Máel Coba mac Áedo

Máel Coba was the son of Áed mac Ainmuirech (died 598) and brother of Domnall mac Áedo (died 642), both also reckoned High Kings of Ireland. They belonged to the northern Cenél Conaill branch of the Uí Néill.[1] Máel Coba became chief of the Cenél Conaill upon the death of his brother Conall Cú mac Áedo in 604.

Máel Coba (died 615) was a High King of Ireland.

The high kingship of Ireland tended to rotate between the Cenél nEógain and Cenél Conaill branches from the mid 6th century. He follows Áed Uaridnach in the king lists, and is followed by Suibne Menn, both of the neighbouring Cenél nEógain, but of rival lines. He ruled from 612-615.[2]

In 615 Máel Coba was defeated and slain by Suibne Menn at the Battle of Sliab Truim in Tyrone.[3] However later texts state he survived the battle, became a poet, a bishop of Clogher, then a hermit at Druminillar[4] townland, Beleek parish, County Fermanagh and then died of the plague.[5][6][7][8][9]

Suibne Menn apparently installed Óengus mac Colmáin as High King, at least in name.

He had two sons who were counted as joint High Kings in some sources, Cellach (died 658) and Conall (died 654). Dúnchad mac Cinn Fáelad, abbot of Iona (died 717) is recorded as Máel Coba's grandson.

Notes
  1. Byrne, Table 4; Charles-Edwards, Appendix IV; Mac Niocaill, pg.153
  2. king lists in Book of Leinster give hime 3 year reign and Laud Synchronisms 4 years
  3. Annals of Ulster, AU 615.1; Annals of Tigernach, AT 613.1; Mac Niocaill, pg.90
  8. The Register of Clogher, by K. W. Nicholls, in Clogher Record, Vol. 7, No. 3 (1971/1972), p. 381

References
  • "The Annals of Ulster AD 431-1201". CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
  • Annals of Tigernach at at University College Cork
  • Byrne, Francis John, Irish Kings and High-Kings. Batsford, London, 1973. ISBN 0-7134-5882-8
  • Charles-Edwards, T.M., Early Christian Ireland. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2000. ISBN 0-521-36395-0
  • Mac Niocaill, Gearoid (1972), Ireland before the Vikings, Dublin: Gill and Macmillan
  • Charles-Edwards, T.M. (2004). "Suibne Menn mac Fiachnai (d. 628)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2007-10-22.
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