Muiredhach Muilethan was succeeded by the descendants of other branches of the family; and three kings intervened before the succession reverted to his second son, Enright. INNRECHTACH, or ENRIGHT, died A.D. 723. This prince reigned ten years as King of Connaught, and died peaceably in 723. He left two sons, Aedh, or Hugh, who succeeded him, and Murgil. Hugh reigned fourteen years, and died a natural death in 737, without issue. After his death the sovereignty reverted to the descendants of Ceallach, son of Roghallach, and several kings of this line intervened before the descendants of Innrechtach recovered possession of the throne.* MURGIL, son of Enright, died A.D. 751. Murgil, the second son of Enright, never attained the sovereignty. He left one son, Tomaltach. TOMALTACH, son of Murgil, died A.D. 774. Tomaltach also was never king. He is called illustrious in the Book of Lecan. He died about the year 774, leaving three sons, Muirgis, Fenachta, and Dermot Finn. Both Muirgis and Dermot Finn were subsequently Kings of Connaught. King of Connaught for MUIRGIS, son of Tomaltach, died A.D. 810 or 813. Muirgis, eldest son of Tomaltach, reigned as several years, and died a natural death in 810 or 813. Flaithnia, Cathal, and Maelduin. Of these only one, Cathal, ever attained the sovereignty. He became king in 832, and died in 836.o TEIGE, son of Muirgis, died A.D. 841 or 842. Teige was apparently set aside in favour of his brother Cathal. Whether he ever became king seems doubtful. O'Donovan states that he did not; but The Annals of Ulster record death of Innrechtach in 722. According to the pedigree of the Siol Murray, preserved in the Book of Lecan, fol. 74, Murgil, the second son of Enright, was the ancestor of the O'Conors. 'O'Donovan MS. 'O'Donovan MS. Chronicum Scotorum, p. 163. 3 The Annals of Uister, p. 814; The Annals of the Four Masters and O'Donovan MS. as he is styled Teige Mor, or Teige the Great, in the Annals, it would appear that he did. He died in 841 or 842, leaving one son, Concovar, or Conor. Shortly before his death, in 837, Dublin was first taken by the Danes. CONCOVAR, or CONOR, son of Teige, died A.D. 879. Conor was King of Connaught for about thirty years. He fought on the side of the Irish monarch Hugh, in a battle which took place near Drogheda, against the Danes of Dublin and the Leinster men. On this occasion the Annals of the Four Masters record that the Foreigners and the Leinster men were defeated. Conor died about the year 879,3 leaving five sons-Hugh, who became King of Connaught, and was killed by the Danes' in 885, Maelcluiche, Innrechta, Teige, and Cathal. CATHAL, son of Conor, died A.D. 925. Cathal, one of the younger sons of Conor, became king after the decease of his brothers Hugh and Teige, both of whom preceded him as Kings of Connaught. Teige died in the year 899. The fair of Tailton was revived in the reign of Flann, Monarch of Ireland, in the year 894, and Teige revived the fair of Connaught. Cathal assumed the sovereignty probably about the year 900. In 903 he joined Flann in an expedition against Cormac, King of Munster, who was defeated and slain. In 920 his eldest son, Innrechtach, died, and he himself followed five years later, dying in the year 925.8 TEIGE OF THE THREE TOWERS, died A.D. 954 or 956. Immediately after the death of Cathal, a contention arose between his two sons, Donnell and Teige, each of whom sought to become king. Donnell being killed in this contest, Teige was left undisputed victor. Why he received the surname "of the Three Towers" is not clear. O'Donovan says:10 "It may be safely conjectured that the appellation arose from the fact of his having built three towers of defence, but whether these were castles or round tower belfries it is impossible to determine. Our historians," he adds, “are of opinion that the Castellum' erected in the twelfth century by King Turlough 'O'Donovan MS. The Annals of the Four Masters, p. 505. • The Annals of the Four Masters, p. 537. 5 Ibid., p. 554; Chronicum Scotorum, p. 177. The Annals of the Four Masters, p. 553. Ibid., p. 613; Chronicum Scotorum, p. 195. • Ibid., p. 613. 10 O'Donovan MS. O'Conor, at Tuam, was the first castle of any importance ever erected in Ireland." In 9311 Murtough, a general of the monarch of Ireland, made a circuit of the country, and compelled most of the provincial kings to submit to him, and to give hostages to his master, Donchad the monarch. He came to Connaught amongst other places, and there met Conor, son of Teige, who, however, gave no hostages. He then returned, carrying with him some of the provincial kings and their hostages, whom he sent to Donchad. The death of Teige is recorded in the Annals of the Four Masters as having occurred in 954. According to the Chronicum Scotorum, he died a year later, in 955. He left five sons (1) Conor, (2) Cathal, who was King of Connaught for a few days, and was killed in 971, (3) Muirgis, (4) Mulrooney, ancestor of the M'Dermots, and (5) Muiredhach. The Annals of the Four Masters, p. 663. 