Brega Succession
Archived: 2 November 2026
Abstract
In 674 CE, the annals place Ireland’s most consequential recorded development in a struggle within the Síl nÁedo Sláine, an important branch of the Southern Uí Néill. Cenn Fáelad, son of Blathmac and styled king of Tara in later historical reckoning, was killed in battle; his kinsman Fínnechta Fledach emerged as victor and began to rule. The terse report offers neither battlefield narrative nor a reliable location. Yet it marks a real change in the leadership of the midlands, where claims to the kingship of Tara depended less on a unitary national state than on kinship, military following, tribute, alliances