Conaing Begeclach was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, joint
High King of Ireland with his brother or half-brother
Eochu Fíadmuine
Eochu Fíadmuine was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, joint High King of Ireland with his brother or half-brother Conaing Bececlach. They took power after killing the previous High King, Eochu Uairches. Eochu ruled ...
. They took power after killing the previous High King,
Eochu Uairches
Eochu (or Eochaid) Uairches, son of Lugaid Íardonn, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. After Lugaid was overthrown and killed by Sírlám, Eochu was driven into exile overseas, but he return ...
. Conaing ruled the northern half of Ireland, Eochu the south.
Their parentage is unclear. The ''
Lebor Gabála Érenn
''Lebor Gabála Érenn'' (literally "The Book of the Taking of Ireland"), known in English as ''The Book of Invasions'', is a collection of poems and prose narratives in the Irish language intended to be a history of Ireland and the Irish fro ...
'' reports two possibilities: that he and Eochu were the sons of Congal, son of Lugaid Cal of the Corcu Laigde of
County Cork
County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns ar ...
; or that Eochu was the son of Congal, and Conaing was the son of Dui Temrach, son of
Muiredach Bolgrach
Muiredach Bolgrach, son of Siomón Brecc, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. He took power after killing his predecessor, and his father's killer, Dui Finn, ruled for 13 months or four years ...
, but both had the same mother, who was also the mother of Eochu Uairches.
Geoffrey Keating
Geoffrey Keating ( ga, Seathrún Céitinn; c. 1569 – c. 1644) was a 17th-century historian. He was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, and is buried in Tubrid Graveyard in the parish of Ballylooby-Duhill. He became an Irish Catholic priest and ...
makes them both sons of Dui Temrach, and the
Four Masters make them the sons of Dui's son Congal Coscarach. After five years of joint rule, Eochu was killed by Eochu Uairches' son
Lugaid Lámderg. According to the ''Lebor Gabála'', Conaing remained in power in the north, while Lugaid took the south. The ''Annals of the Four Masters'' say Lugaid ousted Conaing and took complete control of Ireland. Seven years later, Conaing killed Lugaid and became sole ruler for a further ten (or twenty) years, after which he was killed by Lugaid's son
Art
Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas.
There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...
.
The ''Lebor Gabála'' synchronises Conaing's career with the reigns of
Artaxerxes I
Artaxerxes I (, peo, 𐎠𐎼𐎫𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎠 ; grc-gre, Ἀρταξέρξης) was the fifth King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, from 465 to December 424 BC. He was the third son of Xerxes I.
He may have been the "Artasyr ...
(465–424 BC) and
Darius II
Darius II ( peo, 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 ; grc-gre, Δαρεῖος ), also known by his given name Ochus ( ), was King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire from 423 BC to 405 or 404 BC.
Artaxerxes I, who died in 424 BC, was followed by h ...
(423–404) of
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkme ...
. The chronology of Keating's ''Foras Feasa ar Éirinn'' dates his career to 621–599 BC, that of the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' to 844–812 BC. However, in the saga ''Do suidigud tellaich Temra'' ("the settling of the manor of Tara"), the crucifixion of Christ takes place during his reign.
[R. I. Best (ed. & trans.)]
"The Settling of the Manor of Tara"
''Ériu
In Irish mythology, Ériu (; modern ga, Éire ), 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 (Old Norse or ...
'' 4, 1910, pp. 121-72
References
Legendary High Kings of Ireland
{{Ireland-royal-stub