference which was approved of by senior church leaders.6
According to popular tradition there were 142 high kings of Ireland,7 but of these roughly only half could be regarded as historical figures. Of the Uí Néill, the Annals of Ulster list seven of their kings who were regarded as having sufficient control of the whole island to be worthy of the title: Domhnall Mac Áedo, Loingsech Mac Óengusso, Malachy 1st, Niall Glúndub, Congalach Cnogba, Domhnall Ua Neill and Malachy 2nd.8 Following the death of Malachy 2nd the Uí Néill never wielded the same authority again and were soon eclipsed by the leading dynasties of the other provinces.
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References
- Francis J. Byrne, Irish Kings and High Kings (Dublin, 1973), pp. 70-86
- Thomas Bartlett and Keith Jeffery, A Military History of Ireland (Cambridge, 1996), pp. 28-29
- T.M. Charles Edwards, Early Christian Ireland (Cambridge, 2000), p. 476
- Byrne, Irish Kings and High Kings, pp. 202-3
- John Koch, Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia (California, 2006), pp. 1663–64
- Brendan Meighan, ‘The development of Irish identity: political aspirations and literary conceptions, 600–919’, PHD Thesis, Trinity College Dublin (June 2020), p. 8
- Michael Slavin, The Book of Tara (Dublin, 1996), p. 69
- Slavin, The Book of Tara, p. 99