Fíachu Findoilches, son of

Fínnachta Fínnachta, son of Ollom Fotla, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland in succession to his father. His given name was Elim. There is said to have been snow of wine (Old Irish ''fín'', "wine", ' ...

, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a

High King 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 ...

. He succeeded to the throne on the death of his uncle Géde Ollgothach, whom, according to some versions, he had killed. His epithet ''findoilches'' means "white or fair hidden one", although some sources call him Fíachu Cendfinnán ("little white/fair head"), perhaps confusing him with the much earlier

Fir Bolg In medieval Irish myth, the Fir Bolg (also spelt Firbolg and Fir Bholg) are the fourth group of people to settle in Ireland. They are descended from the Muintir Nemid, an earlier group who abandoned Ireland and went to different parts of Europe. ...

king of that name. It is said that all the cattle, or flowers, of Ireland had white heads in his reign, and that he exacted a tax on white-headed cattle. He founded

Kells, County Meath Kells (; ) is a town in County Meath, Ireland. The town lies off the M3 motorway, from Navan and from Dublin. Along with other towns in County Meath, it is within the "commuter belt" for Dublin, and had a population of 6,135 as of the 2016 ...

. He is said to have been the first king in Ireland to dig wells, but

grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legum ...

did not stay on the stalk in his reign. He ruled for either twenty or thirty years, and was killed by Géde Ollgothach's son Berngal in revenge for his father. The chronology of

Geoffrey Keating Geoffrey Keating ( ga, Seathrún Céitinn; c. 1569 – c. 1644) was a 17th-century historian. He was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, and is buried in Tubrid Graveyard in the parish of Ballylooby-Duhill. He became an Irish Catholic priest and a ...

's ''Foras Feasa ar Éirinn'' dates his reign to 863–833 BC,

, ''Foras Feasa ar Éirinn'
1.26
/ref> that of the ''

Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' ( ga, Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (''Annála na gCeithre Máistrí'') are chronicles of medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Deluge, dated as 2,24 ...

'' to 1231–1209 BC.

References

Legendary High Kings of Ireland {{Ireland-royal-stub