Rogallach mac Uatuch King of Connacht

• Preferred Name: Rogallach mac Uatuch King of Connacht^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]}
  
• Gender: M
  
• Occupation: High King of Ieland
  
• Death: 649 in Ireland
  
• FSID: 9CXH-JSZ
  
• Clan Name: with note: Description: Ui Briuin
  
• Birth: 590 in Connaught, Ireland at LATI: N3.6667 LONG: E9
  
• Burial: 649 in Ireland
  
• Notes:

  === Life Sketch ===
  Rogallach killed his brother's son treacherously at a meeting of whom he feared might demand the succession. He also developed an incestuous relationship with his daughter much to the dismay of his wife Muireann (of the Cenel Coipre) who complained to the high king. The intercession of Saint Feichin was not enough to make him stop his bad ways. One day while hunting a deer with his javelin he wounded the animal. He followed it only to discover that a couple of slaves had already killed the deer and cut it up at which he demanded the slaves hand over the venison. The result was that the slaves killed him on his white horse.[4]
  
  His actual killer recorded in the Annals of Tigernach was Máel Brigte mac Mothlachán of the Corco Cullu who were a subject tribe of the Ciarraige who were still the major population group in the Mag nAí, the home territory of the Ui Briun.[3]
  
  His known sons included Cathal mac Rogallaig (d. 680) who avenged his death;[5] Cellach mac Rogallaig (d. 705), a later king of Connacht; and Fergus mac Rogallaig (d. 654) ancestor of the main ruling line of the Ui Briun Ai.
  
  === My Lines #14609 ===
  My Lines #14609
  
  === M645.3
  
  Raghallach, son of Uatach, King ===
  M645.3
  
  Raghallach, son of Uatach, King of Connaught, was killed by Maelbrighde, son of Mothlachan, on Sunday precisely, of which was said:
  Raghallach, son of Uatach,
  was pierced on the back of white steed;
  Muireann hath well avenged him.
  Cathal in this day in battle,
  though he is bound to peace in the presence of kings;
  Though Cathal is without a father, his father is not without being revenged.
  Estimate his terrible revenge
  from the account of it related;
  He slew six men and fifty,
  he committed sixteen devastations.
  I had my share like another,
  in the revenge of Raghallach,
  I have the grey beard in my hand of
  Maelbrighde, son of Mothlachan.
  [Annals of the Four Masters I:259-261]
  
  _______________________________
  
  U649.1
  
  The slaying of Ragallach son of Uatu, king of Connacht. [Annals of Ulster p125]
  
  _________________________________
  
  It was, moreover, in their (Conall Caol and Ceallach) reign that Raghallach, son of Udaidh, who was king of Connaught twenty-five years, was slain by Maoilbrighde, son of Mothlachan, and by his slaves. It happened thus: this Raghallach was full of hatred and envy towards the son of an elder brother, fearing lest he might oppose him and deprive him of the kingdom of Connaught. Still he found no opportunity of slaying his brother's son, so that he was wasting away through not taking food because of his envy of his brother's son. Moreover, he sent a messenger to his kinsman, asking him to come and see him. As to the kinsman, he understood Raghallach's deceit, and he assembled a company and went to meet his kinsman Raghallac; and as he went into his presence he directed his party to wear their swords unsheathed at their waists, and when Raghallach saw this he said: 'It is sad that he whom I love most dearly on earth, and whom I wish to make my heir, trusts me knot, though I am at the point of death.' Now, when his kinsman heard this he was greatly afflicted at heart, and he came alone next day to see him, and Raghallach's party sprang upon him and slew him. Thereupon Raghallach got up in health on the spot and set to feasting merrily and most pleasantly. But Muireann, that is, Raghallach's wive, inquired of her druid after Raghallach had slain his kinsman whether there was trouble in store for her. The driud said that since Raghallach had slain his kinsman, both their deaths would be speedily brought about by their own children; and moreover, that is was the child in her womb who would bring about her death. She made this known to Raghallach, and he told her to kill the child immediately after its birth.
  
