Donnchad Donn macFlann O'Neill 171st High King Ireland

• Preferred Name: Donnchad Donn macFlann O'Neill 171st High King Ireland^[1]
  
• Gender: M
  
• FSID: 9CZM-HK2
  
• Birth: ABT 867 in Aileach, County Donegal, Ireland at LATI: N5.0167 LONG: E7.5167
  
• http://familysearch.org/v1/TitleOfNobility: 171st High King IrelandBET 919 AND 944
  
• Christening: 919
  
• Clan Name: with note: Description: Clann Cholmáin
  
• http://familysearch.org/v1/TitleOfNobility: King of Tara916
  
• MilitaryService: rebellion against Flann Sinna son of Mael Sechnail l… by his sons Donnchad and Conchobar915
  
• Death: 944
  
• http://familysearch.org/v1/TitleOfNobility: King of MideBET 919 AND 944
  
• Notes:

  === Life Sketch ===
  Donnchadh Donn mac Flainn (Duncan of the Brown Hair, son of Flann) (died 944) was High King of Ireland and King of Mide. He belonged to Clann Cholmáin, a branch of the southern Uí Néill.
  
  Donnchad was the son of High King Flann Sinna by his wife Gormlaith ingen Flann mac Conaing. The date of his birth is not known, but he was apparently an adult in 904 when he is found as the leader, or figurehead, of a challenge to his father at Kells. The Annals of Ulster state that many of Donnchad's associates were beheaded by Flann, and that the High King profaned the sanctuary at Kells to seize Donnchad.
  
  Donnchad again rebelled against his father in 915, with the support of his brother Conchobar, but this rebellion was suppressed by his sister Gormlaith's husband, and his father's heir, Niall Glúndub. When Flann died in 916, Niall Glúndub succeeded him as King of Tara, while Conchobar became King of Mide, the kingship of Clann Cholmáin.
  
  Niall and Conchobar were both killed on 14 September 919, in battle against the Foreigners—Vikings and Norse-Gaels—at Dublin. Other Irish kings and princes among the dead were another of Donnchad's sister's husbands, Máel Mithig mac Flannacáin, Niall Glúndub's brother's son and heir-designate Flaithbertach mac Domnaill, "and many other nobles".
  
  Donnchad succeeded to the kingship of Mide, and to the high kingship of Ireland. He immediately had his brother Áed blinded. Two years later, Donnchad disposed of another brother, the annals saying: "Domnall grandson of Máel Sechnaill was deceitfully killed by his brother Donnchad, which was fitting." Some years later, Donnchad disposed of his nephew, Máel Ruanaid, Conchobar's son.
  
  Donnchad's first venture was a campaign against armies of the Foreigners in modern County Louth, "in which a very large number [of the Foreigners] were slaughtered." The majority of the reports of battles with the Foreigners thereafter in Donnchad's reign concern "the Hector of the western world", the indefatigable Muirchertach mac Néill—Muirchertach of the Leather Cloaks—the King of Ailech and likely to have been Donnchad's successor had he not died in battle against the Foreigners on 26 February 943. Donnchad's relations with Muirchertach, his daughter's husband, were not good, and conflict between them is recorded in 927, 929, and 938. Muirchertach's wife died in 940, and in 941 he raided Mide, Osraige, and Munster, taking the Munster king Cellachán Caisil hostage as a demonstration of his power, and Donnchad's limited authority.
  
  On Donnchad's death, he was succeeded as King of Tara by his sister's son, Congalach Cnogba, a member of the Síl nÁedo Sláine branch of the Uí Néill. Donnchad's son Óengus became King of Mide.
  
