Cellach mac Máele Coba
Encyclopedia
Cellach mac Máele Coba was an Irish
king and is said to have been High King of Ireland
.
Cellach was the son of Máel Coba mac Áedo
(died 615) and belonged to the Cenél Conaill
branch of the northern Uí Néill
. According to the Irish annals
derived from the Chronicle of Ireland
, he may have been High King, jointly with his brother Conall Cóel
, following the death of his uncle Domnall mac Áedo
in 642. The Annals of Ulster
for 643 say:
All four putative successors to Domnall had been his allies at the great Battle of Mag Roth in 637, where Congal Cáech
was defeated at the authority of the Uí Néill re-established, and it is not implausible that all four ruled together. He ruled from 643-654 The king lists give Cellach and Conall as reigning before Diarmait and Blathmac. Both Cellach and Conall are omitted from the earliest king list-a late 7th century poem Baile Chuinn.
A challenge to their authority occurred in the north when their cousin Óengus mac Domnaill was defeated and killed at the Battle of Dún Cremthainn by Conall and Cellach in 650. Conall Cóel was killed by Diarmait in 654 while Cellach died in 658, perhaps at Bru na Bóinne
. It is possible Cellach had been captured by Diarmait in 654 and died a prisoner.
His daughter Cacht ingen Cellaig married Máel Dúin mac Máele Fithrich
(died 681) King of Ailech.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
king and is said to have been High King of Ireland
High King of Ireland
The High Kings of Ireland were sometimes historical and sometimes legendary figures who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over the whole of Ireland. Medieval and early modern Irish literature portrays an almost unbroken sequence of High Kings, ruling from Tara over a hierarchy of...
.
Cellach was the son of Máel Coba mac Áedo
Máel Coba mac Áedo
Máel Coba was an Irish king who is counted as a High King of Ireland in some sources.Máel Coba was the son of Áed mac Ainmuirech and brother of Domnall mac Áedo , both also reckoned High Kings of Ireland. They belonged to the northern Cenél Conaill branch of the Uí Néill...
(died 615) and belonged to the Cenél Conaill
Cenél Conaill
The Cenél Conaill is the name of the "kindred" or descendants of Conall Gulban, son of Niall Noígiallach defined by oral and recorded history. They were also known in Scotland as the Kindred of Saint Columba....
branch of the northern Uí Néill
Uí Néill
The Uí Néill are Irish and Scottish dynasties who claim descent from Niall Noigiallach , an historical King of Tara who died about 405....
. According to the Irish annals
Irish annals
A number of Irish annals were compiled up to and shortly after the end of Gaelic Ireland in the 17th century.Annals were originally a means by which monks determined the yearly chronology of feast days...
derived from the Chronicle of Ireland
Chronicle of Ireland
The Chronicle of Ireland is the modern name for a hypothesized collection of ecclesiastical annals recording events in Ireland from 432 to 911 AD....
, he may have been High King, jointly with his brother Conall Cóel
Conall Cóel
Conall mac Máele Coba, called Conall Cóel, was an Irish king and is said to have been High King of Ireland.-Biography:Conall was the son of Máel Coba mac Áedo and belonged to the Cenél Conaill branch of the northern Uí Néill...
, following the death of his uncle Domnall mac Áedo
Domnall mac Áedo
Domnall mac Áedo , also known as Domnall II, was a son of Áed mac Ainmuirech. Domnall was High King of Ireland from 628 until his death. He belonged to the Cenél Conaill kindred of the northern Uí Néill....
in 642. The Annals of Ulster
Annals of Ulster
The Annals of Ulster are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years between AD 431 to AD 1540. The entries up to AD 1489 were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, under his patron Cathal Óg Mac Maghnusa on the island of Belle Isle on Lough Erne in the...
for 643 say:
Here there is doubt as to who reigned after Domnall. Some historiographers say that four kings, namely Cellach and Conall Cóel and the two sons of Áed SláineÁed SláineÁed mac Diarmato , called Áed Sláine , was the son of Diarmait mac Cerbaill. Legendary stories exist of Áed's birth. Saint Columba is said to have prophesied his death...
, namely DiarmaitDiarmait mac Áedo SláineDiarmait was a son of Áed Sláine. According to the Irish annals he was High King of Ireland.-Sons of Áed Sláine:Diarmait's father Áed Sláine was a son of Diarmait mac Cerbaill, the apical ancestor of the southern branches of the Uí Néill kindred which dominated Ireland from the late 6th century...
and BlathmacBlathmac mac Áedo SláineBlathmac was a son of Áed Sláine. According to the Irish annals he was High King of Ireland.-Sons of Áed Sláine:Blathmac's father Áed Sláine was a son of Diarmait mac Cerbaill, the apical ancestor of the southern branches of the Uí Néill kindred which dominated Ireland from the late 6th century...
, ruled in shared reigns.
All four putative successors to Domnall had been his allies at the great Battle of Mag Roth in 637, where Congal Cáech
Congal Cáech
Congal Cáech was a king of the Cruithne of Dál nAraidi, in modern Ulster, from around 626 to 637. He was king of Ulster from 627-637 and, according to some sources, High King of Ireland.-Sources:...
was defeated at the authority of the Uí Néill re-established, and it is not implausible that all four ruled together. He ruled from 643-654 The king lists give Cellach and Conall as reigning before Diarmait and Blathmac. Both Cellach and Conall are omitted from the earliest king list-a late 7th century poem Baile Chuinn.
A challenge to their authority occurred in the north when their cousin Óengus mac Domnaill was defeated and killed at the Battle of Dún Cremthainn by Conall and Cellach in 650. Conall Cóel was killed by Diarmait in 654 while Cellach died in 658, perhaps at Bru na Bóinne
Brú na Bóinne
is a World Heritage Site in County Meath, Ireland and is the largest and one of the most important prehistoric megalithic sites in Europe.-The site:...
. It is possible Cellach had been captured by Diarmait in 654 and died a prisoner.
His daughter Cacht ingen Cellaig married Máel Dúin mac Máele Fithrich
Máel Dúin mac Máele Fithrich
Máel Dúin mac Máele Fithrich was a King of Ailech and head of the Cenél nEógain branch of the northern Uí Néill. He was the son of Máel Fithrich mac Áedo and grandson of the high king Áed Uaridnach...
(died 681) King of Ailech.