Deda mac Sin (Deda, son of Sen) was a prehistoric king of the

Érainn The Iverni (, ') were a people of early Ireland first mentioned in Ptolemy's 2nd century ''Geography'' as living in the extreme south-west of the island. He also locates a "city" called Ivernis (, ') in their territory, and observes that this se ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, possibly of the 1st century BC. Variant forms or spellings include Ded, Dedu, Dedad, Degad, Dega, Dego, Deguth and Daig, with some of these occurring as genitives although usage is entirely unsystematic, besides the rare occurrence of the obvious genitive Dedaid. He is the eponymous ancestor of the Clanna Dedad, and may also have been a

King of Munster The kings of Munster ( ga, Rí Mumhan), ruled from the establishment of Munster during the Irish Iron Age, until the High Middle Ages. According to Gaelic traditional history, laid out in works such as the ''Book of Invasions'', the earliest ...

. Through his sons Íar mac Dedad and Dáire mac Dedad, Dedu is an ancestor of many famous figures from legendary

, including his "grandsons" (giving or taking a generation) Cú Roí mac Dáire and Eterscél, "great-grandsons" (again)

Conaire Mór Conaire Mór (the great), son of Eterscél, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. His mother was Mess Búachalla, who was either the daughter of Eochu Feidlech and Étaín, or of Eochu Airem ...

and

Lugaid mac Con Roí :''See Lugaid for other figures of the same name, and Lug for the god the name derives from.'' In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, Lugaid mac Con Roí was the son of Cú Roí mac Dáire. He was also known as Lugaid mac Trí Con ("son of thr ...

, and more distant descendant

Conaire Cóem Conaire Cóem ("the beautiful"), son of Mug Láma, son of Coirpre Crou-Chend, son of Coirpre Firmaora, son of Conaire Mór, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, the 111th High King of Ireland. He came to power on the d ...

. A third son was

Conganchnes mac Dedad Conganchnes (''"the horny-skin"'' in Irish) is a hero mentioned in the legend of the death of Celtchar mac Uthechair; he does not, however, kill him, but is killed himself. Conganchnes is a son of Dedu mac Sin or sometimes Cú Roí. He went to ...

. Through these Dedu is also an ancestor of several historical peoples of both Ireland and

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

, including the

Dál Riata Dál Riata or Dál Riada (also Dalriada) () was a Gaelic kingdom that encompassed the western seaboard of Scotland and north-eastern Ireland, on each side of the North Channel. At its height in the 6th and 7th centuries, it covered what is ...

, Dal Fiatach, Múscraige, Corcu Duibne, and

Corcu Baiscind The Corcu Baiscind were an early Érainn people or kingdom of what is now southern County Clare in Munster. They descended from Cairpre Baschaín, son of Conaire Cóem, a High King of Ireland. Closely related were the Múscraige and Corcu Duibne, ...

, all said to belong to the Érainn (Iverni), of whom the Clanna Dedad appear to have been a principal royal sept. The generations preceding Dedu mac Sin in the extant pedigrees appear artificial. Eventually they lead through Ailill Érann to a descent from Óengus Tuirmech Temrach and thus a distant kinship with 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, literall ...

and

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 t ...

, whose own pedigree is in fact unreliable before

Túathal Techtmar Túathal Techtmar (; 'the legitimate'), son of Fíachu Finnolach, was a High King of Ireland, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition. He is said to be the ancestor of the Uí Néill and Connachta dynasties through his grandso ...

. A proto-historical sept of the Clanna Dedad are known as the

Dáirine The Dáirine (Dárine, Dáirfine, Dáirfhine, Dárfine, Dárinne, Dairinne), later known dynastically as the Corcu Loígde and associated, were the proto-historical rulers of Munster before the rise of the Eóganachta in the 7th century AD. They ...

, descending from Dáire mac Dedad and/or Dáire Doimthech (Sírchrechtach), and are later known as the

Corcu Loígde The Corcu Loígde (Corcu Lóegde, Corco Luigde, Corca Laoighdhe, Laidhe), meaning Gens of the Calf Goddess, also called the Síl Lugdach meic Itha, were a kingdom centred in West County Cork who descended from the proto-historical rulers of Mun ...

. Alternatively this may be used synonymously, with some confusion created by their identification with the Darini of prehistoric

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label=Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

. In any case, the Darini and Iverni are clearly related. According to the

Book of Glendalough Oxford, Bodleian Library, Rawlinson B 502 is a medieval Irish manuscript which presently resides in the Bodleian Library, Oxford. It ranks as one of the three major surviving Irish manuscripts to have been produced in pre-Norman Ireland, the tw ...