  Donnchad was married three times. His first wife was Cainnech ingen Canannán (died 929), daughter of the King of the northern Uí Néill sept of the Cenél Conaill. His second wife was Órlaith íngen Cennétig, sister of Brian Boru of the Dál gCais. Órlaith was killed in 941, apparently on Donnchad's order, perhaps due to a sexual relationship between her and her stepson Óengus. Donnchad's third wife, Dub Lémna ingen Tighearnáin (died in 943), was the daughter of the king of Bréifne. Charles Doherty notes that Donnchad's wives all came from rising families. The Ua Canannáin of Tír Ċonaill, the Dál gCais of Thomond, and the Ua Ruairc of Bréifne were among the leading families of the 11th and 12th centuries.
  
  Donnchad's sons included
  . Conn (died 944),
  . Óengus his successor (died 945),
  . Domnall Donn (died 952), the father of future King of Tara Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill.
  His daughters were
  . Flann ingen Donnchadha (died 940), wife of Muirchertach mac Néill, and
  . Óebfhinn ingen Donnchadha (died 952).
  
  His sister and only known full-sibling, Gormflaith ingen Flann Sinna (c.870–948), was Queen of Tara.
  
  === acceded ===
  acceded
  
  === King of Mide, 919-921. ===
  King of Mide, 919-921.
  
  === Book of McKee, pg 404 "Kings of Ireland" ===
  Book of McKee, pg 404 "Kings of Ireland" from O'Flaherty'e Ogygia which was written in 1684 during the reign of Charles II states that Donchad II (Mac Floin), son of King Flann, was king 25 years, from 919-944
  
  === King of Ireland 919-944; King of Mide. ===
  King of Ireland 919-944; King of Mide.
  
  === W H Turton: The Plantagenet Ancestry P. ===
  W H Turton: The Plantagenet Ancestry P. 145

