Eochaidh Feidhleach was a High King of Ireland (‘High Kings’ supposedly having control of the whole island) who is credited with being the first to divide Ireland into provinces, each to be ruled by another family. He was particularly close to Tinne, the son of Connraidh, to whom he gave rulership over Connaught and the hand of his daughter Medb in marriage.
The wife of Eochaidh was Cloithfhionn, and together they had many children. Of particular importance are Breas, Nar, and Lothola, who were triplets, and known collectively as the Eamhna.1 These brothers conspired to kill their father, and amassed an army. One of their sisters, Clothra, feared that they would die. Hoping to give them an heir, she seduced each one of them the night before the battle. Each of these brothers did die in the ensuing battle, much to Eochaidh’s despair.
Clothra, however, would give birth to their child, Lugaidh Sriabhdearg. Lugaidh was born with two strange birthmarks, either dots or wavy lines that separated his body into three sections. Above the marks, he resembled Nar; between them, he resembled Breas, and below them he resembled Lothola. After the death of Feidhleach and his brother, Airiomh, the High Kingship of Ireland went through several dynastic changes, but Lugaidh was able to regain the position that his grandfather held. Lugaidh married Dearbhogaill, who would later be mutilated by other jealous women. In his grief, Lugaidh ran himself through with his sword.
Sometime before his marriage to Dearbhogaill, however, Lugaidh had sex with his mother, and she gave birth to Criomthan Nianair. After the death of his father, the family of Eochaidh lost the throne again, but only for a year; Criomthan was then able to regain the kingship.2Â He was known to be ashamed of his parentage. It is sometimes said that it was during the reign of Nianair that Christ was born, but at the same time Declan of Ardmore (said to have lived in the mid-5th Century) is twenty generations removed from Criomthan, so this may not be accurate.
With Nar Tuathchuach, Criomthan fathered Fearadach Finnfechtnach. He was a contemporary of the Irish judge Morann, who held a holy torque. This metal collar, when worn, would constrict around the neck of the wearer when they made unjust decisions in a court of law. He was known as a particularly just and truthful king.
For reasons unclear, Fearadach was succeeded by FÃatach Finn as High King. It wasn’t until three later that his son, Fiacha Finnolaidh, took back the throne. It was at the end of the his reign that the family of Eochaidh was expelled from Ireland; Fiacha was killed in an ambush. The peasant tribes, gathered under Cairbre Cinnchait, hosted a feast for the High King and his court. On the ninth day of this feast, the families of Fiacha and two of his allies were slaughtered, excepting the pregnant wives of the rulers, who were able to flee.
The wife of Fiacha, Eithne, was the daughter of the king of Scotland. She returned to her homeland, where she gave birth to Tuathal Teachtmhar. As he and the sons of the other two slaughtered kings grew up, their homeland suffered under terrible famine and plague. Cairbre Cinnchait, the tribesman who had took the throne, died himself from the plague. When Tuathal finally returned to Ireland, he fought against the new king, Eilim, and killed him in the Battle of Aichill. Thus, at the age of 25, Tuathal took the throne that his father had lost while he was still within his mother’s womb.3 Tuathal may have been aided in this endeavor by the Romans, as Tacitus mentioned an exiled prince sheltered by the governor of Roman Britain. If this is a reference to Tuathal, however, it seems the kingship of Eochaidh’s family was not as total as it has been made out to be.4
Tuathal was an active king, and deeply loved the children born to him by his wife Baine. The deaths of two of his daughters, Fithir and Dairine, at the hands of the King of Leinster caused him to attack the kingdom and bring it under his direct rule. Baine also gave birth to sons, including Felimidh Reachtmhar. Felimidh began his reign by killing Mal mac Rochruidhe, the man who killed his father. Possibly inspired by Roman law (see the paragraph above), he installed the ‘law of retaliation’ (i.e. ‘life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth’) as the standard practice in Ireland.
Felimidh would have three sons by Una, the daughter of a Viking. The first was Conn Ceadcathach, under whose High Kingship the family would lose half of Ireland to Eoghan of Munster, and who would die at the hands of assassins dressed as women.5 The second was Eochaidh Finn, who would be the ancestor of many chiefdoms of Leinster. The third was Fiacha Suighde, who owned the land around Tara.
Fiacha had three sons, who were all known to be brave in battle; their names were Ross, Oengus, and Eoghan. One of the daughters of Eoghan, Credhe, was forcibly taken by Ceallach, the great-grandson of Conn Ceadcathach, to be his wife. Upon hearing of this situation, Oengus killed Ceallach and seriously injured the man’s father (and current High King), Cormac. This triggered a war that devastated Cormac’s forces, but ultimately ended with the expulsion of the sons of Fiacha Suighde and their families (now known collectively as the Dal Fiachrach Suighde) from their homeland. They fled to the southern part of the island, where the King of Munster (Oilill Olum) sheltered them.6
With the arrival of the Dal Fiachrach Suighde in Munster, and their subsequent status as Déisi Muman (i.e. a vassal people of the Munster royal family), their family history has much less to talk about; mostly a list of names (especially since I, unfortunately, don’t have a copy of The Expulsion of the Déisi). One of the sons of Eoghan was named Cairbre, who in turn fathered Conaire Cathbuadhaigh. Conaire then fathered Cuana Cainbhreathaigh. The meaning of their titles are unknown, to me at least.
Cuana begot Measfore, the father of Mesgeadra. After Mesgeadra was Moscorb, and then Art Corp. Art Corp fathered Eoghan, the second man of this line since Eochaidh Feidhleach to bear the name. Eoghan begot Brian, who begot Miaich, who begot Lughaidh. Lughaidh was the father of Trein, who was the grandfather of Declan.
Trein was the father of Eirc. Eirc was married to Deithin. Eirc and Deithin were pagans, sharing the faith of their ancestors.7 While they were visiting Dobhran, a relative of Eirc’s, the couple were visited by Saint Colmán of Cloyne, who at that time was a priest. Colmán, who saw that Declan was to be a prophet and a missionary to the Irish pagans, preached the Word of God to Eirc and Deithin, and revealed the destiny he saw in store for their son. Surprised and impressed, they embraced Christianity and the family was baptized.
Thus is the genealogy of Saint Declan of Ardmore, of the Déisi Muman, the descendants of the Dal Fiachrach Suighde, of the race of Eireamhon. The total number of generations between Declan and Eochaidh Feidhleach, including their own, is 24.
