Cerball mac Dúnlainge

Who was Cerball mac Dúnlainge?

Cerball mac Dúnlainge was king of Ossory in south-east Ireland. The kingdom of Ossory occupied roughly the area of modern County Kilkenny and lay between the larger provincial kingdoms of Munster and Leinster.

Cerball came to prominence after the death of Fedelmid mac Crimthainn, King of Munster, in 847. Ossory had been subject for a period to the Eóganachta kings of Munster, but Feidlimid was succeeded by a series of weak kings who had to contend with Viking incursions on the coasts of Munster. As a result, Cerball was in a strong position and is said to have been the second most powerful king in Ireland in his later years.

Kjarvalr Írakonungr, a figure in the Norse sagas who appears as an ancestor of many prominent Icelandic families, is identified with Cerball.