(Rawlinson B 502) and

Laud 610 The Book of the White Earl is an Irish religious and literary miscellany created c. 1404–1452. ''The Book of the White Earl'', now Bodleian Laud Misc. MS 610, consists of twelve folios inserted into Leabhar na Rátha, aka The Book of Po ...

pedigrees, a brother of Dedu was Eochaid/Echdach mac Sin, from whom descend the

Dál Fiatach Dál Fiatach was a Gaelic dynastic-grouping and the name of their territory in the north-east of Ireland during the Middle Ages. It was part of the over-kingdom of Ulaid, and they were its main ruling dynasty for most of Ulaid's history. Their ...

of Ulster. But alternatively they descend directly from Cú Roí mac Dáire, and thus from the Clanna Dedad proper. The precise relation of the Dál Fiatach to the

Ulaid Ulaid (Old Irish, ) or Ulaidh (Modern Irish, ) was a Gaelic over-kingdom in north-eastern Ireland during the Middle Ages made up of a confederation of dynastic groups. Alternative names include Ulidia, which is the Latin form of Ulaid, and in ...

of the

Ulster Cycle The Ulster Cycle ( ga, an Rúraíocht), formerly known as the Red Branch Cycle, is a body of medieval Irish heroic legends and sagas of the Ulaid. It is set far in the past, in what is now eastern Ulster and northern Leinster, particularly count ...

, rivals of the Clanna Dedad, is lost to history.

Eoin MacNeill Eoin MacNeill ( ga, Eoin Mac Néill; born John McNeill; 15 May 1867 – 15 October 1945) was an Irish scholar, Irish language enthusiast, Gaelic revivalist, nationalist and politician who served as Minister for Education from 1922 to 1925, Ce ...

finds the

Conaille Muirtheimne Conaille Muirthemne was a Cruithin kingdom located in County Louth, Ireland, from before 688 to after 1107 approximately. Overview The Ulaid according to historian Francis John Byrne 'possibly still ruled directly in Louth as far as the Boyne ...

to also descend from Dedu mac Sin, from another son

Conall Anglonnach Conall may refer to the following: Persons *Saint Conal, 5th century Irish Saint * Conall mac Taidg, Scottish king *Conall Cremthainne, Irish king * Conall Grant (died 718), Irish King * Conall Gulban, Irish king *Conall Crandomna, Scottish king * ...

, believing they are quite mistakenly thought to be Cruthin, as found in later genealogies.

Dui Dallta Dedad Dui Dallta Dedad ("foster-son of Deda mac Sin"), son of Cairpre Lusc, son of Lugaid Luaigne, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. He took power after killing his predecessor, and his grandfather' ...

was a foster-son of Dedu. There is also an

Ogham Ogham (Modern Irish: ; mga, ogum, ogom, later mga, ogam, label=none ) is an Early Medieval alphabet used primarily to write the early Irish language (in the "orthodox" inscriptions, 4th to 6th centuries AD), and later the Old Irish langua ...

of Dedu (Ogam Dedad) found in the '' Book of Ogams''. Over one third of all Irish ogham inscriptions are found in the lands of his descendants the Corcu Duibne.

The Sil Conairi

The Síl Conairi were those septs of the Clanna Dedad descended from

, namely the

, Múscraige, Corcu Duibne, and

Corcu Baiscinn The Corcu Baiscind were an early Érainn people or kingdom of what is now southern County Clare in Munster. They descended from Cairpre Baschaín, son of Conaire Cóem, a High King of Ireland. Closely related were the Múscraige and Corcu Duibne, ...

. The first, presumably settling in far northeastern Ulster in the prehistoric period, would famously go on to found the

Kingdom of Scotland The Kingdom of Scotland (; , ) was a sovereign state in northwest Europe traditionally said to have been founded in 843. Its territories expanded and shrank, but it came to occupy the northern third of the island of Great Britain, sharing a ...

. The Royal Family of Scotland, the

House of Dunkeld The House of Dunkeld (in or "of the Caledonians") is a historiographical and genealogical construct to illustrate the clear succession of Scottish kings from 1034 to 1040 and from 1058 to 1286. The line is also variously referred to by historians ...

, were described as the "seed of Conaire Mór" as late as the twelfth century. Through the House of Dunkeld and Conaire Mór, Dedu mac Sin is an ancestor of the modern British royal family. The last king in the direct male line from the Clanna Dedad and Sil Conairi was

Alexander III of Scotland Alexander III (Medieval ; Modern Gaelic: ; 4 September 1241 – 19 March 1286) was King of Scots from 1249 until his death. He concluded the Treaty of Perth, by which Scotland acquired sovereignty over the Western Isles and the Isle of Man. Hi ...

