Ailill mac Nath Í (died c. 482), called Ailill Molt, is included in most lists of the

High Kings of Ireland High King of Ireland ( ga, Ardrí na hÉireann ) was a royal title in Gaelic Ireland held by those who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over all of Ireland. The title was held by historical kings and later sometimes assigned ana ...

and is also called

King of Connacht The Kings of Connacht were rulers of the ''cóiced'' (variously translated as portion, fifth, province) of Connacht, which lies west of the River Shannon, Ireland. However, the name only became applied to it in the early medieval era, being name ...

. His

cognomen A ''cognomen'' (; plural ''cognomina''; from ''con-'' "together with" and ''(g)nomen'' "name") was the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. Initially, it was a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became here ...

, ''molt'', means "

ram Ram, ram, or RAM may refer to: Animals * A male sheep * Ram cichlid, a freshwater tropical fish People * Ram (given name) * Ram (surname) * Ram (director) (Ramsubramaniam), an Indian Tamil film director * RAM (musician) (born 1974), Dutch * Ra ...

" but its origin is unknown.

Family

Ailill was said to be the son of Nath Í and Ethne ingen Chonrach Cais. His paternal grandfather

Fiachrae Fiachrae was an Irish prince, the son of the high king Eochaid Mugmedón (d.362) by his wife Mongfind, sister of Crimthann mac Fidaig (d.367).Francis J.Byrne, ''Irish Kings and High-Kings'', Table 1 He was ancestor of the Uí Fiachrach dynasties o ...

is called a brother of

Niall of the Nine Hostages Niall ''Noígíallach'' (; Old Irish "having nine hostages"), or Niall of the Nine Hostages, was a legendary, semi-historical Irish king who was the ancestor of the Uí Néill dynasties that dominated Ireland from the 6th to the 10th centuries. ...

. Ailill thus belonged to the

Connachta The Connachta are a group of medieval Irish dynasties who claimed descent from the legendary High King Conn Cétchathach (Conn of the Hundred Battles). The modern western province of Connacht (Irish ''Cúige Chonnacht'', province, literally "f ...

, a kindred united by supposed descent from

Conn of the Hundred Battles Conn Cétchathach (; "of the Hundred Battles"), son of Fedlimid Rechtmar, was a semi-legendary High King of Ireland and the ancestor of the Connachta, and, through his descendant Niall Noígiallach, the Uí Néill dynasties, which dominated Irela ...

, which included the

Uí Néill The Uí Néill (Irish pronunciation: ; meaning "descendants of Niall") are Irish dynasties who claim descent from Niall Noígíallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages), a historical King of Tara who died c. 405. They are generally divided into the ...

, the

Uí Briúin The Uí Briúin were a royal dynasty of Connacht. Their eponymous apical ancestor was Brión, son of Eochaid Mugmedon and Mongfind, and an elder half brother of Niall of the Nine Hostages. They formed part of the Connachta, along with the U ...

and, named for Ailill's grandfather, the

Uí Fiachrach The Uí Fiachrach () were a royal dynasty who originated in, and whose descendants later ruled, the ''coicead'' or ''fifth'' of Connacht (a western province of Ireland) at different times from the mid-first millennium onwards. They claimed descent ...

. Although Ailill's descendants are not reckoned High Kings of Ireland, his grandson

Eógan Bél Eógan Bél mac Cellaig (died 542) was a king of Connacht from the Uí Fiachrach branch of the Connachta. He was the grandson of the high king Ailill Molt. His reign began sometime after 500. His byname ''bél'' means "mouth" or "lip," supposedly ...

and great-grandson

Ailill Inbanda Ailill Inbanda mac Eógain (died 549) was a king of Connacht from the Ui Fiachrach branch of the Connachta. He was the son and successor of Eógan Bél, who was slain by the northern Ui Neill in 542. His nickname Inbanda means "womanish" or effe ...

are counted as Kings of Connacht. Ailill's son Mac Ercae may have been an important historical figure, but the record conflates Mac Ercae mac Ailello Muilt and the Uí Néill king

Muirchertach mac Muiredaig Muirchertach mac Muiredaig (died c. 534), called Mac Ercae, Muirchertach Macc Ercae and Muirchertach mac Ercae, was said to be High King of Ireland in the 6th century. The Irish annals contain little reliable information on his life, and the survi ...

, called Muirchertach Mac Ercae, probably confusing events beyond recovery.

Historicity

The broad agreement of generally pro-Uí Néill sources that Ailill was High King is offered as proof that this was the case. Although the chronology of 5th century High Kings has been the subject of manipulation, it is seen as unlikely that later historians and genealogists would have added a non-Uí Néill king had the belief that Ailill was king not been widespread. Ailill is said to have become High King following the supernatural death of

Lóegaire mac Néill Lóegaire (''floruit'' fifth century) (reigned 428–458 AD, according to the Annals of the Four Masters of the Kingdom of Ireland)(died c. 462), also Lóeguire, is said to have been a son of Niall of the Nine Hostages. The Irish annals and king ...

, supposedly c. 463. The

Irish annals A number of Irish annals, of which the earliest was the Chronicle of Ireland, were compiled up to and shortly after the end of the 17th century. Annals were originally a means by which monks determined the yearly chronology of feast days. Over t ...

contain many references to him, but most of these are taken to be late additions, or come from the now lost '' Book of Cuanu'', extracts of which are preserved in the ''

Annals of Ulster The ''Annals of Ulster'' ( ga, Annála Uladh) are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years from 431 AD to 1540 AD. The entries up to 1489 AD were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, ...

''. Tradition has him killed in battle at

Faughan Hill Faughan Hill is a low hill approximately five miles to the northwest of Navan, County Meath, Ireland. It is owned by the Moriarty, McCabe, Dunne, English families, and is not open to the public. The highest point is owned by the Moriarty family ...

, fighting against the sons of Niall. The king lists say that he was succeeded by

Lugaid mac Lóegairi Lugaid mac Lóegairi (died ) was a High King of Ireland. He was a grandson of Niall of the Nine Hostages. One of the supposed twelve sons of Lóegaire mac Néill, his mother was Angias, a daughter of (Ailill) Tassach of the Uí Liatháin. Compare ...

. Opposing the view that Ailill was included as a High King from the earliest times,

Thomas Charles-Edwards Thomas Mowbray Charles-Edwards (born 11 November 1943) is an emeritus academic at the University of Oxford. He formerly held the post of Jesus Professor of Celtic and is a Professorial Fellow at Jesus College. Biography He was educated at A ...

suggests that the inclusion of Nath Í and Ailill Molt was a means to reinforce links between the Uí Néill and the other branches of the Connachta in the late 7th or 8th centuries, when he presumes the king lists and the annals related to

Saint Patrick Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints be ...

to have been collected and edited. This is offered without giving undue support to any contemporary claims by the other Connachta kindreds, the Uí Ailello and, in particular, the powerful Uí Briúin, to the High Kingship.

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ailill Molt 480s deaths 5th-century Irish monarchs High Kings of Ireland Kings of Connacht Monarchs from County Mayo Ui Fiachrach Year of birth unknown