• m. ABT 900 in Europe

• m. ABT 905 in 2nd Consort of the king ... Ireland

• m. ABT 911 in Ireland

1. Flann Ingen Donnchad of Tara, b. ABT 890 in Ireland     d. 940 in Ireland

• m. BEF 925 in Ireland

1. Title: Dictionary of Irish Biography
   Author: Sources AU; Chron. Scot.; Ann. Inisf.; AFM; Frag. Ann.; Bk Leinster, i, 198; vi, 1466; O'Brien, Corpus geneal. Hib., 125, 127, 159, 425; M. C. Dobbs, ‘The Ban-Shenchus’, Rev. Celt., xlviii (1931), 186, 187, 226; Ó Corráin, Ire. before Normans, 102, 103–4, 117; NHI, ix, 130; Bhreathnach, Tara bibliog., 50 (§11); K. Murray, Baile in Scáil (2004); ODNB
   Publication: Name: https://www.dib.ie/biography/donnchad-donn-a2691;
   Note: Donnchad Donn (‘the brown-haired’) (d. 944), son of Flann Sinna and king of Tara, belonged to the Clann Cholmáin dynasty of the Southern Uí Néill. His father Flann Sinna (qv) held the kingship of Tara till his death in 916; his mother was Gormlaith, daughter of Flann son of Conaing, Síl nÁedo Sláine king of Brega. He had six brothers or half-brothers, the most prominent of whom were Máel-ruanaid (slain 901 by the Luigne), Conchobar (slain 919), and Domnall (slain 921). He also had two sisters, Gormlaith (qv) (d. 948) and Lígach, who married Máel-mithig, king of Brega, and was the mother of his son Congalach Cnogba (qv). In the course of his life, Donnchad had four wives, his selection of marriage-partners illustrating his priorities in regard to political alliances. First, he married Caíndech (d. 929), daughter of Canannán of Cenél Conaill, and then Derbail (d. 931) daughter of Máel-Finniae of Síl nÁedo Sláine. His later wives were Dublemna (d. 943), daughter of Tigernán of Uí Bríuin Bréifne, and Órlaith, a daughter of Cennétig (qv) (d. 951), of the emerging dynasty of Dál Cais, eldest sister of Brian Bóráma (qv). The sequence of the latter two is not certain; nor is it clear which of his wives mothered his sons Conn, Óengus, and Domnall or his daughter Lann. Within his father's own lifetime, Donnchad had begun his quest for power and, even by the standards of early Irish dynastic politics, he displayed a marked ruthlessness in securing and in maintaining his claims to kingship. He first came to notice in 904, when he revolted against his father so that the latter was obliged to storm Kells, which resulted in heavy casualties. He again rebelled (915) with the support of his brother Conchobar, and harried Meath, so that the king of Ailech, Niall Glúndub (qv), had to intervene to uphold the position of the elderly Flann Sinna. Meanwhile in 913, Donnchad helped his brother-in-law Máel-mithig, of the Uí Chonaing lineage of Síl nÁedo Sláine, to defeat his Clann Chernaig rivals. When Donnchad's brother Conchobar, having succeeded their father, was slain at Islandbridge by the Dublin Norse along with Niall Glúndub (919), the Clann Cholmáin kingship of Mide passed briefly to his brother Domnall. The latter, who was clearly ineffective, was soon displaced, however, by the ambitious Donnchad. Taking full advantage of the political vacuum that followed the battle of Islandbridge, Donnchad advanced his claims to the kingship of Tara. He held this dignity for twenty-five years according to the regnal lists; the king-list known as ‘Baile in Scáil’ may well have been compiled in his reign. Determined not to tolerate any rivals, he immediately blinded Áed grandson of Máel-Sechnaill (qv), either a half-brother or cousin. Two years later, he slew his brother Domnall; in 928 he slew his nephew Máel-ruanaid son of Conchobar; and in his later years he had his young wife, Órlaith daughter of Cennétig, put to death for alleged infidelity. In the course of his reign, Donnchad faced military threats from the Dublin Norse and from the Northern Uí Néill; ultimately, he succeeded in playing one off against the other. In 920 he defeated the Norsemen, inflicting considerable losses. In 928 he was engaged in a standoff at Tailtiu with the king of Ailech, Muirchertach (qv) son of Niall Glúndub. A year later, he led an expedition to Liathdruim (Leitrim) against Muirchertach, and in 936 he attacked Dublin with considerable success. After another standoff in 938, it is reported that Donnchad made peace with Muirchertach. It may have been at this stage that the latter married Donnchad's daughter Lann; she is styled ‘queen of Ailech’ in her obit at 940. Certainly an alliance was concluded between the former rivals; together they ravaged the overkingdom of the Dublin Norse, which at that time included much of northern Leinster, from Áth Truisten (near Castledermot) to Dublin. Having paused to deal with opposition of a more local nature in Brega (939, 940), Donnchad again joined forces with his son-in-law Muirchertach to make incursions into Leinster and Munster in which hostages were obtained. In 941 Donnchad secured the Éoganacht king Cellachán Caisil (qv) as prisoner, as a result of a daring raid into Munster by Muirchertach – before the latter met his death. Donnchad himself died unexpectedly in 944, the same year as his son Conn, having suffered a brief bout of illness. With the sudden withdrawal of his iron fist, the dynasty lapsed into internecine strife and no fewer than seven short reigns followed in quick succession. His successors included his sons Óengus (d. 945/6) and Domnall (d. 952), his grandson Fergal (fl. 950) son of Óengus, and nephews Donnchad (slain 950) son of Domnall, Áed (d. 957) son of Máel-ruanaid, Carlus (slain 960) son of Conn, and Donnchad Finn (slain 974) son of Áed. Amid all this confusion, Donnchad's nephew by marriage – Congalach Cnogba (d. 956) of Síl nÁed Sláine – was able to make good his claim to the kingship of Tara before that dignity passed to the Northern Uí Néill in the person of Domnall Ua Néill (qv) (d. 980). Eventually, the kingship of the Southern Uí Néill and that of Tara was secured by Donnchad's illustrious grandson, Máel-Sechnaill (qv) son of Domnall, from whom the later Clann Cholmáin kings of Meath descended.