Archived: 23 October 2026
Abstract
For Ireland, 1360 is remembered most clearly through a stark cluster of fires. The Annals of Connacht record “great burnings” at Roscommon, Devenish, Sligo, the monastery of Lisgoole, Fenagh and Drumlease. The entry gives no date within the year, no named commander and no narrative explaining whether these were connected attacks, separate raids, or destruction arising from several local conflicts. That silence matters. It would be unsafe to turn the notice into a single, neatly organised campaign. Yet its geographical reach, from Connacht into Fermanagh and the north-west, makes it an unusually vivid indication of insecurity in a year otherwise
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Archived: 23 October 2026
Abstract
In 1356, Áed son of Toirrdelbach Ó Conchobair was killed at Baile Locha Deacair after allegedly abducting Donnchad Carrach Ó Cellaig’s wife, prompting allied retaliation by Ó Cellaig, Clann an Bhaird and Uí Maine. Áed son of Feidlim claimed full kingship of contested Connacht amid further dynastic deaths. Killings and successions elsewhere, including Tír Chonaill, reflected fragmented lordship. In Dublin, Justiciar Maurice fitz Thomas FitzGerald died, and Gearoidín Tyrrell was publicly executed. The deaths of Armagh’s primate, Clogher’s bishop and relic-keeper Solam Ó Melláin marked ecclesiastical losses. Sources document political violence but cannot establish precise circumstances or wider economic conditions.
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Archived: 23 October 2026
Abstract
In 1352, annals from Connacht and later Four Masters record violent contests for lordship across Connacht, Breifne and Tír Chonaill. Aodh mac Toirdelbach Ó Conchobair forcibly recovered Connacht’s kingship against Gall and Gael, amid associated killings, and breached Baile an Dúin, destroying cattle and sheep. In Breifne, Aodh Ó Ruairc and his Clann Suibhne gallóglaigh were killed, while further deaths exposed unstable leadership. Aengus Ó Domhnaill’s treacherous killing triggered disputed succession in Tír Chonaill. Notices of captains, nobles and patrons reveal intertwined warfare and cultural support. Recent plague formed the background, but evidence does not establish a 1352 nationwide outbreak.
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Archived: 23 October 2026
Abstract
In 1350, plague remained active in Ireland, evidenced by legal notes, vacant Kilkenny holdings and deaths linked cautiously to pestilence, while its impact varied regionally. Connacht underwent a major coup when Sir Edmund Albanach de Burgh, Macwilliam Burke, and leading communities deposed Aed Ó Conchobair and installed another dynastic claimant. Killings and reprisals in Connacht, Moylurg, Breifne and Thomond exposed violent struggles over lordship, land and cattle. English administration nevertheless continued: Justiciar Thomas Rokeby held a Kilkenny council, raised taxation and negotiated service. Chancery, inheritance inquiries, religious leadership and learned culture endured amid demographic loss, insecurity and contested power locally.
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Archived: 23 October 2026
Abstract
In 1343, Ireland saw shifting lordship, violence and religious investment. Toirrdelbach Ó Conchobair regained Connacht and made peace with Conchobar Mac Diarmata, while Clann Feorais and Clann Ricaird crushed Uí Maine, killing eleven Ó Ceallaigh princes. In Thomond, Diarmait Ó Briain briefly succeeded Muirchertach before Brian Bán seized power. In Tír Conaill, Aengus Ó Domhnaill displaced Niall through a broad coalition, granted land to exiles, and defeated his rival’s supporters. Deaths included nobles, churchmen and scholars. Kilronan received a new church, St Mary’s, Kilkenny, a belfry, and Boyle Abbey remained central to Mac Diarmata burials and succession during the year.
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Archived: 23 October 2026
Abstract
In 1342, Connacht was convulsed by a dynastic war that displaced King Toirrdelbach Ó Conchobair. Conchobar Mac Diarmata, Edmund Burke and rival Ó Conchobairs formed a coalition, humiliating Toirrdelbach at Elphin, destroying crops, fighting over fords and fortresses, and exploiting captivity and assassination. Aed Ó Conchobair became king, though Toirrdelbach regained power in 1343. Elsewhere, Conchobar Ó Domnaill was murdered in Tír Conaill, while raids caused deaths in Oriel. Dublin government abandoned contested reforms amid local resistance. Annalistic notices also record the deaths of poets, historians and clerics, revealing overlapping political, military, ecclesiastical and learned worlds during the year itself.
