was controlled by the Laigin up to the early sixth
century. According to the annals, Fiachu, one of the
sons of Niall Noígiallach, defeated the Uí Failgi at the
battle of Druimm Derge in 516; thereafter Mag Midi
(the Plain of Mide) was lost to the Laigin. Apart from
the inclusion of Fiachu in the lists of the kings of
Uisnech, there is no evidence that Cenél Fiachach ever
adopted the style rí Midi(“King of Meath”). While
some of the other annals accord the title rí Midito
certain seventh-century members of Clann Cholmáin
Máir (see Uí Néill, Southern), the earliest evidence in
the Annals of Ulster for a kingship of Mide relates to
the mid-eighth century when Follaman mac Con-chon-
gailt (d. 766), of the relatively insignificant Clann
Cholmáin Bic, was appointed to that position, possibly
by Donnchad Midi, of Clann Cholmáin Máir, as part
of the latter’s campaign to consolidate his control of
the midlands. Thereafter, the kingship was confined to
dynasts of Clann Cholmáin Máir. The blessing of
antiquity was conferred upon Uí Néill control of Mide
by later propagandists who claimed that Tuathal Techt-
mar, grandfather of Conn Cétchathach, and the com-
mon ancestor of the Uí Néill, the Connachta, and the
Airgialla, had created the kingdom of Mide for himself
by cutting off the neck (méde) of each surrounding
province. According to another tradition, Fintan mac
Bóchra, a wise man of phenomenal longevity, set up
a five-cornered stone at Uisnech at the point where the
five great provinces of Ireland were said to meet.
The rapid growth of Clann Cholmáin Máir during
the eighth century and subsequently resulted in the
name “Mide” being applied to the extensive territory
over which that dynasty held sway, which included the
modern county of Westmeath, together with parts of
counties Longford and Offaly. It is unclear whether
Uisnech remained as an inaugural site for the kings of
Mide after the expansion of the kingdom.
The kingdom of Mide, under the rule of Clann
Cholmáin, was at the forefront of Irish political life
from the late eighth until the eleventh century. Many
kings of Mide during this period also became kings of
Tara and had not entirely unrealistic aspirations to rule
over the entire country. Most prominent among these
kings were the following: Donnchad Midi (d. 797),
Máel-Sechnaill I mac Máele-ruanaid (d. 862), Flann
Sinna mac Máele-Sechnaill (d. 916), and Máel-Sechnaill
II mac Domnaill (d. 1022). The power and influence
of Mide posed a serious threat to the ambitions of other
rival Uí Néill kingdoms. On two occasions during the
ninth century, kings of Cenél nÉogain (see Uí Néill,
Northern) sought to avail themselves of the opportu-
nity, presented by the kingships of less illustrious
Clann Cholmáin lords, to curb this influence by divid-
ing the kingdom of Mide between rival claimants.
These arrangements were short-lived.
The status of Mide and its kingship began to fall
into decline, along with that of the Uí Néill dynasty
generally, during the latter years of the reign of Máel-
Sechnaill II mac Domnaill, who died in 1022. Mide’s
eastern neighbor Brega (a territory extending from
south County Louth to north Co. Dublin) suffered an
even greater eclipse during this period to such an extent
that the name Mide was extended, by the twelfth cen-
tury, to include Brega as well.
The territory of Mide fell prey to internal feuding
among the leading Clann Cholmáin family of Ua
Máelsechlainn expansion from the Uí Briúin of
Bréifne during the eleventh century. During the late
eleventh and the twelfth centuries, the kingdom of
Mide frequently assumed the status of a puppet state
as warlords from the then powerful dynasties of Ua
Briain of Munster, Mac Lochlainn of Cenél nÉogain
(see Uí Néill, Northern), and Ua Conchobair of Connacht
dismissed and appointed kings and divided the king-
ship, seemingly at will.
In 1172, following the Anglo-Norman invasion of
Ireland, King Henry II granted the Liberty of Meath
to Hugh de Lacy. The Liberty of Meath included the
more extensive territory of Mide referred to above. The
Irish Parliament of 1542 divided the “shire of Methe”
into the present-day counties of Meath and Westmeath.
PAUL BYRNEReferences and Further Reading
Byrne, Francis John. Irish Kings and High-Kings. London:
Batsford, 1973. Reprint, Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2001.
Byrne, Paul. “Certain Southern Uí Néill Kingdoms (Sixth to
Eleventh Century).” PhD diss., University College Dublin,
2000.
O’Rahilly, T. F. Early Irish History and Mythology.Dublin:
Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1946.
See alsoAnglo-Norman Invasion; Laigin;
Máel-Sechnaill I; Máel-Sechnaill II; Uí Néill;
Uí Néill, Northern; Uí Néill, SouthernMILITARY ORDERS
The conflict between Christendom and its Islamic and
non-Christian neighbors that emerged in the eleventh
century gave rise to a new form of religious life: the
Military Order whose members combined monastic
life with active military service. To support their activ-
ities in the Middle East, the various orders were
granted properties and privileges throughout Europe.
The principal orders were the Knights of the Temple
of Solomon (Templars) and the Knights of the Hospital
of St. John of Jerusalem (Hospitalers) both of which
possessed extensive estates in Ireland. The Knights of
St. Thomas of Acre also had Irish possessions.MIDE (MEATH)