Muireadhach Ua Dubhthaigh
Encyclopedia
Background
A member of a ConnachtConnacht
Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...
ecclesiastical family, Ua Dubhthaigh was born during the reign of King Áed Ua Ruairc
Áed Ua Ruairc
-References:* Leabhar na nGenealach, Dublin, 2004-2005* Annals of the Four Masters, ed. John O'Donovan, Dublin, 1856* Annals of Lough Ce, ed. W.M. Hennessey, London, 1871....
(r. 1067-1087). His family were natives of Lissonuffy in what is now north-east County Roscommon
County Roscommon
County Roscommon is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the town of Roscommon. Roscommon County Council is the local authority for the county...
, and produced a number of abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
s and bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s.
One such was Flannagan Ruadh Ua Dubhthaigh, listed in his obituary
Obituary
An obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
of 1097 as "successor of Comman
Roscommon
Roscommon is the county town of County Roscommon in Ireland. Its population at the 2006 census stood at 5,017 . The town is located near the junctions of the N60, N61 and N63 roads.-History:...
, and lector of Tuaim-da-ghualann
Tuam
Tuam is a town in County Galway, Ireland. The name is pronounced choo-um . It is situated west of the midlands of Ireland, and north of Galway city.-History:...
".
Other Ó Dubhthaigh who held high church offices included:
- Domnall mac Flannacáin Ua Dubthaig (died 1136) and Flannacán Ua Dubthaig (dead by 1152), Bishops of ElphinDiocese of ElphinThe Diocese of Elphin was established following the Synod of Rathbreasail in the year 1111. In that year the see for east Connacht was moved from Roscommon. Elphin was the traditional site of a monastic house established by St Patrick c.450, although there are no remains of that date.Following the...
; - Dubthaigh Ó Dubhthaigh, Abbot of CongCong AbbeyCong Abbey is a historic site located at Cong, on the borders of counties Galway and Mayo, in Ireland's province of Connacht. Founded in the early 7th century, by Saint Feichin, the abbey was destroyed by fire in the early 12th century. Turlough Mor O’Connor, the High King of Ireland, refounded the...
, died 1223 - Muiredach Ua Dubthaig (fl. 1208), Bishop of KillalaKillalaKillala is a village in County Mayo in Ireland, north of Ballina. The railway line from Dublin to Ballina once extended to Killala. To the west of Killala is a Townsplots West , which contains numerous ancient forts.- History :...
- Uilliam Ó Dubhthaigh, O.F.M. (fl. 1290-1297), Bishop of ClonmacnoiseBishop of ClonmacnoiseBishop of Clonmacnoise was the ordinary of the Roman Catholic episcopal see based at Clonmacnoise, County Offaly, Ireland. The bishops of Clonmacnoise appear in the records for the first time in the 9th century, although inferior in status to the Abbot of Clonmacnoise until the reformation of the...
- Céle Ua Dubthaigh (died 1210), Bishop of MayoBishop of MayoThe Bishop of Mayo was an episcopal title which took its name after County Mayo in Ireland. After the Reformation, the title was briefly used by the Church of Ireland until 1559 and by the Roman Catholic Church until 1631...
. - Cadla Ua DubthaigCadla Ua DubthaigCadla Ua Dubthaig, second Archbishop of Tuam, 1161–1201.Ua Dubthaig was member of a Connacht ecclesiastical family originally from Lissonuffy in what is now north-east County Roscommon...
(fl. 1167-1201), Archbishop of TuamArchbishop of TuamThe Archbishop of Tuam is an archiepiscopal title which takes its name after the town of Tuam in County Galway, Ireland. The title was used by the Church of Ireland until 1839, and is still in use by the Roman Catholic Church.-History:...
.
Archbishop of Connacht
At the Synod of RathbreasailSynod of Rathbreasail
The Synod of Ráth Breasail took place in Ireland in 1111. It marked the transition of the Irish church from a monastic to a diocesan and parish-based church...
in 1111, Tuam was named as the seat of a diocese corresponding roughly with the diocese of Elphin, whilst Cong was chosen as the seat of a diocese corresponding with the later archdiocese of Tuam in Iar Connacht
Iar Connacht
Iar Chonnachta , was a region covering all of County Galway west of the river Corrib and Lough Corrib; Maigh Seola; and part of the barony of Ross in County Mayo.-Description:The area of Co...
