He
Irish History
And
The Fighting Irish
And
The Fighting Irish
( Niall of the Nine Hostages )
fell on the banks of the River Loire, in France, by the hand of Eochaid, the son of Enna Caennselaigh
King of Leinster, who from ambush, with an arrow, shot dead the great King. Eochaid, coming in the train of Gobran, King of the Alban Dal Riada, had probably come purposely to France for this chance. The old sore of the Boru Tribute imposed by the Ard-Righ of Tara upon the King of Leinster was, of course, aback of this tragedy.The evils begotten of that deep sore were the immediate cause. Enna Ceannselaigh, King of Leinster, had several times put defeat upon Ard-Righ Eochaid, the father of Niall. Niall himself, since he had become Ard-Righ, had had trouble with the Leinster Royal Family. And once this Eochaid, son of King Enna, taking advantage of Niall's absence on a British expedition, had actually attempted to sieze Tara. On Niall's return he punished Leinster for this bold outrage, took Eochaid and held him at Tara as a hostage. But Eochaid, in the course of time, escaped and fled to his fathers kingdom. On his way home near the Liffey, he came to the residence of Laidcenn, who was a poet of the court of Niall. Here he wreaked his ire upon the poet's son, killing him. For this unholy violation of the sanctity of a poet's house, even his royal father with all the forces of Leinster would not be able to save him from vengeance which would be sure and swift - which must fall if he remained in Ireland. Eochaid fled from Ireland, and sheltered at the court of Gabran, King of the Scottish Dal Riada.
The sorrowing poet-father took his own revenge aupon Leinster. For a full year, it is said, he satirised that county
and its King and its people, till in accordance with the ancient belief in the fearful power of a poet's satire
" neither corn nor grass, nor other green things grew there. " When Niall was about to set out upon his final expedition into Britain and Gaul, he had sent command to Gabran to join him with his forces - which gave Eochaid the opportunity of dogging Niall's footsteps abroad, and taking his revenge. Eochaid hid himself in a grove on the banks of the Loire just opposite Niall's camp - and at favourable opportunity speeding an arrow to the great man's heart, ended the reign of a great and noble King. The victoriuos host of the Irish, now a sorrowing multitude, had to turn their backs upon victory and Gaul, and bearing the body of their worshipped warrior King, return to their island, crying loud their lamentations instead of chanting long anticipated shouts of joy and victory.
The sorrowing poet-father took his own revenge aupon Leinster. For a full year, it is said, he satirised that county
and its King and its people, till in accordance with the ancient belief in the fearful power of a poet's satire
" neither corn nor grass, nor other green things grew there. " When Niall was about to set out upon his final expedition into Britain and Gaul, he had sent command to Gabran to join him with his forces - which gave Eochaid the opportunity of dogging Niall's footsteps abroad, and taking his revenge. Eochaid hid himself in a grove on the banks of the Loire just opposite Niall's camp - and at favourable opportunity speeding an arrow to the great man's heart, ended the reign of a great and noble King. The victoriuos host of the Irish, now a sorrowing multitude, had to turn their backs upon victory and Gaul, and bearing the body of their worshipped warrior King, return to their island, crying loud their lamentations instead of chanting long anticipated shouts of joy and victory.
The
slain warrior was laid to rest at Ochain - the honoured place, getting its name, says an old historian
from the mighty sighing and lamentations made by the men of Erinn in the burying of their geatest and best. Niall's reign and life ended in 404 AD. By two wives Niall is said to have had 14 sons - eight of whom founding families, and it may be said founding principalities and dynasties, lived to history. " He was a man, " says Gratianus Lucius
" Very valiant, most skilled in war. he overcame in several engagements the Albanians, Picts, Gauls, and carried off great numbers of prisoners and of cattle. " Four of these sons, namely, Fiacaid the ancestor of the MacGeoghegans and O'Molloys, Laegaire the ancestor of the O'Quinlans, Conal Crimthanni ancestor of the O'Melaghlains, and Mani, ancestor of the MacCatharnys, settled in Meath and adjoining parts, and are since known to history as the Southern Ui Neill. His son Conal Gulban - against the will and command of his father, led his brothers, Eogan, Carbri, and Enna Fionn to found kingdoms in the northwest of the island. The instigation of Conal Gulban's disobedient march of conquest was the slaying of his tutor by the Connaughtmen. From Conaught he then conquered the present counties of Donegal and Tyrone, and parts of Derry, Fermanagh, Leitrim and Sligo.
Tir Conal ( Donegal ) Conal Gulban reserved for himself. Tir Eogan ( Tyrone ) became the domain of Eogan. The northeast of Sligo and North Leitrim went to Carbri. And Enna Fionn was settlled in the southern shoulder of Tir Conal. Eogan became ancestor of the royal house of O'Neill of Tyrone, and Conal Gulban of the royal house of O'Donnell of Donegal. Although in later centuries the Kinel Conal and the Kinel Eogan developed a fierce rivalry, so great was the affection between the brother founders of the two families that when Conal Gulban was killed in 464 by a clan of the Firbolgs, on the Plain of Magh Slecht, in the present county of Cavan, his brother Eogan, within a year after, died of grief.