  Muireann gave birth to a daughter, and put her into a bag with a view to giving her to one of her people, a swineherd, that he might kill her. When the swineherd saw teh face of the infant his heart yearned towards it, and he put it in the same bag in which he got it from its mother and took it privately to the door of a pious woman, who was near at hand, and left the bag on one of the arms of a cross that was near the pious woman's house. The pious woman came upon the bag, and when she found the infant in it she loved it greatly and reared it religiously. And there was not in Ireland in her time a more beautiful girl, so that her fame reached Raghallach, and he sent messengers asking her of her nurse. But the nurse did not grant this request. After this she was brought to him by force, and when he saw her he became greatly in love with her and he had her as a concubine. Now his own wife, Muireann, became jealous, and went to the king of Ireland to complain of this deed. And the scandal of this evil deed spread through Ireland, and the saints of Ireland were pained thereat, and Feichin Fabhair came to Raghallach and charged him, and many saints came with him and entreated him to give up this sin. But he did not give it up for them all, though they fasted on his account. However, as a warning to other people of inordinated desires, the saints prayed God that he should not be alive the Bealltaine following, and that he should fall by wicked people, and, moreover, by puny arms and in a squalid spot; and all these things befel him on the approach of Bealltaine. For a wild deer which had been wounded came helter skelter into the island in which Raghallach was, and which he was guarding, and as he saw the deer he laid hold of his javelin and made a cast of it at the animal and pierced it through therewith. The deer swam away from him and he followed it in a skiff, and the deer went some distance from the lake and came upon slaves, who were cutting turf, and they slew the deer and divided it between them. Ragallach came up to them and threatened them for having divided the deer, and asked them to give back the venison. But the slaves resolved to slay the king, and thereupon they attacked them with their oars and other implements, and slew him as was foretold regarding him by the saints. And Muireann, his wife died through jealousy of her own daughter. [The History of Ireland Book II:133-135]

1. Fergus macRagallach King of Connaught, b. 620 in Connacht Province, Ireland     d. 650 in Connacht Province, Ireland

1. Title: Legacy NFS Source: Ragallach mac Uatach King of Connaught -
   Author: Annals of Ulster, Mac Airt & Mac Niocaill's translation, 1983, digital edition Note: Source Media Type: Book
   Page: Migrated from user-supplied source citation: urn:familysearch:source:2736742977
   
2. Title: Legacy NFS Source: Ragallach mac Uatach King of Connaught -
   Author: The Plantagenet Ancestry, by William Henry Turton {1968}, Page number: 86
   Note: Source Media Type: Book
   Page: Migrated from user-supplied source citation: urn:familysearch:source:2736742370
   
3. Title: Legacy NFS Source: Ragallach mac Uatach King of Connaught -
   Author: The History of Ireland by Geoffrey Keating, D.D.: D Comyn & P S Dinneed, Eds, 1st Ed {1902-1914} (translation available a, Page number: Book II pp133-135
   Note: Source Media Type: Book
   Page: Migrated from user-supplied source citation: urn:familysearch:source:2736742983
   
4. Title: Legacy NFS Source: Ragallach mac Uatach King of Connaught -
   Author: Irish Pedigrees or the Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation; John O'Hart {1923}, Page number: Pt III:iv:634
   Note: Source Media Type: Book
   Page: Migrated from user-supplied source citation: urn:familysearch:source:2736742978
   
5. Title: Legacy NFS Source: Ragallach mac Uatach King of Connaught -
   Author: Annals of the Four Masters; John O'Donovan, ed., Dublin, 1848 - 51, (translation available at Corpus of, Page number: I:259-261
   Note: Source Media Type: Book
   Page: Migrated from user-supplied source citation: urn:familysearch:source:2736742980