Oirialla

Ard-ríocht nó 'cúige' i nÉirinn na meánaoise ab ea an tOirialla (Sean-Ghaeilge Airgíalla, Béarla Oriel) maraon le hainm na cónaidhme faoina bonn. Bhíodh naoú bhfo-ríocht sa chónaidhm, neamhspleách eatarthu féin ach gafa le chéile de bharr ardfhlaithiúnais ainmniúil tugtha do rí ruire, de ghnáth den rítheaghlach is cumhachtaí.

Ag barr a mhéide, b'ionann beagnach críocha Oiriall agus deoisí Ard Mhacha agus Clochair, ina luí le codanna de chontaetha Ard Mhacha, Mhuineachán, Lú, Fear Manach, Tír Eoghain agus Doire. Ba iad a phríomhchathair ná Ard Mhacha agus Clochar. Faightear an t-ainm fós sa bhéaloideas i n-oirdheisceart na nUladh agus Contae Lú taobh leis.

An tOirialla roimh Ionradh na Normannach

De réir an tseanchais, bunaíodh an tOirialla ag na Trí Cholla, a deirtear gur chloígh siad lár na nUladh óna hUlaid féin. Tharla an bua cinntitheach ag Cath Achadh Leithdheirg, a mheastar gur tharla sé timpeall na bliana 331. Creidtear anois ámh gur ficsean é an scéal seo den chuid is mó, Ní fios dá laghad conas nó cathain a bunaíodh cónaidhm an Oirialla.

Faoi cheannas na nUlad san oirthear a cheaptar a bhíodh siad o thús, ach ón 6ú haois ar aghaidh, bhain de réir a chéile Uí Néill an Tuaiscirt ó thuaidh dá gcuid críoch, chomh maith le hUí Néill an Deiscirt ó dheas. Ón bhliain 735, thit siad faoi cheannas an Chineáil Eoghain, agus faoin mbliain 827, bhí siad ina vasáilligh.

Bhain Ríocht an Oiriall barr a réime amach sa 12ú haois faoi rí Donnchad Ua Cerbaill. Mhair ríocht laghdaithe fós i Muineachán faoi Mhic Mhathghamhna go dtí deireadh ré na nGael i nÉirinn.

Sanasaíocht

Is dócha gurb é brí le Airgíalla ná "iad a thugann gialla ar láimh". Cuireann an t-ainm i leith idir an Ríocht Oirialla agus an cónaidhm treibheanna as a cruthaíodh é. I luath-lámhscríbhinní, tugadh Easpag Oirialla ar Easpag Chlochair.

Stair

Bhunús seanscéalacha

In the beginning of the 4ú haois, three warlike brothers, known as the Three Collas, conquered a great part of Ulster, which they wrested from the Ulaid. It was the after the battle of Achadh Leithdheirg, fought c. 331 that they founded Oirialla. In this battle, the forces of the Three Collas defeated the forces of Fergus Foga, Rí na nUladh, who was slain, and the victors burned to the ground Eamhain Mhacha, the ancient capital of Ulaid.

However, this origin legend was written (or composed) in the second quarter of the 8ú century, to seal their alliance with the Uí Néill an Tuaiscirt.

Teacht stairiúil chun cinn

The earliest reference to the Airgíalla occurs in the Annals of Tigernach under the year 677, where the death of Dunchad mac Ultan, "Rí Oigriall", is noted. However, it is suspected of being a retrospective interpolation. On the other hand, the entry in the Annals of Ulster under the year 697 which lists Mael Fothataig mac Mael Dub as "Rex na nAirgialla" may indeed be genuine. Both Mael Fothatag and his son, Eochu Lemnae (died 704), are listed among the guarantors of the Cáin Adhamhnáin in 697. Thus it is believed that the Airgíalla were probably in existence as an entity by then, or certainly by the opening years of the 8th century.

8ú–12ú haoiseanna

Le déanamh

13ú–16ú haoiseanna

Le déanamh

Downfall of the Realm

Rossa Buidhe surrendered Airgíalla to Lord Deputy, John Perrot.

The Kingdom of Airgíalla came to an end in 1585 when Rossa Boy MacMahon agreed to surrender and regrant his territories to the English Crown in Ireland, with his territory becoming County Monaghan in the Tudor Kingdom of Ireland. Rossa Buidhe had ascended to the Airgíalla kingship in 1579 and found himself geopolitically in an undesirable position; wedged between an expanding Tudor kingdom and Tír Eoghain under the O'Neill. Initially, Rossa Boy made moves which suggested an alliance with Tír Eoghain, as he married the daughter of Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone. However, evidently hoping to be left alone to run affairs locally, while pledging allegiance to a distant monarch in Elizabeth I, the MacMahon met with John Perrot, then Lord Deputy of Ireland (according to some, a natural son of Tudor monarch Henry VIII) and agreed to join their Kingdom of Ireland. Airgíalla, now known as Monaghan, was divided into five baronies under native Gaelic chiefs, mostly from the MacMahon themselves.

This was not the end of the matter, however. Fearing the encroachment of the English, moving in closer and closer to his own territories, Hugh O'Neill turned to Brian Mac Hugh Og MacMahon of Dartree and married off another daughter to him. Brian Mac Hugh Og was then the tanist to the chieftainship of his people according to the native Brehon laws and O'Neill was hoping to bring the "phantom" Airgíalla realm back into his camp on the death of Rossa Buidhe through this pact. For his part, Ross Buidhe was trying to engineer a pro-English succession through his brother Hugh Roe MacMahon. When the new Lord Deputy, William FitzWilliam began to pressure the acceptance of an English High Sheriff of Monaghan, O'Neill used his influence to exact opposition to it from clansmen in Monaghan (the same policy was promoted in Leitrim, Fermanagh and Donegal to encircle Tyrone). As a consequence, a military force led by Henry Bagenal was sent into the county in early 1589 to impose the sheriff and by the summer of that year, Rossa Boy was dead.

