Niall of the Nine Hostages leapt from the legends of Ireland The saga "The Death of Niall of the Nine Hostages" says that he received five hostages from the five provinces of Ireland (Ulster, Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Meath), and one each from Scotland, the Saxons, the Britons and the Franks. [3 ] However, the traditional roll of kings and its chronology is now recognised as artificial. No, if he's M222, his paternal line almost certainly came to Italy from Ireland and/or Britain. 279. r/23andme. The little Irish (Scotic) colony in that part of Alba just opposite to Antrim had gradually been growing in numbers, strength, and prestigeuntil they excited the jealousy and enmity of the Picts, who tried to crush them. The M222 pattern is a lot rarer in the south of the island. The earliest version of the Lebor Gabla says Eochaid killed him on the English Channel, later versions adding that Niall was invading Brittany when this happened. Brin rules the province of Connacht, but Fiachrae makes war against him. He was killed in his sleep while aboard his royal galley. , 'The Family Tree Irish Genealogy Guide' is full of advice, tips and strategies to ease what can be a challenging journey. [8] Death, The Lebor Gabla renn says there was war between Niall and nnae Cennsalach, king of Leinster, over the brama or cow-tribute first imposed on Leinster by Tuathal Techtmar. Niall of the Nine Hostages , or Niall Nigiallach, was the youngest son of Eochaidh Mugmedon (King of Connacht). He is presumed to have been a real person, but most of the information about him that has come down to us is legendary. [7] Another version has Mongfind try to poison Niall, but she takes the poison herself by mistake.[9]. Niall of the Nine Hostages , or Niall Nigiallach, was the youngest son of Eochaidh Mugmedon (King of Connacht). In the saga "The Death of Niall of the Nine Hostages", Eochaid's enmity with Niall begins when he is refused hospitality by Niall's poet, Laidcenn mac Bairchid. [5], This "loathly lady" motif appears in myth and folklore throughout the world. According to legend, Niall led one of the most powerful and enduring Irish kingdoms and it has been suggested that because of high rates of Irish emigration to North America and other parts of the world, up to two or three million men descend from Niall! A second, [2]:70, A legendary account of Niall's birth and early life is given in the possibly-11th-century tale Echtra mac nEchach Muimedin ("The adventure of the sons of Eochaid Mugmedn"). The Munstermen renew the battle, capture Ailill and cut him to pieces, and war continues between Munster and Connacht for many years. Keating has Eochaid shoot Niall from the opposite bank of the river Loire during his European campaign. A subreddit about all things genealogy provided it's not about living people. But claiming that you're descended from Niall of the Nine Hostages is BS, because even if it were true, there is no proof. The geneticists estimated that there are about 2-3 million males alive today who descend in the male-line from Niall. [26], Perhaps even more problematic is the dearth of M222 lineages in Midlands samples. According to one version of the story, Niall took hostages from the five provinces of Ireland (Ulster, Connacht, Leinster, Munster, and Meath), from the Scots, the Saxons, the Britons, and the Franks. Known as Niall of the Nine Hostages from the nine counties of Ireland that he subued and made tributary to him. Keating has Eochaid shoot Niall from the opposite bank of the river Loire during his European campaign. According to National Geographic, the Mayo County Council hosted the Genographic Project for the Gathering under the theme of diaspora and cultural exchange. Of their Irish sample, the geneticists found that 21 percent of men from north-western Ireland, 8 percent from all of Ireland, a substantial percentage of men from western and central Scotland, and about 2 percent of men from New York bore the same Y-chromosome haplotype. Receive the latest from your DNA community. When Niall grows up he returns to Tara and rescues his mother from her labour. historical reality of Niall of the Nine Hostages wasn't proved before the Legaire, High King of Ireland+ d. 463 (1), http://www.thepeerage.com/p11402.htm#i114018, -----------------------------------------------, Further information: U Nill descendants. provide water, but she wants a kiss in return. [5] Byrne, following James Carney, is a little more precise, dating his death to c. The rise of the U Nill dynasties and their conquests in Ulster and Leinster are not reliably recorded but have been the subject of considerable study and attempts to reconstruct them. Acceded:445. Keating, quoting a Latin Life of Saint Patrick, says that Niall led Irish raids on Roman Britain, and in one of those raids Patrick and his sisters were abducted. A fourth son by another wife was the warrior, Niall Noigiallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages). That slave would later escape and go to become Ireland's patron. Sep 12, 2021. Mongfind, purporting to make peace between her brother and her sons, holds a feast, at which she serves Crimthann a poisoned drink. He earned his name, Niall of the nine hostages, by being able to subdue his enemies by taking members of their family and refusing to give them back until they admitted defeat. Based on U Nill genealogies and the dates given for his supposed sons and grandsons, modern historians believe he is likely to have lived some 50 years later than the traditional dates, dying circa 450. Celtic blood is in Ireland,Uk,France and Spain. Crimthann returns to Ireland intending to give battle. and our Niall makes war in Europe as far as the Alps, and the Romans send an ambassador to parlay with him. Abruptly, the tale then has Niall appearing before an assembly of Pictish bards in Scotland, where he is killed by an arrow shot by Eochaid from the other side of the valley. Watch a video of a lecture presented at Genetic Genealogy Ireland conference to learn more about research by the O'Neill DNA Group: here. All sources agree he died outside Ireland. Niall succeeds to the High Kingship, and Brin becomes his second in command. Furthermore, the paper examined only 17 STR loci, which are not a reliable means of verifying descent, as SNPs, which define haplogroups and subclades, would be. Niall 'of the Nine Hostages', High King of Ireland (1), Niall 'of the Nine Hostages', High King of Ireland gained the title of King Niall of Tara.1 He gained the title of High King Niall of Ireland in 445.1 Children of Niall 'of the Nine Hostages', High King of Ireland, -1. Hughes says "Niall himself must have died not before the middle of the fifth century". 'The Gathering is a reunion of clans so to speak. fingerprint of Niall of the Nine Hostages in the y-DNA of one in five men Such Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts However, the genetic evidence of the study does seem to show that the [14], Early in 2006, geneticists at Trinity College, Dublin suggested that Niall may have been the most fecund male in Irish history. Learning about our ancestry is particularly fun when we can toast to it. A second, and probably less reliable, story is that Niall took a hostage from each of Ireland's five ancient provinces (Connaught, Munster, Leinster, Ulster and Meath) and also captured a Briton, a Gaul, a Saxon and a Scot. Reportedly he had fair skin, hair the color of yellow primrose, and deep, blue-gray eyes. More info: https://www.familytreedna.com/landing/matching-niall.aspx. widespread in literature around the world. He fell on the banks of the River Loire, in France, by the hand of Eochaid, the son of Enna Ceannselaigh, King of Leinster, who, from ambush, with an arrow, shot dead the great king. The U Nill ruled to various degrees as kings of Ireland from the 7th to the 11th century C.E. Birth & Accession According to legend, Niall was left on the ground by his mother Cairenn Chasdub as she was afraid of what Mongfind, the first wife of Eochaid Mugmedon, would do to the baby. They defeat him and win great spoil, but Fiachrae is wounded in the battle and dies of his wounds shortly afterwards. The boy eventually escaped, but returned to Ireland as St. Patrick. Fiachrae gives her a quick peck, but not enough to satisfy her. Article in The Times: "High King Niall: the most fertile man in Ireland", http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article788652.ece. There are claims that Cormac mac Art, a leading figure in the Fionn cycle, established a sumptuous court at Tara and a lavish festival was also regularly celebrated at Samhain, on 1 November. A DNA test can show if a man is related to Niall: A recent study conducted at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, found that a striking percentage of men in Ireland (and quite a few in Scotland) share the same Y chromosome, suggesting that the 5th-century warlord known as "Niall of the Nine Hostages" may be the ancestor of one in 12 Irishmen. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Niall Nogallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages) was an Irish king, the ancestor of the U Nill kindred who dominated Ireland from the 6th century to the 10th century. While Brian saved the cariots from the fire, Ailill a shield and a sword, Fiachra the old forge trough, and Fergus only a bundle of firewood, Niall carried out the bellows, the sledges, the anvil, and anvil block - saved the soul of the forge, and saved the smith from ruin. [17] The Scottish Clan Ewen of Otter, Gilchrist; Clan Lamont; the MacSorleys of Monydrain,[18] (of Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg a branch of Clan Donald); Clan Maclachlan; Clan MacNeil, and the MacSweens all claim a descent from an Irish prince of the O'Neill dynasty, nrothn Ua Nill/Anrothan O'Neill, son of ed, son of Flaithbertach Ua Nill, King of Ailech and Cenl nEgain, who left Ireland for Kintyre in the 11th century and died 1036. My father was born in Hungary, how common is this haplogroup for those with eastern european ancestry? One of them, Patrick, was the sixteen-year old son of a British Roman official. If a man has a sub-type of this lineage (called R1b1b2a1a2f2), however, its much more likely that his DNA might actually trace to Ireland. As next-generation sequencing has become available, various chief lines have been tested. 