7th century in Ireland explained
Events from the 7th century in Ireland.
600s
- 601
- 602 or 604
- Death of Áed mac Diarmato or Áed Sláine (Áed of Slane), the son of Diarmait mac Cerbaill. Legendary stories exist of Áed's birth. Killed his nephew and was in turn slain by his grandnephew.
- 603
- Death of Brandub mac Echach[2] an Irish king of the Uí Cheinnselaig of Leinster. His father, Echu mac Muiredaig had been a king of the Ui Cheinnselaig. They belonged to a branch known as the Uí Felmeda.[3]
- 605
- Birth of Colmán of Lindisfarne (died February 18, 675) also known as Saint Colmán, Bishop of Lindisfarne from 661 until 664.[4] Colman resigned the Bishopric of Lindisfarne after the Synod of Whitby called by King Oswiu of Northumbria decided to calculate Easter using the method of the First Ecumenical Council instead of his preferred Celtic method. After his resignation he retired to live on the island of Inishbofin in Galway where he founded a monastery.[5]
- 607
- 608
- Death of Fiachra Cáech, brother of Fiachnae mac Báetáin king of the Dál nAraidi and high-king of the Ulaid in the early 7th century.[6]
- 609
- Death of Saint Molua (also known as Lua, Da Lua), was an Irish saint, and a Christian abbot.[7] He was the founder of Killaloe (ga|Cill-da-Lua), which bears his name Lua.[8]
610s
- 610
- Death of Conall Laeg Breg mac Áedo Sláine,[2] a King of Brega from the Síl nÁedo Sláine branch of the southern Uí Néill. He was the son of the high king Áed Sláine mac Diarmato (died 602). He ruled from 602-610. He is not called King of Brega in the annals but is second in a poem on the rulers of Síl nÁedo Sláine in the Book of Leinster.[9]
- 611
- Suibne Menn or Suibne mac Fiachnai (died 628) was an Irish king who is counted as a High King of Ireland and started his reign in 611.
- 612
- Death of Áed Uaridnach, High King of Ireland until 607.
- 613
- Death of Rónán mac Colmáin of the Uí Dúnlainge, son of Colmán Már mac Coirpri.[10] The Annals of Tigernach includes his death obit with the title King of Laigin, that is King of Leinster[11] These annals interpolated dates for some Leinster kings in this period from the king lists.
- 615
- 616
- 618
- 619
620s
- 620
- 621
- 622
- 623
- Suibne Menn or Suibne mac Fiachnai (died 628) was an Irish king who is counted as a High King of Ireland and ended his reign in 623.
- 624
- 625
- Death of Rónán mac Colmáin[2] was a King of Leinster following Brandub mac Echach (died 603).[18] He belonged to the Uí Cheinnselaig and was the son of Colmán mac Cormaicc.[3] The later Leinster king Crundmáel Erbuilc mac Rónáin (died 655) was his son.
- 626
- Fiachnae mac Báetáin was killed at the Battle of Leithet Midind, defeated by Fiachnae mac Demmáin of the Dál Fiatach.[6]
- 627
- 627 or 628
- Possible year of birth of Saint Adomnán of Iona
- 629
630s
- 630
- 632
- 632 or 633
- 633
- 634
- Death of Áed Dammán, called a King of Iarmumu in his obituary. He was an uncle of Máel Dúin mac Áedo Bennán.[19]
- 635
- 636
- Battle of Maigh Rath (Moira, County Down).
- Battle of Áth Goan in the western Liffey plain for the kingship of Leinster involved Faílbe Flann mac Áedo Duib.
- 637
- 639
640s
- 640
- 641
- 642
- Birth of Máel Ruba (Old Irish spelling), or Malruibhe (died 722), sometimes Latinised as Rufus, a monk, originally from Bangor, County Down, and founder of the monastic community of Applecross in Ross, one of the best attested early Christian monasteries in modern-day Scotland.
- Death of Domnall mac Áedo, a High King of Ireland since 624 or 628.
- 643
- Death of Dúnchad mac Fiachnai, who is mentioned as king of Ulaid at the time of his death.[23]
- 644
- Battle of Cenn Con in Munster between Máel Dúin, son of Áed Bennán, and Aengus Liath of Glendamnach.
- Death of Aengus Liath.
- 646
- 647
- 648
- 649
650s
- 650
- 652
- 653
- 654
- Death of Flannesda, a son of Domnall mac Áedo (died 642), High King of Ireland.
- 655
- Death of Laidgnen/Loingsech mac Colmáin, son of Colmán mac Cobthaig, king of Connacht from the Ui Fiachrach branch of the Connachta.[2]
- 656
- 657
- Death of St. Ultan of Ardbraccan, an Irish saint and Abbot-Bishop of Ardbraccan
- 658
- Death of Blathmac, son of the first Uí Cheinnselaig king, Rónán mac Colmáin (died 625)[2]
- 659
660s
- 660
- 661
- 662
- Conall and Colgu, two sons of Domhnall, son of Aedh, son of Ainmire, were slain by Ceirrceann.[23]
- 662 or 663
- 664-666:
- 664
- May 3: an eclipse of the sun was visible from Ireland.
- The Annals of the Four Masters [23] records the following deaths:
- 665
- 666
- The Battle of Aine, between the Aradha and Ui Fidhgeinte, where Eoghan, son of Crunnmael, was slain.
- The Battle of Fertas (Belfast) was fought between the Ulaid and the Cruithne and Cathussach mac Luirgéne, their king, was defeated and slain.
