UÍ NÉILL(d. 1440), may have been one of the anonymous
scribes. In any event, some of the material contained
therein is indeed aimed at an Ua Ceallaig patron, in
particular the Uí Maine genealogies, which take pride
of place in the manuscript’s considerable genealogical
corpus. On the whole, however, it comprises a varied
collection of texts of different types that would have
had widespread appeal. Saints’ pedigrees take their place
alongside secular ones. In addition, it preserves impor-
tant versions of two Middle Irish compilations, Dinn-
shenchas Érenn(“The Place-Name Lore of Ireland”)
andBanshenchas(“Women Lore”). Other pseudohis-
torical matter includes a copy of the early-twelfth-
century Munster text, Lebor na Cert(“The Book of
Rights”), as well as a body of dynastic poetry. An
interest in the workings of verse is underlined by a
metrical treatise contained therein, and grammar is rep-
resented by the pivotal seventh-century tract, Auraicept
na nÉces(“The Scholars’ Primer”). Notwithstanding
its heterogeneity, it remained in the possession of the
Uí Cheallaig for a considerable period. It was acquired
by the Royal Irish Academy in the nineteenth century
where it still remains, apart from four folios that became
separated and now form British Library Manuscript
Egerton 90.
MÁIRE NÍ MHAONAIGH
References and Further Reading
Macalister, R. A. S. The Book of Uí Maine. Dublin: Irish
Manuscripts Commission, 1941.
Mulchrone, Kathleen, ed. Catalogue of the Irish Manuscripts
in the Royal Irish Academy. 28 fascicles, fasc. 26,
3314–3356.
ÓMuraíle, Nollaig. “Leabhar Ua Maine aliasLeabhar Uí
Dhubhagáin.” Éigse: A Journal of Irish Studies23 (1989):
167–195.
O’Sullivan, William. “The Book of Uí Maine formerly the Book
of Ó Dubhagáin: Scripts and Structure.” Éigse: A Journal of
Irish Studies23 (1989): 151–166.
See alsoDinnshenchas; Gaelic Revival; Genealogy;
Grammatical Treatises; Leabhar Breac; Lecan,
Book of; Lecan, Yellow Book of; Manuscript
Illumination; Metrics
UÍ NÉILL
The Uí Néill were the most prominent political dynasty
in Ireland from the seventh to the late tenth century.
The annals for this period contain copious references
to the dynasty that allow historians to reconstruct their
story in reasonable detail. The Uí Néill claimed
descent from Niall Nóigiallach who lived in the
fourth or fifth century. Further back, the Uí Néill were
said to be a branch of the Connachta, descended from
Conn Cétchathach (“Conn of the Hundred Battles”).
Theorigins of the dynasty pre-date recorded history
and are shrouded in obscurity. T. F. O’Rahilly believed
that they emerged from the east midlands. However, it
is much more likely that they originated in northeastern
Connacht.
The Uí Néill comprised a number of distinct dynas-
tic groupings each of which claimed descent from a
different son of Niall. J. V. Kelleher argued that the Uí
Néill were a federation of tribes who contrived a com-
mon descent from Niall Noígiallach. It was certainly
the case that the number of sons attributed to Niall
grew over the centuries as other tribal groupings fell
under Uí Néill control and assumed Uí Néill identity
by crediting their founding ancestor figure as a son of
Niall. However, it seems fairly certain that there was
an early core Uí Néill grouping onto which these later
accretions were grafted. This core group probably
included the descendants of Lóegaire, Coirpre, Fiachu,
and Conall (Ailbhe Mac Shamhráin has argued that
the two putative sons of Niall named Conall, namely
Conall Gulban and Conall Cremthainne, were one and
the same person). The full flowering of Uí Néill expan-
sion saw no fewer than fourteen sons being claimed
for Niall.
By the sixth century, the basic dynastic structure
of the Uí Néill, which was to characterize the history
of the dynasty for centuries to come, had begun to
take shape. Cenél Conaill, Cenél nÉogain, and the
relatively obscure Cenél nÉnnai were settled in north-
west Ulster (see Uí Néill, Northern), Cenél Coirpri to
the south in northeastern Connacht, Cenél Lóegaire
in various locations from Loch Erne to the Slieve
Bloom mountains, the descendants of Conall
Cremthainne (later to emerge as Clann Cholmáin and
Síl nÁedo Sláine) in the east midlands, Cenél Fiachach
in the center of the country near Uisnech (see Uí Néill,
Nouthern). Uí Néill dominance of the northern half
of Ireland gave rise to that area’s being known as Leth
Cuinn (“Conn’s Half”).
From about the mid-seventh century onward, the Uí
Néill had assumed proprietorial rights to the ancient
sacral kingship of Tara, and indeed the term rí Temro
(“king of Tara”) was to become synonymous with the
over kingship of the Uí Néill dynasty. The balance of
power between the northern and southern branches of
the Uí Néill was maintained from the mid-eighth to
the late tenth century by means of an arrangement
whereby, with only one exception, the kingship of Tara
alternated between a member of Cenél nÉogain (who
had emerged as the dominant grouping among the
Northern Uí Néill) and the Clann Cholmáin (the stron-
gest branch of the Southern Uí Néill).
Various Uí Néill kings styled themselves “king of
Ireland” from at least the time of Domnall mac Áedo
of Cenél Conaill (d. 642) onward. However, it was