Echu mac Muiredaig

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Echu mac Muiredaig (flourished mid 6th century) was a king of the Uí Cheinnselaig of South Leinster. His father, Muiredach mac Óengusa and grandfather Óengus mac Feidlimid had been kings of the Ui Cheinnselaig as well. They belonged to a branch known as the Uí Felmeda descended from Fedelmid, son of Énnae Cennsalach, who was the father of Óengus. [1]

Leinster province in Ireland

Leinster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the east of Ireland. It comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Mide, Osraige and Leinster. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ireland, the historic fifths of Leinster and Mide gradually merged, mainly due to the impact of the Pale, which straddled both, thereby forming the present-day province of Leinster. The ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes. In later centuries, local government legislation has seen further sub-division of the historic counties.

Énnae Cennsalach was a King of Leinster and founder of the Uí Cheinnselaig sept of the Laigin. He was the grandson of Bressal Bélach, a previous king.

Contents

He is listed in the king list in the Book of Leinster but is not mentioned in the annals. An 11th-century poem Gein Branduib maic Echach ocus Aedáin maic Gabráin (The Birth of Brandub son of Eochu and of Aedán son of Gabrán) mentions that Echu was expelled from Leinster by his brother Fáelán and went to the court of Gabrán mac Domangairt, king of Dál Riata in Scotland. The king list in the Book of Leinster mentions a Fáelán mac Síláin as king prior to Echu from a rival line descended from Crimthann mac Énnai (died 483). Echu later returned to take the throne though it is not mentioned in what manner he did so.

Gabrán mac Domangairt or Gabrán the Traitor was king of Dál Riata, Ulaid, in the mid-6th century. He is the eponymous ancestor of the Cenél nGabráin. Gabrán was the son of Domangart Réti.

Crimthann mac Énnai was a King of Leinster from the Uí Cheinnselaig sept of the Laigin. He was the son of Énnae Cennsalach, the ancestor of this dynasty.

The poem goes on to relate that Echu's wife, named Feidelm agreed to exchange one of her twin sons at birth for one of the twin daughters of Gabran so that Gabran could have a son. These boys were Brandub mac Echach (died 603) and Áedán mac Gabráin. The date of the poem coincides with a period of Scottish and Leinster cooperation and could be political propaganda. A foster-brother relationship may be implied. Echu's son Brandub would go on to become King of Leinster and halt the expansion of the southern Ui Neill.

Brandub mac Echach was an Irish king of the Uí Cheinnselaig of Leinster. His father, Echu mac Muiredaig had been a king of the Ui Cheinnselaig. They belonged to a branch known as the Uí Felmeda descended from Fedelmid, son of Énnae Cennsalach. His son Óengus, grandson Muiredach, and great-grandson Eochu were all kings of the Uí Cheinnselaig.

Áedán mac Gabráin King of Dál Riata

Áedán mac Gabráin was a king of Dál Riata from c. 574 until c. 609. The kingdom of Dál Riata was situated in modern Argyll and Bute, Scotland, and parts of County Antrim, Ireland. Genealogies record that Áedán was a son of Gabrán mac Domangairt.

Notes

  1. ↑ Byrne, Table 10

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Events from the 7th century in Ireland.

Events from the 5th century in Ireland.

References

Francis John Byrne was an Irish historian.

<i>Book of Leinster</i> manuscript in Irish

The Book of Leinster, is a medieval Irish manuscript compiled ca. 1160 and now kept in Trinity College, Dublin, under the shelfmark MS H 2.18. It was formerly known as the Lebor na Nuachongbála "Book of Nuachongbáil", a monastic site known today as Oughaval.

Richard Irvine Best, often known as R. I. Best, was an Irish scholar who specialised in Celtic Studies.

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