- The Annals of the Four Masters[23] records the following deaths:
- Death of Cellach mac Guairi, a son of Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin, a king of Connacht
- Death of Fáelán mac Colmáin,[2] a king of Leinster from the Uí Dúnlainge branch of the Laigin. He was the son of Colmán Már mac Coirpri, a previous king.[10]
- Probable date of the death of Eochaid Iarlaithe,[6] a son of Fiachnae mac Báetáin.
- 667
- Mayo Abbey, founded by St Colman for Saxon monks who had followed him from Lindisfarne following a Church row about how to calculate when Easter falls.
- 668
- Deaths of two of the three known sons of Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin; Artgal mac Guairi and Muirchertach Nár mac Guairi, a king of Connacht.
- 669
670s
- 670
- 671
- 672
- Cenn Fáelad mac Blathmaic (died 675) followed his father Blathmac mac Áedo Sláine (died 665) and his brother Sechnassach (died 671) as High King of Ireland and king of Brega.
- 673
- Cenn Fáelad mac Blathmaic ended his reign as High King.[30]
- 674
- 675
- Death of Cenn Fáelad mac Blathmaic.[2]
- 676
- 677
- At the Battle of Loch Gabor (Lagore, County Meath) the Laigin fought with the high king Fínsnechta Fledach. There was slaughter on both sides but Finsnechta emerged the victor.
- 678
- 679
- Death of Cenn Fáelad mac Aillila, Irish scholar and poet and grandson of Colmán Rímid.
680s
- 680
- 681
- Death of Dúngal Eilni mac Scandail[13] a Dal nAraide king of the Cruithne. He came to the rule of these tribes some time after 668.[32] In 681 he and Cenn Fáelad mac Suibne, chief of Cianachta Glinne Geimhin were burned by Máel Dúin mac Máel Fithrich of the Cenél nEógan at Dún Ceithirn.
- 682
- 683
- 684
- 685
- 688
- Fínsnechta Fledach abdicated as king of Brega and High King of Ireland to become a monk. He reclaimed the crowns the following year, 689, and abandoned monasticism.
- At the Battle of Imlech Pich, Niall mac Cernaig Sotal (died 701),[2] a king in southern Brega of the Uí Chernaig sept of Lagore of the Síl nÁedo Sláine defeated Congalach mac Conaing Cuirre (died 696) of Uí Chonaing and his Ciannachta allies.[34]
690s
- 690
- Death of Aillil mac Dúngail Eilni, a chief of the Dal nAraide and son of Dúngal Eilni mac Scandail (died 681)[13]
- 691
- 692
- Death of Fergus mac Áedáin,[13] a king of Ulaid from 674. He was the first member of the Dal nAraide to hold the throne since death of Congal Cáech at Mag Roth in 639. He was of the Ui Echach Coba branch of the Dal nAraide and was the son of Áedán mac Mongain (died 616).[12]
- 693
- Death of Bran Mut mac Conaill,[2] a King of Leinster from the Uí Dúnlainge branch of the Laigin. He was the grandson of Fáelán mac Colmáin (died 666), a previous king.[10] He ruled from 680 until his death.
- 694
- 695
- Death of Fínsnechta Fledach mac Dúnchada,[2] High King of Ireland, who belonged to the southern Síl nÁedo Sláine sept of the Uí Néill and was King of Brega in modern County Meath.
- 696
- 697
- 698
700s
- 700
- End of archaic Old Irish period (from c. AD 500)
Notes and References
- The Oxford Illustrated History of Ireland. Foster, RF. Oxford University Press, Oxford. 1989
- all dates per The Chronology of the Irish Annals, Daniel P. McCarthy
- [Francis John Byrne|Byrne, Francis John]
- Powicke Handbook of British Chronology p. 237
- Walsh A New Dictionary of Saints p. 127
- Byrne, p.111 and 287
- The Oxford Dictionary of Saints, p.343
- Web site: CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Killaloe . www.newadvent.org . June 14, 2007.
- Book of Leinster, Flann Mainistrech: Síl Aeda Sláne Na Sleg
- Byrne, Table 9.
- Annals of Tigernach AT 613.4
- Early Christian Ireland by T. M. Charles-Edwards
- Date per Annals of Ulster
- Illustrated Dictionary of Irish History. Mac Annaidh, S (ed). Gill and Macmillan, Dublin. 2001
- Byrne, Table 12.
- Byrne, Table 15.
- Book: McErlean. Thomas. Crothers. Norman. Harnessing the Tides: The Early Medieval Tide Mills at Nendrum Monastery, Strangford Lough. 2007. The Stationery Office. Norwich. 0-337-08877-2.
- The Book of Leinster gives him a reign of 10 years as King of Leinster and 20 years as King of Ui cennseleig
- Annals of Innsifallen AI 633.1
- The Book of Leinster and Laud Synchronisms give him a reign of 15 years
- Sharpe, Richard, Adomnán of Iona: Life of St. Columba, (London, 1995)
- Byrne, Table 13.
- http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100005A/text049.html Annals of the Four Masters
- Byrne, Table 6.
- Byrne, Table 3
- the Book of Leinster gives him reign of 15 years and Laud Synchronisms give him a reign of 16 years
- [Dauvit Broun|Broun, Dauvit]
- [John Bannerman (historian)|Bannerman, John]
- Byrne
- T.M. Charles-Edwards, Early Christian Ireland, Appendix II
- Annals of Ulster AU 676.4
- the last date in the Annals of Ulster in which a chief of the Cruithne is mentioned prior to Dungal
- [Bede]
- Annals of Ulster, AU688.4; this contains a lament, attributed to one Gabairchenn, for the Ciannachta leaders killed in battle.
- The Concise History of Ireland. Duffy, S. Gill & Macmillan, Dublin. 2005
