Eochaid mac Muiredaig Muinderg

Eochaid mac Muiredaig Muinderg (died 509) was a king of Ulaid from the Dal Fiatach. He was the son of Muiredach Muinderg mac Forggo (died 89) . [Byrne, Table 6; Charles-Edwards, Appendix XXI; Mac Niocaill, pg.74] His death date is given in the "Annals of Tigernach" in 509 ["Annals of Tigernach", AT 509.3] This annal gives him a reign of 489-509. [ the king list in the "Book of Leinster" gives him a reign of 22 years and the "Laud Synchronisms" 23 years.]

In the period following the destruction of Emain Macha after 450, Ulidia underwent a recuperation in which the Dal Fiatach emerge as the overlords with his father Muiredach as the first historical king. [Mac Niocaill, pg.73] The early seat of power of this dynasty appears to have been in County Louth at Ochtar Cuillche (Colland) at Collon, south of Ardee, County Louth and his descendants are said to have split up their inheritance here in the early 6th century. [Ó Cróinín, pg.219] In 496/498 the annals record the storming of Dún Lethglaise (Downpatrick, modern County Down) which may be connected with the rise of Dal Fiatach in this area which was to become their power base. [ Ó Cróinín, pg.214]

The "Tripartite Life of St. Patrick" has a story that Saint Patrick cursed the descendants of Eochaid and gave his blessing to the descendants of his brother Cairell mac Muiredaig Muinderg (died 532). This was due to Eochaid ordering two virgins who wanted to serve God to be drowned. Eochaid's pregnant wife threw herself at Patrick's feet and received baptism in order to spare the curse on her unborn son [ [http://www.gutenberg.org/files/18482/18482-h/18482-h.htm#chap0403 The Most Ancient Lives of Saint Patrick] edited by James O'Leary] Cairell's descendants did monopolize the kingship.

Notes

References

* "Annals of Tigernach" at [http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/G100002/index.html] at [http://www.ucc.ie/ University College Cork]
* Byrne, Francis John (2001), "Irish Kings and High-Kings", Dublin: Four Courts Press, ISBN 978-1-85182-196-9
* Charles-Edwards, T. M. (2000), "Early Christian Ireland", Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-36395-0
* Dáibhí Ó Cróinín (2005), "A New History of Ireland", Volume One, Oxford: Oxford University Press
* Gearoid Mac Niocaill (1972), "Ireland before the Vikings", Dublin: Gill and Macmillan

External links

* [http://celt.ucc.ie/index.html CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts] at [http://www.ucc.ie/ University College Cork]