Now on the death of Niall, his brother Fiachra's son Dathi, became Ard-Righ, and followed in Niall's footsteps, leading his armies abroad for foreign conquest, and for the bring home of foreign spoils. He set out on his career of conquest at the age of 17 - after a druid at Tara, had told him that he would be conqueror of Alba and impress his power on other foreign lands. He first brought Alba to submission - fighting and overcoming Feredach Finn, King of the Picts. ( Conal Gulba, son of Niall, seized hold of the King and killed him against a pillar of stone ) Then as Niall had followed upon the heels of Maximus in his evacuation of Britain, Dathi followed up and hastened the later retreat of Constantine with his Roman Legions from that Kingdom. He followed them into Gaul, where he was killed by lightning. If it be true, as recorded by the ancient historian, that it was at the foot of the Alps he met his death, we must conclude that Dathi was both a bold and powerful prince.
Dathi's body, too was borne home over land and sea and was buried in the great cemetary of the Connaught Kings at Cruachan. From Nialls day onward to the 11th century, this Dathi and his son, Ailill Molt, were the only Ard-Righs that Connaught gave to Tara and Ireland. All the other Kings of Tara, for the space of 600 years were of the family Niall - usually taken alternately from the Northern Ui Neill and the Southern Ui Neill.
The final cancelling of Connaught's claim to the throne of Tara came in the last quarter of the 5th century in about the 20th year of the reign of the aforesaid Ailill Molt - when Lugaid, the son of Laegaire and grandson of Niall, aided by Murchertach MacErca of the Northern Ui Neill, and by the King of Ulad and the King of Leinster, completely overthrew Ailill Molt and the Connaught forces, at the great Battle of Ocha. And henceforth for long centuries the paramount lords of the lands were of the great Niall of the Nine Hostages.
" Very valiant, most skilled in war. he overcame in several engagements the Albanians, Picts, Gauls, and carried off great numbers of prisoners and of cattle. " Four of these sons, namely, Fiacaid the ancestor of the MacGeoghegans and O'Molloys, Laegaire the ancestor of the O'Quinlans, Conal Crimthanni ancestor of the O'Melaghlains, and Mani, ancestor of the MacCatharnys, settled in Meath and adjoining parts, and are since known to history as the Southern Ui Neill. His son Conal Gulban - against the will and command of his father, led his brothers, Eogan, Carbri, and Enna Fionn to found kingdoms in the northwest of the island. The instigation of Conal Gulban's disobedient march of conquest was the slaying of his tutor by the Connaughtmen. From Conaught he then conquered the present counties of Donegal and Tyrone, and parts of Derry, Fermanagh, Leitrim and Sligo.
Tir Conal ( Donegal ) Conal Gulban reserved for himself. Tir Eogan ( Tyrone ) became the domain of Eogan. The northeast of Sligo and North Leitrim went to Carbri. And Enna Fionn was settlled in the southern shoulder of Tir Conal. Eogan became ancestor of the royal house of O'Neill of Tyrone, and Conal Gulban of the royal house of O'Donnell of Donegal. Although in later centuries the Kinel Conal and the Kinel Eogan developed a fierce rivalry, so great was the affection between the brother founders of the two families that when Conal Gulban was killed in 464 by a clan of the Firbolgs, on the Plain of Magh Slecht, in the present county of Cavan, his brother Eogan, within a year after, died of grief.
Now on the death of Niall, his brother Fiachra's son Dathi, became Ard-Righ, and followed in Niall's footsteps, leading his armies abroad for foreign conquest, and for the bring home of foreign spoils. He set out on his career of conquest at the age of 17 - after a druid at Tara, had told him that he would be conqueror of Alba and impress his power on other foreign lands. He first brought Alba to submission - fighting and overcoming Feredach Finn, King of the Picts. ( Conal Gulba, son of Niall, seized hold of the King and killed him against a pillar of stone ) Then as Niall had followed upon the heels of Maximus in his evacuation of Britain, Dathi followed up and hastened the later retreat of Constantine with his Roman Legions from that Kingdom. He followed them into Gaul, where he was killed by lightning. If it be true, as recorded by the ancient historian, that it was at the foot of the Alps he met his death, we must conclude that Dathi was both a bold and powerful prince.
Dathi's body, too was borne home over land and sea and was buried in the great cemetary of the Connaught Kings at Cruachan. From Nialls day onward to the 11th century, this Dathi and his son, Ailill Molt, were the only Ard-Righs that Connaught gave to Tara and Ireland. All the other Kings of Tara, for the space of 600 years were of the family Niall - usually taken alternately from the Northern Ui Neill and the Southern Ui Neill.
The final cancelling of Connaught's claim to the throne of Tara came in the last quarter of the 5th century in about the 20th year of the reign of the aforesaid Ailill Molt - when Lugaid, the son of Laegaire and grandson of Niall, aided by Murchertach MacErca of the Northern Ui Neill, and by the King of Ulad and the King of Leinster, completely overthrew Ailill Molt and the Connaught forces, at the great Battle of Ocha. And henceforth for long centuries the paramount lords of the lands were of the great Niall of the Nine Hostages.
