kingdom · British Isles
Kingdom of Ui Maine
Origins
The Uí Maine claimed descent from Maine Mór, said to have won lands west of the Shannon in the 5th century. By the early medieval period they held a large kingdom in what is now east County Galway and south Roscommon, within the over-kingdom of the Kingdom of Connacht, with privileges of their own.
Rule and society
Their kings, from the 10th century the Ua Cellaig, O'Kelly, served the kings of Connacht in war and sometimes contested the kingship. Tadhg Mór Ua Cellaig fell fighting for Brian Bóruma at Clontarf in 1014. The O'Kellys were famous patrons of learning: Uilliam Buidhe Ó Ceallaigh held a great Christmas feast for the poets of Ireland in 1351, and the Book of Uí Maine was compiled for the family.
Decline and legacy
Anglo-Norman lords, especially the de Burghs, took part of Uí Maine in the 13th century, but the O'Kellys kept much of it. Under the Composition of Connacht in 1585 their lordship was converted into crown tenure, ending the kingdom's independent status.
Lineage
On the connections map
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- Kingdom of Ui Maine was part of Kingdom of Connacht450 CE – 1474 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Ui Maine. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-ui-maine
- MLA
- “Kingdom of Ui Maine.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-ui-maine. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Ui Maine.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-ui-maine.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Ui Maine’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-ui-maine (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