. No bishop was given the title "bishop of Tuam" in the Irish annals before 1152, although the annals recorded some "bishops of Connacht".
Domhnall Ua Dubhthaigh
Domhnall Ua Dubhthaigh
Domhnall Ua Dubhthaigh, Archbishop of Connacht, died 1136.The post of Archbishop of Connacht was a precursor to that of Archbishop of Tuam.His death is noted in the Annals of the Four Masters as follows:...
, who died at Clonmacnoise
Clonmacnoise
The monastery of Clonmacnoise is situated in County Offaly, Ireland on the River Shannon south of Athlone....
in 1136, is recorded in the Irish annals
Irish annals
A number of Irish annals were compiled up to and shortly after the end of Gaelic Ireland in the 17th century.Annals were originally a means by which monks determined the yearly chronology of feast days...
as "Archbishop of Connaught, and successor of Ciaran, head of the wisdom and hospitality of the province". It is unclear if he had retired, as Muireadhach was recorded as Archbishop in 1134.
The Archbishop of Connacht appears to have been the forerunner of the archdiocese of Tuam, which was established at the Synod of Kells in 1152. Muiredhach's successor as first Archbishop of Tuam was Áed Ua hOissín (1152-1161).
Ambassador of Connacht
In 1134 Ua Dubhthaigh acted as ambassador of King Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair to Cormac Mac Carthaigh, King of MunsterMunster
Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...
, who had "again assembled the Munstermen, Leinstermen, Conmhaicne, the men of Midhe, the Galls of Dublin, Waterford, Wexford and Cork, and the Uí Eachach and Corca Laoighdhe on sea, to proceed into Connacht." Ua Dubhthaigh was successful in brokering a peace deal "between Leath Cuinn
Leath Cuinn
Leath Cuinn and Leath Moga refers to a legendary ancient division of Ireland.-Geographical extant:Leath Cuinn was the island north of the Esker Riada...
and Leath Mogha. Cormac made peace with Toirdhealbhach in honour of the archbishop, and he himself went to Abhall Ceithearnaigh to confirm the peace with Toirdhealbhach."
This Treaty of Abhall Ceithearnaigh brought an end to a bitter war for supremacy between Connacht and Munster that had been on-going since the 1120s, and had the previous year resulted in the destruction of the castle and fleet of Dun Gallimhe
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
, and Mac Carthaigh's defeat of Conchobhar Ua Flaithbheartaigh
Conchobhar Ua Flaithbheartaigh
-Biography:The succession of the chiefs of Muintir Murchada after 1098 is uncertain, but Conchobhar seems to have succeeded Muireadhach, who died in 1121...
at the battle of An Cloidhe.
Surety for Ruaidhri Ua Conchobair
Following the treatyTreaty
A treaty is an express agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. A treaty may also be known as an agreement, protocol, covenant, convention or exchange of letters, among other terms...
, Tairdelbach faced rebellion from his sons Aed and Ruaidhri. "Ruaidhri Ua Conchobhair and Uada Ua Concheanainn were taken prisoners by Toirdhealbhach Ua Conchobhair, they being under the protection of the successor of Iarlath and Ua Dubhthaigh, and of the Bachall Buidhe i.e. the yellow staff or crozier, and Ua Domhnallian." Muireadh's intercesson seems to have saved Ruaidhri, though both Aedh and Ua Concheannain were blinded.
In 1143, the same crisis played out again:
His own son, i.e. Ruaidhri, was taken by Toirdhealbhach Ua Conchobhair, in violation of laity and clergy, relics and protection. These were the sureties: Muireadhach Ua Dubhthaigh, with the clergy and laity of Connaught; Tadhg Ua Briain, lord of Thomond; Tighearnan Ua Ruairc, lord of Breifne; and Murchadh, son of Gilla-na-naemh Ua Fearghail, lord of Muintir-Anghaile. The clergy of Connaught, with Muireadhach Ua Dubhthaigh, fasted at Rath-Brenainn, to get their guarantee, but it was not observed for them.
The issue was resolved, if not ended, when in 1144 "Ruaidhri Ua Conchobhair, son of Toirdhealbhach, was released from fetters by his father, at the intercession of the clergy."
