Éber Finn (modern spelling: Éibhear Fionn), son of

Míl Espáine In Irish origin myths, Míl Espáine or Míl Espáne (later Latinization of names, Latinized as Milesius) is the mythical ancestor of the final inhabitants of Ireland, the "sons of Míl" or Milesians (Irish), Milesians, who represent the vast maj ...

, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a

High King of Ireland High King of Ireland ( ) was a royal title in Gaelic Ireland held by those who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over all of Ireland. The title was held by historical kings and was later sometimes assigned anachronously or to leg ...

and one of the founders of the Milesian lineage, to which medieval genealogists traced all the important Gaelic royal lines. According to the ''

Lebor Gabála Érenn ''Lebor Gabála Érenn'' (literally "The Book of Ireland's Taking"; Modern Irish spelling: ''Leabhar Gabhála Éireann'', known in English as ''The Book of Invasions'') is a collection of poems and prose narratives in the Irish language inten ...

'', the ancestors of the Gaels were living in the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...

, ruled by two of the sons of Míl, Éber Donn and

Érimón Érimón (Modern ), commonly Anglicised as Heremon, son of Míl Espáine (and great-grandson of Breoghan, king of Celtic Galicia), according to medieval Irish legends and historical traditions, was one of the chieftains who took part in the ...

. After Míl's uncle Íth made a voyage to Ireland but was murdered by its three kings, Mac Cuill, Mac Cécht and Mac Gréine of the

Tuatha Dé Danann The Tuatha Dé Danann (, meaning "the folk of the goddess Danu"), also known by the earlier name Tuath Dé ("tribe of the gods"), are a supernatural race in Irish mythology. Many of them are thought to represent deities of pre-Christian Gaelic ...

, the seven sons of Míl led an invasion in thirty-six ships. They landed in

County Kerry County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...

and fought their way to Tara. On the way, the wives of the three kings,

Ériu In Irish mythology, Ériu (; ), daughter of Delbáeth and Ernmas of the Tuatha Dé Danann, was the eponymous matron goddess of Ireland. The English name for Ireland comes from the name Ériu and the Germanic languages, Germanic (Old Norse or ...

, Banba and Fodla, requested that the island be named after them: Ériu is the earlier form of the modern name

Éire ( , ) is the Irish language name for "Ireland". Like its English counterpart, the term is used for both the island of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, the sovereign state that governs 85% of the island's landmass. The latter is distinc ...

, and Banba and Fodla were often used as poetic names for Ireland, much as

Albion Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain. The oldest attestation of the toponym comes from the Greek language. It is sometimes used poetically and generally to refer to the island, but is less common than "Britain" today. The name for Scot ...

is for

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

. At Tara the sons of Míl met the three kings, and it was decreed that the invaders return to their ships and sail a distance of nine waves from Ireland, and if they were able to land again, Ireland would be theirs. They set sail, but the Tuatha Dé used magic to brew up a storm, in which five of the sons were drowned, leaving only Eber Finn, Érimón and Amergin the poet, to land and take the island in the Battle of

Tailtiu Tailtiu or Tailltiu (; modern spelling: Tailte) is the name of a presumed goddess from Irish mythology. The goddess's name is linked to Teltown (< OI ''Óenach Tailten'') in Co. Meath, site of the Óenach Tailten. A legendary dindsenchas "lore of ...

. Amergin divided the kingship between Érimón, who ruled the northern half, and Éber Finn, the southern. A year after the Battle of Tailtiu, Éber Finn became unhappy with his half, fought a battle his brother at Airgetros, lost and was killed. Érimón became sole ruler of Ireland. The High Kingship would alternate between the descendants of Éber Finn and the descendants of Érimón. Éber's sons included Conmáel, Ér, Orba, Ferón and Fergna.

Geoffrey Keating Geoffrey Keating (; – ) was an Irish historian. He was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, and is buried in Tubrid Graveyard in the parish of Ballylooby-Duhill. He became a Catholic priest and a poet. Biography It was generally believed unt ...

dates his reign to 1287 BC, the ''

Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' () or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' () are chronicles of Middle Ages, medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Genesis flood narrative, Deluge, dated as 2,242 Anno Mundi, years after crea ...

'' to 1700 BC.John O'Donovan (ed. & trans.), ''Annala Rioghachta Éireann: Annals of the kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters'', Dublin, 1848-1851
Vol. 1 pp. 25-35
/ref>

References

Legendary High Kings of Ireland Mythological Cycle {{Celt-myth-stub