1 / 5. A recent source shows this Angus as the father of Foghan Owen (also named by that source as Eochaid) Whilest many sources sho the decent through Niall "of the 9 Hostages"? 6) [S9890] Your Family Tree, gives this spelling and the info that he was the 126th Monarch of Ireland.. 8) Download, http://www.dcs.hull.ac.uk/cgi-bin/gedlkup/n=royal. Joined then by the Irish in Alba, he marched against the Picts, overcame them, took hostages from them and had Argyle and Cantire settled upon the Albanach Irish. SidmartinBio", "The Adventures of the Sons of Eochaid Mugmedon", "The Death of Niall of the Nine Hostages", "Show Somerled People | Clan Donald USA, Inc", The genetic imprint of Niall of the Nine Hostages, "If Irish Claim Nobility, Science May Approve", National Center for Biotechnology Information, A Social History of Ancient Ireland, Vol. We have a common ancestor that 23andMe says is the progenitor of the "Niall of Nine Hostages" dynasty, together with almost 3 million other British Isles males. [7], The Lebor Gabla renn says there was war between Niall and nnae Cennsalach, king of Leinster, over the brama or cow-tribute first imposed on Leinster by Tuathal Techtmar. [9] He is succeeded by his nephew Nath . Niall moved across the Shannon where he founded the dynasty of Uisnech in Westmeath. One day, the five brothers being in the smith's forge when it took fire, they were commanded to run and save what they could. Niall is placed in the traditional list of High Kings of Ireland. We studied if there was any association between those surnames and the genetic profile. and McLaughlin, J.D., 2011. [7], This "loathly lady" motif appears in myth and folklore throughout the world. His body is said to have been buried at Ochann, now known as Faughan Hill in County Meath. ), I can investigate my paternal line, which is traced through DNA on the Y chromosome and passed from father to son. [22] Indeed, more recent estimates indicate that the R1b-M222 subclade marked by the Moore et al. Though the legendary stories of his life may have been invented hundreds of years after he died, genetic evidence suggests that the U Nill dynasty, whose name means "descendants of Niall," did in fact trace back to just one man who bore a branch of haplogroup R-M269. Sign up to IrishCentral's newsletter to stay up-to-date with everything Irish! [15][16] Origin of his epithet, There are various versions of how Niall gained his epithet Nogallach. A legendary account of Niall's birth and early life is given in the possibly-11th-century tale Echtra mac nEchach Muimedin ("The adventure of the sons of Eochaid Mugmedn"). Could I claim that (a) it's an Irish haplgroup, (b) that it can be traced back to the warring clans of the Ui Neill dynasty? Niall makes war in Europe as far as the Alps, and the Romans send an ambassador to parlay with him. Among the plunder captured by the band of warriors dispatched by Ireland's King Niall of the Nine Hostages was a 16-year-old boy named Succat. She gives birth as she is drawing water, but out of fear of Mongfind, she leaves the child on the ground, exposed to the birds. GameStop Moderna Pfizer Johnson & Johnson AstraZeneca Walgreens Best Buy Novavax SpaceX Tesla. Niall of the Nine Hostages was so named because in his early reign he consolidated his power by taking hostages from opposing royal families. [3] Laidchenn responds by satirising Leinster so that no corn, grass or leaves grow there for a year. kingship existed. the modern surnames associated with the Ui Neill include (with or without the O "Nialls first expedition was into Alba to subdue the Picts. Niall succeeds to the High Kingship, and Brin becomes his second in command. Eochaid gives the task to a druid, Sithchenn, who devises a contest between the brothers, shutting them in a burning forge, telling them to save what they can, and judging them based on which objects they choose to save. Based on U Nill genealogies and the dates given for his supposed sons and grandsons, modern historians believe he is likely to have lived some 50 years later than the traditional dates, dying circa 450. His body is said to have been buried at Ochann, now known as Faughan Hill at Jordanstown, a few miles west of Navan in County Meath. The Royal History of Ireland. powerful people who controlled an area loosely centred on present-day Armagh The common ancestor that you and Niall have wasn't necessarily from Ireland. The saga "The Death of Niall of the Nine Hostages" says that he received five hostages from the five provinces of Ireland (Ulster, Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Meath), and one each from Scotland, the Saxons, the Britons and the Franks. Only Niall kisses her properly, and she is revealed as a beautiful maiden, the Sovereignty of Ireland. They defeat him and win great spoil, but Fiachrae is wounded in the battle and dies of his wounds shortly afterwards. It is now more commonly referred to as the Northwest Irish/Lowland Scots variety.