Mac Con
Lugaid Mac Con,often known simply asMac Con,was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, aHigh King of Ireland.He belonged to theCorcu Loígde,[1]and thus to theDáirine.His father wasMacnia mac Lugdach,and his mother wasSadb ingen Chuinn,daughter of the former High KingConn Cétchathach.Mac Con may be to some extent identical with another legendaryKing of Tarafrom the Dáirine,Lugaid Loígde.
After Macnia died, Sadb marriedAilill Aulom,king ofMunsterandde factoking of the southern half of Ireland, and Lugaid became his foster-son. He is said to have gained his patronymic/epithet ( "dog's son" ) after he was suckled as a child by agreyhoundcalled Eloir Derg, which belonged to his foster-father. Lugaid and his stepbrothers, against Ailill's will, were allies of Nemed, son of Sroibcenn, king of theÉrainnof Munster, who had killed the former High KingConaire Cóemin the battle of Gruitine. During the reign of the High KingArt mac Cuinn,Conaire's sons defeated and killed Nemed in the battle of Cennfebrat. Lugaid was wounded in the battle, and afterwards was exiled from Ireland by his foster-father. Spending a number of years in exile, made an alliance with Benne Brit, son of the king ofBritain,raised an army of foreigners, and returned to Ireland. He defeated and killed Art in theBattle of Maigh MucruimheinConnachtand took the High Kingship. He ruled for thirty years until he was driven from the throne by Art's sonCormacafter he gave a false judgement on Bennaid, a female hospitaller, whose sheep had illegally grazed on the queen's woad. He fled to Munster to seek help from his relatives. He attempted to make his peace with his foster-father, Ailill Aulom, but Ailill had not forgiven him for the death of his sonÉogan Mór,and bit him with a poisoned tooth when they embraced. He then sent the poet Ferches mac Commáin after Lugaid to take revenge for Éogan. Ferchis found Lugaid standing with his back to a standing stone, and killed him with a spear. Cormac was unable to take the throne directly, being forced to flee toConnachtby the king ofUlster,Fergus Dubdétach,who held the High Kingship for a year after Lugaid's death.[2][3][4][5]
TheLebor Gabála Érennsynchronises Lugaid's reign with that of theRoman emperorCommodus(180–192). The chronology ofGeoffrey Keating'sForas Feasa ar Éirinndates his reign to 173–203, that of theAnnals of the Four Mastersto 195–225. He had two sons,Fothad Cairpthech and Fothad Airgthech,who would later be joint High Kings.
Modern descendants of Lugaid mac Con include theO'Driscolls,O'Learys,Coffeys,HennessysandFlynnsofCounty Cork.[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^John O'Donovan(ed.) "The Genealogy of Corca Laidhe", inMiscellany of the Celtic Society.Dublin. 1849.alternative scan
- ^R. A. Stewart Macalister (ed. & trans.),Lebor Gabála Érenn: The Book of the Taking of Ireland Part V,Irish Texts Society, 1956, p. 337
- ^Geoffrey Keating,Foras Feasa ar Éirinn1.41-42
- ^Annals of the Four MastersM186-225
- ^Myles Dillon (ed.andtrans.), "The Death of Mac Con",Publications of the Modern Language Association of America 60,1945, pp. 340-45
- ^O'Donovan 1849