Breifne (Ua Ruairc)

Who he is

Name

Ualgarg Ua Ruairc

Title

King of Breifne

Since

About 1196

Born

Not pinned

Family

Son of Cathal, son of Aed, of the Ui Ruairc; the great Tigernan Ua Ruairc was killed by Hugh de Lacy's men at Tlachtga in 1172

Confidence

medium

King c. 1196-1209 and again c. 1210-31 in the king list.

What it holds

• West Breifne (Leitrim) and the overlordship of East Breifne (Cavan)
• Dromahair and the Lough Gill country

How it was acquired

Dynastic right.

Allies and rivals

Enemy of the Meath English (Tuit at Granard), of Cenel Conaill and of the Ui Raghallaigh.

How things stand that morning

King; facing a new English motte at Granard (1199).

Wealth

Cattle and the lakes.

Military

The Breifne hosting.

Threats

• The Meath English
• Cenel Conaill (Leckymuldory, 1200-01)
• The Ui Raghallaigh

What the year holds

What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.

1. 1200-01 (Four Masters 1200)Ua Domnaill routs the Ui Ruairc at Leckymuldory; Conchobar na Glaisfene Ua Ruairc is drowned.Depends on: War with Cenel Conaill Stopped by: Peace

Places of note

• Dromahair: Ui Ruairc seat by Lough Gill

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: King list gives 'c. 1196-1209'.

On the map: Approximate.

Primary sources for Breifne

Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.

• Annals of Clonmacnoise, Anonymous; English translation of a lost Irish chronicle by Conall Mac Geoghegan (medieval original lost; translated 1627). A midland chronicle, tied to Clonmacnoise and the kings of Meath and Connacht, surviving only in a 1627 translation. Read online
• Annals of Loch Ce, Various (compiled for the Mac Diarmada of Moylurg) (compiled 1580s from older annals; the medieval section rests on a Connacht chronicle). The fullest Connacht account of the year: Cathal Carrach's seizure of the kingship, Cathal Crobderg's flight north, the Connacht expedition of de Courcy and the Ui Neill on Crobderg's behalf and its defeat, William de Burgh's role, and the devastation of the province's churches, with the names of the Connacht nobles and clergy who died. Read online
• Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters, Various; compiled by Micheal O Cleirigh and others (1632 to 1636, from medieval annals now partly lost). A seventeenth century compilation but it draws on lost medieval annals, so its 1200 entries add names and incidents missing elsewhere: the Connacht war and the English of Meath and Munster, the deaths of Irish kings and churchmen across the island, and raids in Thomond and Desmond. Read online
• Annals of Ulster, Various; compiled by Cathal Mac Maghnusa (compiled about 1498 from much older annals; the entries for 1200 derive from contemporary record). The most reliable Irish annal for the north. Read online