Surtey violiations
The following year, Muireadhach was involved in yet another national dispute when Toirdhealbhach kinnapped the king of MideKingdom of Mide
Mide , spelt Midhe in modern Irish and anglicised as Meath, was a medieval kingdom in Ireland for over 1,000 years. Its name means "middle", denoting the fact that lay in the middle of Ireland....
while under Ua Dubhtaigh's protection:
Murchadh Ua Maeleachlainn, King of Meath and its Fortuatha, was taken prisoner by Toirdhealbhach Ua Conchobhair, King of Connaught, while he was under the protection of the relics and guarantees of Ireland. These were they: the altar of Ciaran, with its relics; the shrine of Ciaran, called the Oreineach; the Matha-mor; the abbot and the prior, and two out of every order in the Church; Muireadhach Ua Dubhthaigh, the archbishop, the lord of Connaught; the successor of Patrick, and the Staff of Jesus; the successor of Feichin, and the bell of Feichin; and the Boban of Caeimhghin. All these were between Toirdhealbhach and Murchadh, that there should be no treachery, no guile, no defection of the one from the other, no blinding, no imprisoning, and no circumscribing of Murchadh's territory or land, until his crime should be evident to the sureties, and that they might proclaim him not entitled to protection; however, he was found guilty of no crime, though he was taken. He was set at liberty at the end of a month afterwards, through the interference of his sureties, and he was conveyed by his sureties into Munster; and the kingdom of Meath was given by Toirdhealbhach to his own son, Conchobhar. This capture was effected as follows: a hosting was made by Toirdhealbhach, as if to proceed into Munster; the Connaughtmen, the Conmaicni, and the Ui-Briuin, collected to one place, and Ua Maeleachlainn was taken and conveyed to Dun-mor, together with the hostages of Meath in general; but not the smallest part of Meath was injured on this occasion.
Ua Dubhtaigh would also have attended the Peace Conference of Tir dha Ghlas
Terryglass
Terryglass is a village in North Tipperary, Ireland. The village is located on the R493 regional road on the north-eastern shore of Lough Derg near where the River Shannon enters the Lough. It is a civil parish in the historical barony of Ormond Lower. It is also an Ecclesiastical parish in the...
in the same year "Toirdhealbhach Ua Conchobhair and Toirdhealbhach Ua Briain ... with the chiefs of Munster and Connaught, both laity and clergy; and they made forms of peace according to what the clergy ratified between them."
Patron of the Arts
Ua Dubhtaigh sponsored the creation of the Cross of CongCross of Cong
The Cross of Cong is an early 12th century Irish Christian ornamented cusped processional cross, which was, as an inscription says, made for Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair , King of Connacht and High King of Ireland to donate to the Cathedral church of the period that was located at Tuam, County...
, which bears his name. He may also have been involved in the creation of the Corpus Missal
Missal
A missal is a liturgical book containing all instructions and texts necessary for the celebration of Mass throughout the year.-History:Before the compilation of such books, several books were used when celebrating Mass...
, which dates from the early to mid 1130's.
Last years
Ua Dubhtaigh is not mentioned in the annals subsequent to 1144. His death is recorded as occurring at Cong in 1150.In 1168, "Flannagan Ua Dubhthaigh, bishop and chief doctor of the Irish in literature, history, and poetry, and in every kind of science known to man in his time, died in the bed of Muireadhach Ua Dubhthaigh, at Cunga
Cong Abbey
Cong Abbey is a historic site located at Cong, on the borders of counties Galway and Mayo, in Ireland's province of Connacht. Founded in the early 7th century, by Saint Feichin, the abbey was destroyed by fire in the early 12th century. Turlough Mor O’Connor, the High King of Ireland, refounded the...
."
A successor in the Archbishopric, Cadhla Ua Dubthaigh, was second Archbishop of Tuam
Archbishop of Tuam
The Archbishop of Tuam is an archiepiscopal title which takes its name after the town of Tuam in County Galway, Ireland. The title was used by the Church of Ireland until 1839, and is still in use by the Roman Catholic Church.-History:...
and ambassador to Henry II
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
(r. 1154–1189) in 1175. Muireadhach's precise relationship to Flannagan and Cadhla is uncertain.
External links
- http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm?fuseaction=History&Surname=duffy&UserID=
- http://www.ucc.ie/celt/online/T100005B/text025.html
- http://www.ucc.ie/celt/online/T100013/text002.html
- http://mccarthy.montana.com/Articles/EarlyYears.html