Gormflaith, Queen-Consort of Munster & of Leinster & of Tara & of The Dessi Muman in Ireland

GORMFLAITH was notable for being the successive
Queen-Consort of Munster in Ireland
Queen-Consort of Leinster in Ireland
Queen-Consort of Tara in Ireland
Queen-Consort of The Dessi Muman in Ireland

Gormflaith ingen Flann Sinna, Queen of Tara, c. 870-948.

Family background

Gormflaith was the daughter of Flann Sinna, High King of Ireland from 879 to 916. Her mother was Gormlaith ingen Flann mac Conaing of Brega.

Her known siblings were:

• Donnchad Donn, her full sibling.
• Óengus mac Flann Sinna, died 915.
• Máel Ruanaid mac Flann Sinna, killed in 901
• Donnell mac Flann Sinna, King of Mide 919–921.
• Lígach ingen Flann Sinna, died 923.
• Conchobar mac Flann Sinna, king of Mide 916–919.
• Áed mac Flann Sinna, blinded on Donnchad Donn's orders in 919.
• Cerball mac Flann Sinna
• Muirgel ingen Flann Sinna, died 928.

Queen of Munster

Gormflaith was notable for being the successive queen consort of Munster, Leinster and Tara.

Gormflaith was married first to King Cormac mac Cuilennáin of Munster, who had taken vows of celibacy as a bishop. The marriage was not said to be cosumated. MacShamhran (p. 203) writes "Difficulties relating to this marriage leave it probable that it is a fiction - created when memory of Gormlaith became assimilated to the "sovereignty goddess" who had three husbands."

Queen of Leinster

Cormac was killed at the battle of Bealach Mugna in 908 by an alliance of Flann Sinna of Tara and Cerball mac Muirecáin, King of Leinster. Flann afterwards married Gormflaith to Cerball, who is alleged (according to a text in the Book of Leinster) to have abused her so much that she was forced to return to her father at least once.

Political intrigue

MacShamhran writes (p.203) "... the case for accepting as historical her marriage to Cerball is strenthened by a dindshenchas poem in the Book of Leinster, which also presents a different view of their relationship, implying that she was involved in intrigue on his behalf. She is blamed for the deaths of Cellach Carmain, who was an Ui Muirdaig dynast, and his wife Aillenn - apparently rivals of her husband. This circumstance, along with the fact that Cerball had the support of Flann Sinna at Belach Mugna, fits well with a Clan Cholmain-Ui Faelain alliance in the years prior to that battle."

Ó Cróinín (pp.219), citing the poem Cell Chorbbáin (composed shortly after 909), writes: "It states quite categorically that Gormlaith was responsible for the death of Cellach of Carmun and his wife Aillend - 'she laid them in the church ground' (dos-fuc i talmain cilli) and by these actions 'she wrought terrible deeds' (do-ringni gnimu grana). This is clearly referring to a double-murder, and equally clearly, it is implicit that Gormlaith - and, by extension, her husband Cerball? - were involved together in a conspiracy to remove the reigning king of Leinster (here named as Cellach Carmun) and presumably replace him with Cerball." Ó Cróinín goes on to compare the data in the poem with that of Cóic ríg tríchat to show that "there is something wrong with the Ui Dunlainge succession at precisely this point. ... It looks very much as though the struggle for succession ... saw several of the Ui Muiredaig line eliminated in the first half of the ninth century, and their names were simply expunged from the record:"

Queen of Tara

After Cerball's death in 909 Gormlaith married her stepbrother Niall Glúndub, who died in 919. By him she had Muirchertach mac Néill, ancestor to the O'Neill dynasty of the north of Ireland.

After marriage

The Annals of Clonmacnoise have her becoming poverty-striken after the death of Niall, reduced to wandering from place to place as a poet to survive. This literary tradition, which appears over a century after her death, may be based upon a misreading of her obit in the Annals of Ulster, which instead indicate she died in a convent.

Poems

A number of poems of later date are ascribed to Gormflaith in Middle Irish sources, including laments for Cerball and Niall, but not for Cormac.

Muirchertach mac Néill

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Muirchertach was the son of Niall Glúndub and Gormlaith, thus his father and both of his grandfathers—Niall's father Áed Finnliath and Gormlaith's father Flann Sinna—had been High King of Ireland.

Flann Sinna

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Flann's daughter Gormlaith became the subject of later literary accounts, accounted which depicted her as a tragic figure. She was married first to Cormac mac Cuilennáin of the Eóganachta, who had taken vows of celibacy as a bishop. On Cormac's death in battle in 908, fighting against her father, she was married to Cerball mac Muirecáin of the Uí Dúnlainge, who supposedly abused her. Cerball was a key ally of Gormlaith's father. After Cerball's death in 909 Gormlaith married her stepbrother Niall Glúndub, who died in 919. The Annals of Clonmacnoise have her wandering Ireland after Niall's death, forsaken by her kin, and reduced to begging from door to door, although this is thought to be later invention rather than a tradition with a basis in fact.[28]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gormflaith_ingen_Flann_Sinna