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Archived: 23 October 2026
Abstract
In 1341, Toirrdelbach Ó Conchobair, king of Connacht, captured Roscommon Castle, a royal English fortress, with annals differing over the role of his imprisoned rival Áed. The seizure strengthened him temporarily amid continuing Connacht dynastic conflict. Meanwhile, Edward III’s administration ordered investigations, resumed grants and proposed replacing locally connected officials, provoking resistance from the English of Ireland. Parliaments at Dublin and Kilkenny petitioned the king, defending lands, liberties and consultation while affirming loyalty. Elsewhere, violence and rapid successions marked Meath, Oriel and Connacht. Ecclesiastical deaths reflected institutional continuity. The year exposed fragmented, negotiated authority across overlapping Gaelic and settler societies.
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Archived: 23 October 2026
Abstract
In 1340, Connacht lordship was contested through dynastic intervention, captivity, raiding and negotiated settlement. Toirdelbach Ó Conchobair installed a ruler in Uí Maine, but resistance killed his appointee; his imprisonment of a nephew provoked Mac Diarmata opposition and a peace at Ballymote. Breifne warfare over cattle killed Domnall Ó Ruairc, while prisoners were exchanged to restore political advantage. Other kin-group killings exposed fragile local rule. Edward III pardoned Edmund Albanach and Reymund de Burgh, seeking accommodation and military service. Cill Rónáin burned, and learned men died. Sources caution against misdating Ulster entries and a supposed Franciscan foundation in later annals.
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Archived: 23 October 2026
Abstract
A Killing That Changed ConnachtThe most consequential Irish event securely placed in 1338 was the killing of Sir Edmund de Burgh, known in the annals as the son of the Earl of Ulster. He was captured by his kinsman Edmund Albanach de Burgh, had a stone tied about his neck, and was cast into Lough Mask. The stark formula occurs in both the Annals of Connacht and the Annals of Loch Cé. Neither supplies a day or month, and none should be invented; but both place the killing firmly within their annal for 1338.Its importance lay not merely in the
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Archived: 23 October 2026
Abstract
In 1336, Connacht remained fragmented after William de Burgh’s murder, as Gaelic and Anglo-Irish lords pursued raids, alliances and territorial advantage. Tomaltach Mac Diarmata of Moylurg died and was buried at Boyle Abbey, succeeded by Conchobar. Forces led by Toirrdelbach Ó Conchobair captured and destroyed Mac Goisdelb’s Great Castle, allowing its mercenary garrison safe departure. Ruaidhri Ó Ceallaigh, king of Uí Maine, was killed, while Toirrdelbach reshaped alliances through marriage. Edmund Mac William de Burgh was expelled. Warfare reached Tír Chonaill. Legal scholar Trinnoit Ó Naan died. Severe snow and frost devastated cattle and winter growth, straining communities across Ireland.
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Archived: 24 October 2026
Abstract
In 1324, Connacht experienced a decisive dynastic reversal when Toirrdelbach Ó Conchobair killed Cathal Ó Conchobair in Tír Briúin na Sinna in autumn and was recognised as king. Cathal, ruler since 1318, had long contested power with his rival amid Gaelic and Anglo-Irish pressures. Annála Connacht also recorded the continuing Mael Domnaig cattle murrain throughout Ireland, a severe but undiagnosed epizootic threatening food, farming, transport, wealth and lordship. John Darcy, newly appointed justiciar, administered English-controlled jurisdictions under Edward II, where common law, Dublin ordinances and local usages coexisted. Sparse annalistic evidence portrays political succession and rural vulnerability as closely intertwined.
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Archived: 24 October 2026
Abstract
In 1320, Ireland showed contrasting efforts at order and continuing conflict after the Bruce invasion. Archbishop Alexander de Bicknor established statutes for a studium generale at St Patrick’s Cathedral, appointing teachers and a chancellor to promote theology and canon law, while strengthening ecclesiastical discipline through synodal measures. Roger Mortimer’s Dublin parliament reaffirmed English statutes, regulated administration and market measures, and named the earl of Kildare deputy justiciar. Elsewhere, authority remained contested: Cathal Ó Conchobair broke peace with Maelruanaid Mac Diarmata, seizing captives and ravaging Connacht; a Connacht claimant was killed; and Munster’s Ó Briain tanist Mathgamain died violently, unsettling succession.
