Conall Cremthainne (died 480), also called Conall Err Breg, was an
Irish king. He was a son of
Niall of the Nine Hostages
Niall Noígíallach (; Old Irish "having nine hostages"), or Niall of the Nine Hostages, was a legendary, semi-historical Irish king who was the ancestor of the Uí Néill dynasties that dominated Ireland from the 6th to the 10th centuries. ...
, and one of the progenitors of the
Southern Uí Néill dynasties.
He is the first king of
Uisnech in
Mide from the Uí Néill mentioned in the ''Book of Leinster'' king list. Conall son of Niall was nicknamed Cremthainne (possibly denoting
fosterage
Fosterage, the practice of a family bringing up a child not their own, differs from adoption in that the child's parents, not the foster-parents, remain the acknowledged parents. In many modern western societies foster care can be organised by ...
among the Uí Chremthainn of
Airgialla), to distinguish him from his brother Conall Gulban, ancestor of the
Cenél Conaill
Cenél is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Cenél Conaill, the name of the "kindred" or descendants of Conall Gulban, son of Niall Noígiallach defined by oral and recorded history
*Cenél nEógain (in English, Cenel Eogan) is ...
. The habit of giving the same name to different sons remained common among the prolific Irish princes until the sixteenth century.
[Byrne, ''Irish Kings'', p. 90.] According to a life of
Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick (; or ; ) was a fifth-century Romano-British culture, Romano-British Christian missionary and Archbishop of Armagh, bishop in Gaelic Ireland, Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Irelan ...
by
Tírechán
Tírechán was a 7th-century Ireland, Irish bishop from north Connacht, specifically the Killala Bay area, in what is now County Mayo.
Background
Based on a knowledge of Irish customs of the times, historian Terry O’Hagan has concluded that T ...
, Patrick blessed Conall and rejected his brother
Coirpre mac Néill
Coirpre mac Néill ('' fl''. '' c''. 485–493), also Cairbre or Cairpre, was said to be a son of Niall of the Nine Hostages. Coirpre was perhaps the leader of the conquests that established the southern Uí Néill in the midlands of Ireland. Th ...
, ancestor of the
Cenél Coirpri, at a meeting at
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 ...
. Nothing is recorded of him in the annals other than his death date.
[''Annals of Ulster'' AU 480.1]
Through his son Fergus Cerrbél, he was the ancestor of the
Clann Cholmáin and
Síl nÁedo Sláine. Another son was
Ardgal mac Conaill (died 520), ancestor of the Cenél nArdgail in County Meath.
References
See also
*
Kings of Uisnech
Bibliography
* ''Annals of Ulster'' a
CELT: Corpus of Electronic Textsa
University College Cork* Byrne, Francis John (2001), Irish Kings and High-Kings, Dublin: Four Courts Press,
* Charles-Edwards, T. M. (2000), ''Early Christian Ireland'', Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
* ''Book of Leinster'',''Rig Uisnig'' a
a
University College Cork
Kings of Uisnech
Nobility from County Meath
480 deaths
5th-century Irish monarchs
Year of birth unknown
{{Ireland-royal-stub