2 Ibid., p. 673; Chronicum Scotorum, p. 213. CHAPTER III. A.D. 968-A.D. 1106. ONCOVAR, or CONOR, son of Teige, died A.D. 971. Upon the death of Teige, the sovereignty of Connaught passed for a time to the family of the O'Rourkes, who were descended from Fergus, third in descent from Duagh Galech. Firgal O'Rourke, their chieftain, who was recognised as king, was slain in the year 964 by Donnell, Lord of Breagha. Four years later, in 968, Conor, son of Teige, recovered the sovereignty held by his father. He died in 971, and in the same year his brother Cathal was killed after a reign of a few days. From this Concovar, or Conor, the family name of O'Conor has arisen, his descendants being called O'Conor, or the sons, or descendants, of Conor. "This name, O'Conor," says O'Donovan, "is written in Irish O'Conchobhair, and it has been variously at different times anglicised O'Conquovar, O'Conogher, O'Knogher, O'Konnor, O'Conner, O'Connor, and O'Conor, according to the ever-varying whims of usage. The Irish form of the second part contains a guttural sound, which was usually represented by 'gh' in old English, but for the last three centuries it has been usually written O'Connor or O'Conor. The Irish Conchobhair means a hero or champion, and the motto of the family, 'O Dhia gach cu cabrach,' i.e., ' From God comes every helping hero,' has reference to this signification of the name of their progenitor."+ CATHAL UI CONCOVAR, or CATHAL O'CONOR, died A.D. IOIO. Whether Cathal succeeded his father immediately appears to be doubtful. Most probably he did not, as the sovereignty about this time, and for many years later, appears to have alternated between the O'Rourkes and O'Conors, both descendants of the same stock. 'Annals of the Four Masters, p. 687. 2 Ibid., p. 693. 3 Annals of the Four Masters, p. 697; Chronicum Scotorum, p. 223. 'O'Donovan MS. In the year 980 the Annals record the death of Muirgis, son of Conor, and royal heir of Connaught; and in 991 the death of Mor, daughter of Teige of the Towers, whom they style Queen of Ireland. According to O'Donovan, Cathal O'Conor reigned for thirty years, and as he died in 1010,' he must have succeeded to the throne of his father about the year 980. In the year 1000 he built a stone bridge over the Shannon at Athlone, probably the first bridge of such magnitude ever constructed in Ireland. He it was who also built the sepulchral chapel of the O'Conors at Cloonmacnoise, which is referred to by Petrie in his work entitled Ancient Ecclesiastical Architecture of Ireland? In the year 10013 Brian Boru, King of Munster, deposed the monarch of Ireland, and assumed the chief sovereignty himself. Before succeeding in this enterprise, he marched an army to Athlone, and obtained the submission of Connaught to his authority. Brian was nearly connected with Cathal; his wife Dunchalvy being the daughter of the King of Connaught. Cathal having reigned twenty-eight years, resigned his throne, took the habit of a monk, and died two years afterwards in 1010. He left five sons-Teige of the White Steed; Brian; Conor; Donnell Dubhshuilech, or the Black-eyed; and Teige Direch, or the Straight. TEIGE OF THE WHITE STEED, died A.D. 1030. After the death of Cathal, the O'Rourkes again became possessed of the sovereignty of Connaught, and held it for fifteen years, when Teige, son of Cathal, surnamed Teige of the White Steed, recovered the throne of his fathers. According to the Annals of the Four Masters, O'Rourke held the throne for less than five years, as Teige is named as King of Connaught in 1015, when he is referred to as having slain the son of O'Rourke, in revenge for the death of his brother Donnell. In 1023 he is again styled King of Connaught, on 1 According to Annals of Ulster, he died A.D. 1009. "In the still perfect doorway of another church at Cloonmacnoise we have a specimen of a work of the close of the tenth century. The doorway occurs in the sepulchral chapel of the O'Conors of Connaught, which, from the registry of Cloonmacnoise, appears to have been erected by Cathal, son of Conor, King of Connaught, who died A. D. 1010."-Petrie's Ecclesiastical Architecture, p. 273 The entry in the registry here referred to is as follows :— "Thus have the O'Connors their part of that cemeterie, and they gave this for their sepulture place, ie., a place for six little cells belonging to Cloon, 48 days to every cell. The O'Connor who bestowed those lands was called Cathal O'Connor." Petrie adds: "Temple Connor is now used as the Parish Church. It measures externally 45 feet in length by 27 in breadth, and the walls are 4 feet in thickness.” |