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Archived: 24 October 2026
Abstract
In 1318, defeats at Dysert O’Dea and Faughart reshaped Ireland without bringing peace. Richard de Clare’s death ended his family’s attempt to dominate Thomond, enabling Gaelic rulers to regain regional control. Edward Bruce’s death near Dundalk ended the Scottish-backed invasion, though it exposed weaknesses within English lordship. Warfare intensified the Great Famine’s effects: requisitioning, ruined crops, disease, disrupted trade and severe weather produced acute hardship. Political alliances crossed Gaelic, settler and Scottish communities, reflecting local interests rather than national divisions. Connacht remained unstable amid dynastic conflict. Alexander de Bicknor arrived as Dublin’s archbishop and justiciar, inheriting a weakened, impoverished lordship.
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Archived: 24 October 2026
Abstract
In 1316, Ireland endured Scottish invasion, provincial conflict, destructive warfare and famine. Edward Bruce, supported by Ulster allies, claimed kingship but controlled chiefly the former earldom of Ulster; his Leinster raid exposed divisions among Anglo-Irish magnates without establishing rule. In Connacht, Feidlim Ó Conchobair defeated rival Ruaidrí, built a broad coalition and attacked Anglo-Irish lordships. On 10 August, William de Burgh and the Berminghams crushed Feidlim’s army outside Athenry, killing Feidlim and leaders, and destabilising Connacht anew. Meanwhile, famine compounded military devastation. Carrickfergus surrendered to Bruce in September, yet no power secured Ireland: regional rivalries, hunger and contested lordship persisted.
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Archived: 24 October 2026
Abstract
In 1310, Ireland remained politically fragmented despite Edward II’s lordship. At Kilkenny Parliament, John Wogan, Richard de Burgh and church leaders addressed disorder, revealing reliance on powerful magnates. In Connacht, Aed Brefnech Ó Conchobair’s destructive campaign against Mac Diarmata included killings, capture and burning; his allies then sacked Buninna Castle. Aed was subsequently murdered by mercenaries, allegedly bribed by William de Burgh, whose soldiers imposed oppressive quartering. Feidlim Ó Conchobair emerged as king of Connacht. Richard rebuilt Sligo Castle, asserting contested authority. The year also saw scholar Tanaide Ó Maelchonaire’s death, wine landing in Magh Cétné, and violence across Ireland.
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Archived: 24 October 2026
Abstract
In 1309, Áed mac Éogain Ó Conchobair, king of Connacht, was killed at Coill an Chlocháin by Áed Brefnech, triggering wider conflict among rival dynasties and allies. Elite casualties included legal scholar Gilla na Naem Mac Aodhagáin, illustrating the political importance of learned service. Competing claimants sought submissions, tribute, royal jewels and military support, while raids damaged grain and monasteries served strategic roles. Elsewhere, violence involved Leinster magnates and Thomond rivals; Cathal Ó Conchobair became bishop of Elphin. Roger Mortimer and Joan de Geneville assumed Meath's lordship, while Dublin received murage for bridge-tower repairs, revealing Ireland's interconnected local politics clearly.
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Archived: 24 October 2026
Abstract
In 1308, John Wogan’s defeat at Glenmalure exposed the vulnerability of royal power near Dublin, although administration continued. Piers Gaveston, Edward II’s controversial favourite, arrived as king’s lieutenant, combining political exile with military responsibility. Later campaigns against Wicklow opponents, including the Ó Byrnes, sought to restore authority through coercion and infrastructure. In Connacht, raids, broken peace agreements and failed hostages involved Ó Conchobair branches, Mac Diarmata, Ó Dubda and Anglo-Irish forces, demonstrating unstable alliances and dynastic violence. Stormy weather damaged people and cattle, while lightning struck Roscommon’s Dominican friary. The year revealed an uneven landscape where powers constrained royal government.
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Archived: 24 October 2026
Abstract
In 1306, Ireland experienced contested succession, warfare and political instability rather than decisive national change. Toirdelbach Ó Briain, king of Thomond, died and was buried at his foundation for friars on Inis Mac nInill, while his son Donnchad succeeded amid opposition. Connacht suffered prolonged conflict between Ó Conchobair rivals, involving raids, cattle seizure, arson and killings. Betrayals and lordship struggles affected Fermanagh, Meath, Leinster and Desmond, where prominent captives and rivals were killed. Annals also record clerical deaths, church damage, maritime trade and fortification. Robert Bruce’s Scottish accession had Irish significance, although no invasion followed. Sources require caution over chronology.
