Name Mael Ua | ||
Máel Íosa Ua Dálaigh, Irish poet, died 1185.
Biography
Máel Íosa (meaning "Follower of Jesus") was a member of the Ó Dálaigh family of bards, of whom some forty are attested in Ireland and Scotland between the 12th and 17th century.
Upon his death, he was described as "Chief poet of Ireland and Scotland." He was also lord of the minor midland kingdom of Corca Raidhe in what is now County Westmeath. The Irish annals give is obit sub anno 1185, stating:
"Maelisa O'Daly, ollave (chief poet) of Ireland and Scotland, Lord of Corcaree and Corca-Adain, a man illustrious for his poetry, hospitality, and nobility, died while on a pilgrimage at Clonard."
Máel Íosa would appear to have been the chief of the senior branch of the Ó Dálaigh, based in their ancestral home in Westmeath.