Cathussach mac Ailello (died 749) was a Dál nAraidi king of Ulaid, in medieval Ireland. He was the son of Ailill mac Dúngaile Eilni (died 690), a previous king of Dál nAraidi and nephew of Cú Chuarán mac Dúngail Eilni (died 708), a previous king of Ulaid. [1] He ruled from 735-749. He belonged to a branch of this family that settled in Eilne, a strip of territory located between the Bann and Bush rivers in modern County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Dál nAraidi or Dál Araide was a Cruthin kingdom, or possibly a confederation of Cruthin tribes, in north-eastern Ireland during the Middle Ages. It was part of the over-kingdom of Ulaid, and its kings often contended with the Dál Fiatach for the over-kingship of the province. At its greatest extent, the borders of Dál nAraidi roughly match those of County Antrim, and they seem to occupy the same area as the earlier Robogdii of Ptolemy's Geography, a region shared with Dál Riata. Their capital was Ráth Mór outside Antrim, and their eponymous ancestor is claimed as being Fiachu Araide.
Ulaid or Ulaidh ) was a Gaelic over-kingdom in north-eastern Ireland during the Middle Ages, made up of a confederation of dynastic groups. Alternative names include Ulidia, which is the Latin form of Ulaid, as well as in Cóiced, which in Irish means "the Fifth". The king of Ulaid was called the rí Ulad or rí in Chóicid.
Ireland is an island in the North Atlantic. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the second-largest island of the British Isles, the third-largest in Europe, and the twentieth-largest on Earth.
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It is uncertain at what date he acquired the kingship of Dál nAraidi. The death of Dub dá Inber mac Congalaig as king of the Cruthin (the title used for them at this time in the annals) is recorded in 727. Indrechtach mac Lethlobair (died 741) is also listed before Cathussach in the king lists but it is possible he resigned the kingship to Indrechtach upon becoming King of Ulaid in 735. [2]
Indrechtach mac Lethlobair was a Dal nAraide king of the Cruithne in Ulaid (Ulster). He was the son of Lethlobar mac Echach, a previous king. He belonged to the main ruling dynasty of the Dal nAraide known as the Uí Chóelbad based in Mag Line, east of Antrim town in modern county Antrim.
Cathussach was killed at Ráith Beithech (Rathveagh, modern County Antrim) probably in the interest of the rival Dál Fiatach who retook the kingship of Ulaid. [3]
Dál Fiatach was a Gaelic dynastic-grouping and the name of their territory in the north-east of Ireland during the Middle Ages. It was part of the over-kingdom of Ulaid, and they were its main ruling dynasty for most of Ulaid's history. Their territory lay in eastern County Down. Their capital was Dún Lethglaise (Downpatrick) and from the 9th century their main religious site was Bangor Abbey.
Neither the Annals of Tigernach nor the Annals of Ulster give him the title king of Ulaid at his death notice but instead refer to him as King of the Cruthin. Professor Byrne believes that there may have been an interregnum in Ulaid between 735-750. [4] This would give a possible reign for Cathussach over the Dál nAraidi from 741-749 if this were true and would explain his placing in the king lists of the Cruthin.
His son Cináed Ciarrge mac Cathussaig (died 776) was also king of Dál nAraidi.
Cináed Ciarrge mac Cathussaig was a Dál nAraidi king of Ulaid, an over-kingdom in medieval Ireland. He was the son of Cathussach mac Ailello, a previous king and possible over-king of Ulaid. He belonged to the Eilne branch of the family, and ruled from 774 to 776.