Dreamanna

Seo a leanas naoi bhfo-ríochtaí an Oirialla, ainmnithe as a rítheaghlaigh:

1. Uí Thoirtre (Uí Tuirtri): Lonnaithe ab ea iad taobh thoir de Shliabh Speirín, in oirthear an Doire agus Tír Eoghain. Ón mbliain 776, bhog Uí Thoirtre soir thar an mBanna agus i ríocht na nUlaid isteach into the over-kingdom of Ulaid. Faoin mbliain 919, bhí gach naisc leis an Oirialla caillte acu.
2. Uí Mhic Cairthinn (Uí Maic Cairthinn): Lonnaithe taobh ó dheas de Loch Feabhail i n-iarraidh an Doire.
3. Uí Fiachrach Arda Sratha: Lonnaithe i nArd Sratha i dTír Eoghain. They became subject to the Cenél nEógain faoin 12ú haois, agus chuir siad leo ó dheas i Fir Luírg i bhFear Manach isteach.
4. Uí Cremthainn: lonnaithe i gcodanna d'Fhear manach, Muineachán agus Tír Eoghain.
5. Uí Méith: lonnairhe i Muineachán.
6. Na hOirthir (Ind Airthir): Lonnaithe that timpeall chathair Ard Mhacha. Bhí oifigí na heaglaise ann, a raibh is a bhfuil cáil ar leith acu i nÉirinn, i bhfeighil acu siúd.
7. Múrna (Mugdorna): lonnaithe ó dhúchas i Muineachán, ach faoin 12ú haois, bhí siad lonnaithe i gcríocha Boirche, i ndeisceart an Dúin, agus d'ainmnigh siad an áit astu féin. Tá an dá ainm ar mharthain fós: Beanna Boirche as Gaeilge, ach as Béarla, the Mourne Mountains.
8. Fir Chraíbe (Fir Craoibhe), Lonnaithe taobh thiar den Bhanna, i n-oirthuaisceart an Doire. Faoin 9ú haois, faoi cheannas Chineál Eoghain ab ea iad.
9. Fir Lí: Lonnaithe taobh thiar den Bhanna i lár-oirthear an Doire. Faoin 9ú haois, faoi cheannas Chineál Eoghain ab ea iad ab ea iad fosta.

Luath-dhreamanna i nÉirinn agus seacht 'gcúige', mar a fhaightear i Leabhar na gCeart den 11ú haois. Sa léarscáil seo, feictear Uí Thuirtre, Uí Cremmthain, Airthir, Uí Méith, Mughdorna lastigh de Airgialla; feictear Fir Lí lasmuigh; ní fheictear Uí Mhic Cairthinn, Uí Fiachrach Arda Sratha, Fir Chraíbe; ach feictear Dairtre, Fir Rois lastigh fosta.

Uí Mhic Uais

Bhí comhainm ag Uí Thoirtre, Uí Mhic Cairthinn, agus Uí Fiachrach Arda Sratha, mar a bhí Uí Mhic Uais (Uí Moccu Úais), toisc gur mhaígh siad gur shliocht de Cholla Uais iad. e reir an ghinealaigh sa Leabhar Laighneach bhí berit mhac ag Colla Uais, Earc agus Fiachra Tort. De shilocht Fiachra Tort iad Uí Tuirtri. Bhí beirt mhac ag Erc, darbh ainm Cairtheann agus Fiachra, agus sinsir ab ea iadsan d'Uí Mhic Cairthinn agus Uí Fiachrach Arda Sratha. Mhaígh na Fir Lí gur shliocht d'Fhiachra Tort, cé go bhfaightear i bhfoinsí áirithe gur shliocht de mhac eile Cholla Uais darbh ainm Faradach.

Fuarthas Uí Mhic Uais fosta sa Mhí, ar a glaodh orthu Uí Moccu Úais Midi agus Uí Moccu Úais Brega.

Féach freisin

• Ríthe an Oirialla
• Ulaid
• Ailech

Foinsí

• "Oxford Companion to Irish History" (2007). Oxford University Press. 
• "A New History of Ireland, II Medieval Ireland 1169-1534" (2008). Oxford University Press. 
• Duffy, Seán (2005). "Medieval Ireland an Encyclopedia". Routledge. 
• MacCaffrey, Wallace T (1994). "Elizabeth I: War and Politics, 1588-1603". Princeton University Press. 
• Morgan, Hiram (1999). "Tyrone's Rebellion: The Outbreak of the Nine Years War in Tudor Ireland". Boydell & Brewer. 
• Palmer, William (1994). "The Problem of Ireland in Tudor Foreign Policy, 1485-1603". Boydell & Brewer. 
• Smith, Brendan (1999). "Colonisation and Conquest in Medieval Ireland". Cambridge University Press. 
• Warner, R. (1973–1974). "The Re-Provenancing of Two Important Penannular Brooches of the Viking Period". Ulster Journal of Archaeology 36-37: 58–70. Ulster Archaeological Society. 

Naisc sheachtracha

• The Kingship and Landscape of Tara, eag. Edel Bhreathnach, 2005, ISBN 1-85182-954-7
• Early Modern Ireland
• The Three Collas
• DNA of the Three Collas
• "A Hidden Ulster" le Pádraigín Ní Ullacháin, 2003, Four Courts Press ISBN 1-85182-685-8 & ISBN 1-85182-738-2
• "Songs From A Hidden Ulster", RTÉ Raidió 1, 2006, le Pádraigín Ní Ullacháin