(d. 19 March 1286). The remaining Síl Conaire would settle and/or remain in Munster, where, although retaining their distinctive identity, they would be overshadowed first by their Dáirine (Corcu Loígde) kinsmen, and later fall under the sovereignty of the

Eóganachta The Eóganachta or Eoghanachta () were an Irish dynasty centred on Cashel which dominated southern Ireland (namely the Kingdom of Munster) from the 6/7th to the 10th centuries, and following that, in a restricted form, the Kingdom of Desmond, ...

. But it appears the Síl Conaire, and especially the Múscraige, actually acted as prominent facilitators for the latter, and this would presumably have been in opposition to the Dáirine. A late and unexpected king of Munster from the Múscraige was Flaithbertach mac Inmainén (d. 944). The birth, life, and fall of Conaire Mór are recounted in the epic tale ''

Togail Bruidne Dá Derga ''Togail Bruidne Dá Derga'' (''The Destruction of Da Derga's Hostel'') is an Irish tale belonging to the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. It survives in three Old and Middle Irish recensions, it is part of the Book of Dun Cow. It recounts ...

''. Two distantly related tales of more interest to genealogists are '' De Síl Chonairi Móir'' and ''De Maccaib Conaire''. In these he is confused with his descendant

The Dál Fiatach and Cú Roí

The descent of the

princes of Ulster from Dedu mac Sin is less secure, but nonetheless is supported by independent medieval sources (and contradicted by others).

The Dáirine (Corcu Loígde)

As early as 1849, the great Irish scholar

John O'Donovan John O'Donovan may refer to: *John O'Donovan (scholar) (1806–1861), Irish language scholar and place-name expert *John O'Donovan (politician) (1908–1982), Irish TD and Senator *John O'Donovan (police commissioner) (1858–1927), New Zealand pol ...

noted that the pedigree of the Corcu Loígde, the leading historical descendants of the Dáirine, is corrupt for many of the generations preceding the legendary monarch Lugaid Mac Con.

Descent of the Clanna Dedad

Skipped generations are given in the notes. * Sen mac Rosin ** Dedu mac Sin a quo Clanna Dedad *** Íar mac Dedad ****

Ailill Anglonnach Ailill (Ailell, Oilioll) is a male name in Old Irish. It is a prominent name in Irish mythology, as for Ailill mac Máta, King of Connacht and husband of Queen Medb, on whom Shakespeare based the Fairy Queen Mab. Ailill was a popular given na ...

***** Éogan ****** Eterscél *******

a quo Síl Conaire ******** Mug Láma *********

********** Eochaid (Cairpre) Riata (Rigfhota), a quo ***********

************ Erc of Dalriada *************

Fergus Mór Fergus Mór mac Eirc ( gd, Fearghas Mòr Mac Earca; English: ''Fergus the Great'') was a possible king of Dál Riata. He was the son of Erc of Dalriada. While his historicity may be debatable, his posthumous importance as the founder of Scot ...

************** Domangart Réti ***************

Gabrán mac Domangairt Gabrán mac Domangairt (Old Welsh: ''Gawran map Dinwarch' Annales Cambriae'' B Text) or Gabrán the Traitor (''Gwran Wradouc'') was king of Dál Riata,in the mid-6th century. He is the eponymous ancestor of the Cenél nGabráin. Gabrán was ...

, a quo **************** Cenél nGabráin *****************

House of Alpin The House of Alpin, also known as the Alpínid dynasty, Clann Chináeda, and Clann Chinaeda meic Ailpín, was the kin-group which ruled in Pictland, possibly Dál Riata, and then the kingdom of Alba from the advent of Kenneth MacAlpin (Cináe ...

*****************

***************

Comgall mac Domangairt Comgall mac Domangairt was king of Dál Riata in the early 6th century. He was the son of Domangart Réti and grandson of Fergus Mór. The '' Annals of Ulster'' report his death in 538, 542 and 545, the ''Annals of Tigernach'' in 537. Comgall N ...

, a quo **************** Cenél Comgaill ************* Loarn mac Eirc, a quo ************** Cenél Loairn *************** House of Moray **************** Mormaers of Moray ************* Óengus Mór mac Eirc, a quo ************** Cenél nÓengusa **********

Cairpre Músc Cairbre (Cairpre, Coirpre) is a popular medieval Irish name borne by several historical and mythological figures, including: * Cairbre, son of Ogma, poet and satirist of the Tuatha Dé Danann * Cairbre Nia Fer, legendary king of Tara * Cairbre Cuana ...