[15]. Boyle, Bradley, Campbell, Cannon, Coleman, Connor, Devlin, Doherty, Donnell, The Trinity College study also found that about one in ten men in the west This group is for anyone. The rise of the U Nill dynasties and their conquests in Ulster and Leinster are not reliably recorded but have been the subject of considerable study and attempts to reconstruct them. Niall Nogallach (Old Irish for "having nine hostages"), or in English, Niall of the Nine Hostages, was a prehistoric Irish king, the ancestor of the U Nill dynasties that dominated the northern half of Ireland from the 6th to the 10th century. McManus, Molloy, Reilly, Rourke and Quinn. The geneticists estimated that about 23 million men bear this marker, and concluded that these men are patrilineal descendants of Niall. Crimthann returns to Ireland intending to give battle. She grants Niall not only water but her name, Alexi, and the kingship for many generations twenty-six of his descendants will be High Kings of Ireland. Descended from Conaire and a daughter of the High King Conn of the. His father, Eochaid Muig Medon, son of Muiredeach, became Ard Rich mid way of the fourth century. Some of these sailors probably migrated to Cornwall, and later to south-eastern Ireland where they became known as the Venii and grew in power. Joined then by the Irish in Alba, he marched against the Picts, overcame them, took hostages from them and had Argyle and Cantire settled upon the Albanach Irish. and our Niall chains Eochaid to a standing stone, and sends nine warriors to execute him, but Eochaid breaks his chain and kills all nine of them with it. A History of the Irish Race. This goes for most large haplogroups. ), "Echtra Mac nEchach Muigmedin: The Adventures of the Sons of Eochaid Muigmedin", in, This page was last edited on 17 February 2023, at 06:56. [8]:222232 O'Rahilly and Byrne argue that the literary sources, though late and garbled, preserve genuine traditions that Niall led raids on Britain, and perhaps died on one. Variations of this story are told of the earlier Irish high king Lugaid Logde, in Arthurian legend one of the most famous versions appears in both Geoffrey Chaucer's The Wife of Bath's Tale and the related Gawain romance, The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell and in John Gower's Middle English poem Confessio Amantis. hostages from the family of neighbours and under-kings. Several testing companies can do this test: Of note to Family Tree DNA customers, this signature is found in .6 of one percent of the entire family Tree DNA database. But while he is away on a tour of his lands in Scotland, Mongfind's sons seize Ireland. the right to found a royal line elsewhere in Ireland. In it, Eochaid Mugmedn, the High King of Ireland, had five sons: Four, Brin, Ailill, Fiachrae and Fergus, by his first wife Mongfind, sister of the king of Munster, Crimthann mac Fidaig; and a fifth, Niall, by his second wife Cairenn Chasdub, daughter of Sachell Balb, king of the Saxons. The southern Venii came to be known as the Eoghanacht, while another group of them migrated north and formed a new kingdom west of the River Shannon where they became known as the Connachta after a revered leader named Conn. The earliest version of the Lebor Gabla says Eochaid killed him on the English Channel, later versions adding that Niall was invading Brittany when this happened. Over the generations, a genetic Categories . Niall's accession to the throne possibly took place around 379AD. For more information, please see our [6]:216-217 Keating describes her not as a Saxon but as the "daughter of the king of Britain". Son of Eochaidh Muighmheadhoin #124. The saga "The Death of Niall of the Nine Hostages" says that he received five hostages from the five provinces of Ireland (Ulster, Connacht,Leinster, Munster and Meath), and one each from Scotland, the Saxons, the Britons and the Franks. The High Kingship did not become a reality until the 9th century, and Niall's status has been inflated in line with the political importance of the dynasty he founded.[4]:70. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. [14], There are various versions of how Niall gained his epithet Nogallach. [2]:81, T. F. O'Rahilly argues that Niall and his sons were responsible for the breakup of the ancient kingdom of Ulster and the creation of the kingdoms of Tir Conaill and Tir Egan, and the satellite kingdom of the Airgalla.[6]:pp.