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Archived: 24 October 2026
Abstract
In 1302, Ireland experienced political change, conflict and widespread cattle mortality. Domnall Ruad Mac Carthaig, king of Desmond, died in February after a long reign and was succeeded by his son, Domnall Óc. His Franciscan burial at Cork reflected both dynastic status and penitential religious culture. Donn Carrach Mag Uidir of Fermanagh, several prospective heirs, and leading churchmen also died, creating important vacancies. Raids in Mag Céidne demonstrated continuing competition among Connacht elites. Annals described severe disease among cattle throughout Ireland, threatening rural wealth, food supplies, tribute and lordly power. Chronological differences between sources require caution over some associated events.
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Archived: 24 October 2026
Abstract
In 1301, Irish annals recorded local conflict, religious deaths and Ireland’s involvement in Edward I’s Scottish campaign. Áed Ó Conchobair and Clann Muirchertaigh raided Mag Cétne, while killings among Muintir Chionaoith and Uí Máel Sechlainn exposed dynastic rivalries. The deaths of Gilla Íosa Mac Fir Bisig, an eminent ollam, Abbess Finnguala of Kilcreevanty, priest Matha Mac Raith and steward Cathal Ó Máel Dúin illuminate Gaelic learning, ecclesiastical leadership and royal administration. Anglo-Irish magnates and forces served in Scotland from late July to November, although the earl of Ulster stayed behind. These fragmentary records reveal interconnected Gaelic and English political worlds.
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Archived: 24 October 2026
Abstract
In 1298, Irish records reveal fragmented yet connected authority. Brian Bregach Mag Samradain, chief of Tullyhaw, was killed at Coologe, illustrating violent dynastic politics in Breifne. Thomas fitz Maurice FitzGerald, the Crooked Heir, died, prompting valuations of his extensive but unevenly productive estates, including decayed Dungarvan Castle and its active market economy. Dublin government supplied Edward I’s Scottish war while maintaining administration through officials and inquiries. Deaths and appointments among bishops and abbots underline ecclesiastical influence. Conflicting reports of Domnall Ruad Mac Carthaig’s death demonstrate the need to compare annals. The year exposes power’s local, negotiated and fragile political character.
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Archived: 24 October 2026
Abstract
In 1296, Connacht suffered a violent Ó Conchobair succession struggle. Áed son of Eógan was deposed for Conchobar Ruad, whose supporters seized hostages and ravaged Cairbre, including churches. Backed by Uilliam and Theobald Burke, Áed assembled at Boyle Abbey, plundering grain and livestock, before alliances shifted again. Conchobar was killed at Cend Ceti, restoring Áed; his rival’s son was later blinded. Ecclesiastical deaths and burials stressed Boyle and Ballintober’s importance. Meanwhile, Irish magnates and troops joined Edward I’s Scottish invasion, criticised by annalists for sacrilege. Reports of weather and cattle disease illustrate insecurity surrounding food, livestock, lordship and religious institutions.
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Archived: 24 October 2026
Abstract
In 1294 Richard de Burgh, the Red Earl of Ulster and lord of Connacht, was captured by John fitz Thomas FitzGerald and imprisoned at Lea Castle, intensifying a wider struggle for power in Connacht. Sligo Castle was destroyed amid rival campaigns, while killings, raids and disputed successions destabilised Gaelic lordships. FitzGerald and de Bermingham forces devastated Connacht but failed to secure lasting control. Deaths and successions affected regional dynasties, ecclesiastical offices and political marriages. Bad weather and harvest failure began a three-year dearth, compounded by warfare. Property transactions continued, revealing authority divided among crown, magnates, kings, chiefs and local institutions.
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Archived: 24 October 2026
Abstract
In 1293, Ireland experienced interconnected political, administrative and religious upheavals. In Connacht, Magnus Ó Conchobair’s death triggered rapid changes of kingship, as Áed mac Eógain, Cathal Ruad and Anglo-Irish interests contested authority. Violence destabilised Moylurg and claimed several regional rulers. William de Vesci’s rivalry with John fitz Thomas FitzGerald prompted Edward I to restrain military mobilisation, reform sheriffs’ accountability and investigate the justiciar. At Saul, Nicholas Mac Máel Ísu enshrined reported relics of Patrick, Columba and Brigid, reinforcing ecclesiastical prestige. Episcopal deaths and contested elections linked Irish churches to royal administration, monasteries and Rome, revealing overlapping, insecure jurisdictions across Ireland.