, a quo *********** Múscraige *********** Corc Duibne, a quo ************ Corcu Duibne ********** Cairpre Baschaín, a quo ***********

*** Dáire mac Dedad / Dairi Sirchrechtaig / Dáire Doimthech **** Cú Roí mac Dáire *****

***** Fuirme mac Con Roí ****** (F)Iatach Find, a quo *******

****

*****

***

*** Conall Anglonnach mac Dedad, a quo ****

** Eochaid (Echdach/Echach) mac Sin *** Deitsin/Deitsini **** Dlúthaich/Dluthaig ***** Dáire/Dairi ****** Fir furmi Laud 610 variant ******* Fiatach Finn / Fiachach Fir Umai Rawlinson B 502 variant ********

Notes

References

* John Bannerman, ''Studies in the History of Dalriada''. Edinburgh:

Scottish Academic Press Scottish Academic Press is an old Scottish publishing company. It is based in Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the ...

. 1974 *

Francis John Byrne Francis John Byrne (1934 – 30 December 2017) was an Irish historian. Born in Shanghai where his father, a Dundalk man, captained a ship on the Yellow River, Byrne was evacuated with his mother to Australia on the outbreak of World War II. ...

, ''Irish Kings and High-Kings''.

Four Courts Press Four Courts Press is an independent Irish academic publishing house, with its office at Malpas Street, Dublin 8, Ireland. Founded in 1970 by Michael Adams, who died in February 2009, its early publications were primarily theological, notably t ...

. 2nd revised edition, 2001. *

Hector Munro Chadwick Hector Munro Chadwick (22 October 1870 – 2 January 1947) was an English philologist. Chadwick was the Elrington and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon and the founder and head of the Department for Anglo-Saxon and Kindred Studies at the Uni ...

, ''Early Scotland: the Picts, the Scots and the Welsh of southern Scotland''.

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambr ...

. 1949. * Margaret E. Dobbs
The History of the Descendants of Ir
in ''

Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie The ''Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie'' is an academic journal of Celtic studies, which was established in 1897 by the German scholars Kuno Meyer and Ludwig Christian Stern.Busse, Peter E. "''Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie''." In ''C ...

13'' (1921): 308–59; continued in ''Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie 14'' (1923): 44–144. * Margaret E. Dobbs
Side-lights on the Táin age and other studies
Dundalk: WM. Tempest. 1917. * John V. Kelleher
"The Pre-Norman Irish genealogies"
in ''Irish Historical Studies 16, No. 62'' (1968): 138–153. * John V. Kelleher
"The Táin and the Annals"
in Ériu 22 (1971): 107–27 *

"Early Irish Population Groups: their nomenclature, classification and chronology"
in ''Proceedings of the

Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ga, Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier learned society and one its leading cultural i ...

"Notes on Irish Ogham Inscriptions"
in ''Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy''. 1909. pp. 329–70 * Kuno Meyer (ed.)
"The Laud Genealogies and Tribal Histories"
in ''

8'' (1912): 291–338. * Michael A. O'Brien (ed.) with intr. by John V. Kelleher, ''Corpus genealogiarum Hiberniae''. DIAS. 1976. / partial digital edition:

Donnchadh Ó Corráin Donnchadh Ó Corráin (28 February 1942 – 25 October 2017) was an Irish historian and Professor Emeritus of Medieval History at University College Cork. He earned his BA in history and Irish from that institution, graduating in 1964. He was ...

(ed.)
Genealogies from Rawlinson B 502
University College, Cork
Corpus of Electronic Texts
1997. *

(ed. & tr.), "The Genealogy of Corca Laidhe", i
Miscellany of the Celtic Society
Dublin: Printed for The Celtic Society. 1849
alternative scan
* T. F. O'Rahilly, ''Early Irish History and Mythology''.

Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies The Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) ( ga, Institiúid Ard-Léinn Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a statutory independent research institute in Ireland. It was established in 1940 on the initiative of the Taoiseach, Éamon de Valera, in Dub ...

. 1946. *

Julius Pokorny Julius Pokorny (12 June 1887 – 8 April 1970) was an Austrian-Czech linguist and scholar of the Celtic languages, particularly Irish, and a supporter of Irish nationalism. He held academic posts in Austrian and German universities. Early life ...

"Beiträge zur ältesten Geschichte Irlands (3. Érainn, Dári(n)ne und die Iverni und Darini des Ptolomäus)"
in ''

12'' (1918): 323–57. ;

Dictionary of the Irish Language ''Dictionary of the Irish Language: Based Mainly on Old and Middle Irish Materials'' (also called "the DIL"), published by the Royal Irish Academy, is the definitive dictionary of the origins of the Irish language, specifically the Old Irish, Mi ...

eDIL – Dictionary of the Irish Language
Letter: D1 (D-Degóir), Columns 207 & 208 ;Ireland's History in Maps

by Dennis Walsh

by Dennis Walsh {{DEFAULTSORT:Deda Mac Sin Legendary Irish kings Scottish clans