Erc ingen Loarn (sometimes Latinized as Erca to distinguish her from her grandfather Eirc mac Eochaid) was a

queen consort A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king, and usually shares her spouse's social Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and status. She holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles and may be crowned and anointed, but hi ...

of Ailech, best known as the eponymic mother of Muirchertach mac Ercae, 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 ...

. She is described by

Thomas Charles-Edwards Thomas Mowbray Owen Charles-Edwards (born 11 November 1943) is an emeritus academic at the University of Oxford. He formerly held the post of Jesus Professor of Celtic and is a Professorial Fellow at Jesus College. Biography He was educated ...

as having been "obviously legendary", in part due to a mention of her in the ''

Banshenchas ''An Banshenchas'' (literally "the woman lore") is a medieval text which collects brief descriptions of prominent women in Irish legend and history into a poetic narrative. Unlike much of early Irish literature, ''An Banshenchas'' may be attrib ...

''.

Life

Erca was born, along with her sister Pompa, to an unknown mother and

Loarn mac Eirc Loarn mac Eirc was a possible king of Dál Riata who may have lived in the 5th century. He was buried on Iona.J. M. P. Calise, Pictish sourcebook, Greenwood Press, 2002. Loarn's main significance is as the eponymous An eponym is a noun after ...

, a possible king of

Dál Riata Dál Riata or Dál Riada (also Dalriada) () was a Gaels, Gaelic Monarchy, kingdom that encompassed the Inner Hebrides, western seaboard of Scotland and north-eastern Ireland, on each side of the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North ...

and a brother of

Fergus Mór Fergus Mór mac Eirc (; English: ''Fergus the Great'') was a possible king of Dál Riata. He was the son of Erc of Dalriada. While his historicity may be debatable, his posthumous importance as the founder of Scotland in the national myth of ...

. She was married off to Sarran, a king in Britain, but eloped with Niall Noígíallach's grandson

Muiredach mac Eógain Muiredach mac Eógain (died c. 489) was a King of Ailech and head of the Cenél nEógain branch of the Northern Uí Néill. He was the son of the founder of this dynasty Eógan mac Néill (died 465). There is no mention of him in the Irish annals ...

, a king of Ailech, to Irish Dál Riata. This left Sarran to take Pompa as his wife; they had four sons, three of whom were saints. In Ireland, Erca and Muiredach mac Eógain had four sons, including Muirchertach mac Ercae. After the death of mac Eógain, she married Fergus mac Conaill, another grandson of Niall Noígíallach. She gave birth to four sons in their marriage as well, including Feidhlimidh, the father of

Saint Columba Columba () or Colmcille (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Gaelic Ireland, Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is today Scotland at the start of the Hiberno-Scottish mission. He founded the ...

Dubhaltach Mac Fhirbhisigh Dubhaltach Mac Fhirbhisigh (), also known as Dubhaltach Óg mac Giolla Íosa Mór mac Dubhaltach Mór Mac Fhirbhisigh, Duald Mac Firbis, Dudly Ferbisie, and Dualdus Firbissius ( fl. 1643 – January 1671) was an Irish scribe, translator, histo ...

details in his ''

Leabhar na nGenealach ''Leabhar na nGenealach'' ("Book of Genealogies") is a massive genealogical collection written mainly in the years 1649 to 1650, at the college-house of St. Nicholas' Collegiate Church, Galway, by Dubhaltach MacFhirbhisigh. He continued to add m ...

'' Erca's death after a pilgrimage from Irish Dál Riata back to Britain. There she met her son-in-law, Saint Cairneach, who blessed her, told her half of Ireland's future kings would be her descendants, and promised her entry into heaven. Mac Fhirbhisigh writes that after Cairneach performed ecclesiastical ministrations ("''friothaileamh eaglurdachta''") on her, she died.

Footnotes

References

5th-century Irish people 6th-century Irish people 5th-century Scottish people 6th-century Scottish people 6th-century Scottish women 5th-century births 6th-century deaths Irish royal consorts 6th-century queens consort {{Ireland-royal-stub