Related Archive: Áed Oirdnide

Death at Áth Dá Ferta

Archived: 29 October 2026

Abstract

In 819, Áed Oirdnide, northern Uí Néill king of Tara, ravaged Cualu and reached Glendalough before dying near Áth dá Ferta in Mag Conaille. His death ended a long pursuit of supremacy but did not create a unified Irish kingdom. Conchobar son of Donnchad of Clann Cholmáin succeeded him, amid rivalry between Cenél nÉogain and Cenél Conaill, in which Máel Bresail was killed. Other conflicts claimed Cairell in Ulaid, while Leinster lost Cathal of Uí Cheinnselaig, prior of Ferns. At Armagh, Whitsun rites were disrupted. Ecclesiastical obituaries underline churches’ political, social and learned importance, while rural communities endured warfare’s burdens.

Read Article

817 CE

Loch Éirne’s Ice Road

Archived: 29 October 2026

Abstract

In 817, severe frost and snow transformed Ireland’s rivers and lakes into temporary routes. People crossed the Boyne dry-shod, hunted and moved livestock on Lough Neagh, and carried oratory materials across frozen Lough Erne. Áed Oirdnide, high king of Tara, imposed a partition of Leinster, while violence there dishonoured and killed church officers. Religious authority travelled: Cuanu took Mochta’s shrine to Munster, and Artrí brought Patrick’s shrine to Connacht. In the west, Uí Briúin rulers defeated Uí Maine at Forath, killing King Cathal and nobles. Fire destroyed a third of Clonmacnoise, emphasising ecclesiastical vulnerability and reconstruction during this extraordinary year.

Read Article