The confederation of the Airgialla between Tir Eogain, Breifne and the English: Fir Manach on Lough Erne, Fernmag (Monaghan) of the Meic Mathgamna, the Oirthir of the Ui hAnluain round Armagh, and Ui Chremthainn in the Clogher valley.
Its southern third, the plain of Louth, became the English county of Uriel after 1185, and the kingship has passed from the Ui Cerbaill to the lord of Fir Manach under Ua Neill's protection.
Who rules
- Name
- Niall Ua hEignigh, king of Fir Manach
- Title
- King of Airgialla
- Since
- 1199
- Born
- Not pinned
- Family
- Father-in-law of Aed Ua Neill
- Confidence
- medium
See Fir Manach (Ua hEignigh). The Ua Cerbaill kings of Airgialla (Murchad, d. 1189; Muirchertach, 1189-94) lost Louth (Uriel) to the English; the next king died in 1196.
Overlord
None in fact
The realm that morning
Ua hEignigh is king under Ua Neill; Mac Mathgamna and Ua hAnluain hold their own countries; the English of Uriel and de Courcy press from the east.
Threats
- The English of Uriel
- De Courcy
- Ua Neill's demands
Officers in 1200
- Sub-lords: Mac Mathgamna of Fernmag, Ua hAnluain of the Oirthir, the Clogher lords (Ui Chremthainn)
Coinage
None: the Irish kingdoms strike no coin; wealth and tribute are counted in cattle, and silver comes through the ports.
Rome and the Church
Clogher is the Airgialla see; Armagh lies on its edge.
The host
The Airgialla hostings. No figures.
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.
- 1201 (later course)Ua hEignigh is killed at Ballysadare; Gilla Patraic Ua hAnluain becomes king of Airgialla.Depends on: The Connacht expedition Stopped by: Staying home
Where the sources disagree
- The brief suggests the Ui Cerbaill and Meic Mathgamna; the king list makes Ua hEignigh king in 1200.
Evidence: King list and annals.
On the map: Drawn through the king's and sub-kings' lord records.
Primary sources for this realm
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 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
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.