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Archived: 24 October 2026
Abstract
In 1292, Richard de Burgh, earl of Ulster and lord of Connacht, sought to enforce authority through campaigning, negotiation and violence. His advance to Roscommon failed to secure hostages from Magnus Ó Conchobair, but Magnus later submitted at Meelick and gained concessions. De Burgh’s raid on Leyney devastated resources without securing Domnall Ó hEgra’s obedience, while Mac Cochlain of Delvin was killed on his orders. Dynastic deaths further unsettled Connacht. In the south, Edward I settled Thomas fitz Maurice FitzGerald’s inheritance, regranting Decies, Desmond and Dungarvan under revised terms. These events exposed Crown authority’s dependence on continually unstable local agreements.
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Archived: 24 October 2026
Abstract
In 1291 Ireland’s most consequential recorded developments lay in the north and west: the campaigning of Richard de Burgh, earl of Ulster, known to later history as the Red Earl; disputed kingships among the Ó Néill, Ó Domnaill and Ó Conchobair; and a sharp Connacht struggle centred on the weir at Collooney. These events are principally preserved in Irish annals, which organise material by year but do not normally supply dates or a dependable sequence within the year. The campaigns and battles described below can therefore be responsibly assigned to 1291, while their precise seasons and order cannot. Royal administrative
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Archived: 24 October 2026
Abstract
In 1288 Magnus Ó Conchobair seized Connacht after defeating and capturing his brother Cathal at Bellaslishen, a strategic ford near Roscommon. His victory brought plundering, but winter attacks at Ros Mór wounded him and exposed continuing resistance. Recovering, he took hostages in Síl Muiredaig to enforce obedience. Richard de Burgh, Red Earl of Ulster and lord of Connacht, advanced to Roscommon but withdrew amid opposition, although sources dispute subsequent terms. Stephen de Fulbourn, archbishop of Tuam and justiciar, died, prompting William de Bermingham's election. Changes in church and chancery office reflected contested authority among Gaelic rulers, magnates and royal administration.
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Archived: 24 October 2026
Abstract
In 1285, records from Connacht and Bréifne depict contested local power rather than a national crisis. Magnus Ó Conchobair defeated Adam Cusack’s settler force at Ballysadare, killing many and capturing Colin Cusack, but Pilib Mac Gosdelb soon routed Magnus’s followers at Sliabh Gamh, with heavy losses among lesser levies. Ruaidrí Ó Gádra, king of Sliabh Lugha, was killed by Mac Feorais near Lough O’Gara. Simon Ó Ruairc, bishop of Bréifne, died, as did Alis, daughter of Cormac, and Enri Mac Gilla Finnein. Annals emphasise fluid alliances, strategic routes, hostage-taking, and precarious lordship, while warning against chronologically misplaced later annalistic entries.
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Archived: 24 October 2026
Abstract
In 1284, Irish politics was shaped by local conflict, succession and contested lordship rather than an island-wide crisis. In Thomond, Toirdelbach Ó Briain killed his rival Donnchad, strengthening his position and troubling Thomas de Clare’s Bunratty lordship. In Connacht, Simon d’Exeter’s death provoked raids, while losses suffered by Holy Trinity Island and Boyle Abbey were repaid; Fiachra Ó Flainn burned Dunmore. King Cathal mac Conchobair Ruaid demolished Kilcolman Castle, challenging fortified authority. Elphin saw rapid episcopal changes after two deaths. Killings of northern chiefs further demonstrate fragile regional power, where kinship, churches, compensation and strongholds shaped political control across Ireland.
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Archived: 25 October 2026
Abstract
In 1280 Ireland saw conflicts exposing authority. In Thomond, Thomas de Clare’s attempt to establish a castle at Cuinche, near Quin, was devastated by a night attack led by Tairdelbach and Domnall Ó Briain; de Clare escaped to Bunratty, though Quin was completed later. In Connacht, Áed Muimhnech Ó Conchobair was killed during dynastic struggle, and Cathal Ó Conchobair gained kingship. Máel Sechlainn Ó Conchobair was ransomed for 400 cattle and 20 horses, illustrating livestock’s political value. Annals noted deaths of churchmen and Desmond barons. Together, these events reveal contested lordship, resilient Gaelic power, dynastic rivalry, and embedded religious institutions.
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