Áed’s Obituary
Archived: 4 November 2026
Abstract
In 639 CE, the most significant Irish development that can be placed with reasonable confidence in this calendar year was the death of Áed Dub, bishop and abbot of Kildare. His obituary is brief, but it illuminates a great deal: in seventh-century Leinster, an important church could be led by a member of a ruling dynasty, and religious office could be an instrument of regional authority as well as pastoral care. The year’s surviving notices also record deaths at Nendrum and Leighlin, the killing of a man named Congal son of Dúnchad, the death of Ailill son of Áed Rón,
