Muirchertach mac Muiredaig (died c. 534), called Mac Ercae, Muirchertach Macc Ercae and Muirchertach mac Ercae, was said to be

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 ...

in the 6th century. 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 little reliable information on his life, and the surviving record shows signs of retrospective modification. The ''Aided Muirchertaig Meic Erca'' takes as its theme Muirchertach's supernatural death.

History

According to the

genealogies Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kins ...

, Muirchertach belonged to 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 ...

and was the son of Muiredach, son of Eógan, son 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. ...

; hence Muirchertach mac Muiredaig. His mother, "clearly legendary" according to

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 ...

, was said to be Erc, daughter of "Lodarn, king of Alba". From the

matronym A matronymic is a personal name based on the given name of one's mother, grandmother, or any female ancestor. It is the female equivalent of a patronymic. Around the world, matronymic surnames are far less common than patronymic surnames. In s ...

comes his alternative name, Muirechertach Macc Ercae. However, Mac Ercae was a common enough male first name.Charles-Edwards, "Muirchertach mac Muiredaig". The annalistic entries for Muirchertach span 50 years, from 482 to his death in 534, using various names, including Mac Ercae, so that it is more than likely that two or more people have been confused in the annals. The first mentions of Muirchertach 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, ...

'', in 482 and 483, associate him, under the name Muirchertach Macc Ercae, with the defeat and killing of

Ailill Molt Ailill mac Nath Í (died c. 482), called Ailill Molt, is included in most lists of the High Kings of Ireland and is also called King of Connacht. His cognomen, ''molt'', means "sheep, ram" but its origin is unknown. Family Ailill was said to be ...

at the battle of Ochae, somewhere in the Irish midlands.''Onomasticon Goedelicum''. One entry names

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. Comp ...

as his ally there, the other names Fergus Crook-mouth, father of

Diarmait mac Cerbaill Diarmait mac Cerbaill (died ) was King of Tara or High King of Ireland. According to traditions, he was the last High King to follow the pagan rituals of inauguration, the ''ban-feis'' or marriage to goddess of the land. While many later storie ...

. In 485, the annals mention the battle of Grainert, perhaps near

Castledermot Castledermot () is an inland village in the south-east of Ireland in County Kildare, about from Dublin, and from the town of Carlow. The N9 road from Dublin to Waterford previously passed through the village but upon completion of a motorway ...

, where

Coirpre mac Néill Coirpre mac Néill ('' fl''. '' c''. 485–493), also Cairbre or Cairpre, was said to be a son of Niall of the Nine Hostages. Coirpre was perhaps the leader of the conquests that established the southern Uí Néill in the midlands of Ireland. T ...

, "or Mac Ercae… as other state", defeated the Leinster king Finnchad mac Garrchon. In 490 or 491,

Óengus mac Nad Froích Óengus mac Nad Froích (430-489) was an Eoganachta and the first Christian King of Munster. He was the son of Nad Froich mac Cuirc by Faochan, a British lady (called daughter of the King of Britain). In Geoffrey Keating's ''History of Ireland'' ...

is said to have been killed at the battle of Cell Losnaid, and the second entry reports that "Mac Ercae was the victor". Muirchertach Mac Ercae is said to have won the battle of Inne Mór against the Leinstermen in 498. Many of the entries from the 480s and 490s appear to have been modified, to give Muirchertach the credit for victories won by

and perhaps by Coirpre's son Eochu. The obituary of Lugaid mac Lóegairi appears in 512, and in the following year the annalist reports the beginning of the reign of Muirchertach Mac Ercae. The next report is in 520, duplicated in 523, stating that Muirchertach was among the victors at the battle of Dethna. Another battle follow in 528, again repeated some years later, in 533, with more detail. Muirchertach's death is reported in 534, with obvious supernatural overtones: "The drowning of Muirchertach Mac Erca i.e. Muirchertach son of Muiredach son of Eógan son of Niall Naígiallach in a vat full of wine on the hilltop of Cleitech above Bóinn." Muirchertach was said to be followed as High King by

Túathal Máelgarb Túathal mac Cormaic (died 544), called Túathal Máelgarb, (''Túathal'': "ruler of the people") was said to be a grandson of Coirpre mac Néill. He was High King of Ireland. In the earliest accounts he appears to have been regarded as the man w ...

Báetán mac Muirchertaig Báetán mac Muirchertaig (died 572), also Baetán Bríge, was an Irish king who is included in some lists as a High King of Ireland. He was the son of Muirchertach mac Muiredaig (died 534), also considered a high king. He was a member of the C ...

(died 572), called also Baetán Bríge, was a son of Muirchertach mac Muiredaig, ruled in Ailech from 566 to 572 and was included in some lists as a

Domnall Ilchelgach Domnall mac Muirchertaig (died ''Wiktionary:circa, c''. 566), called Domnall Ilchelgach (Domnall of the Many Deceits) and Domnall mac Maic Ercae, was said to be a High King of Ireland. Domnall was a son of Muirchertach mac Muiredaig, and belonged ...

(Domnall of the Many Deceits) (died c. 566), called Domnall mac Muirchertaig, and Domnall mac Mac Maic Ercae, said to be a High King of Ireland, was probably also a son of Muirchertach mac Muiredaig. Muirchertach's descendants in time took the name Cenél maic Ercae and were the dominant branch of the

Cenél nEógan Cenél is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Cenél Conaill, the name of the "kindred" or descendants of Conall Gulban, son of Niall Noígiallach defined by oral and recorded history *Cenél nEógain (in English, Cenel Eogan) is ...

by the middle of the 8th century. The 12th-century

Middle Irish Middle Irish, sometimes called Middle Gaelic ( ga, An Mheán-Ghaeilge, gd, Meadhan-Ghàidhlig), is the Goidelic language which was spoken in Ireland, most of Scotland and the Isle of Man from AD; it is therefore a contemporary of late Old Engl ...

tale ''Aided Muirchertaig Meic Erca'' is an account of Muirchertach's supernatural death. Here Muirchertach dies in the House of Clettach, drowned in a vat of wine, burned by fire, and crushed by a falling roof beam, near

Brú na Bóinne (; 'Palace of the Boyne' or more properly 'Valley of the Boyne') or Boyne valley tombs, is an area in County Meath, Ireland, located in a bend of the River Boyne. It contains one of the world's most important prehistoric landscapes dating from ...

, beguiled by the illusions of the otherworldly maiden Sín into believing that he is being attacked by Túathal Máelgarb.Byrne, pp. 100–105; Wiley. Compare the death of

; Byrne, pp. 97–99. The manner of his demise is an example of the "

Threefold death In algebraic geometry, a 3-fold or threefold is a 3-dimensional algebraic variety. The Mori program In algebraic geometry, the minimal model program is part of the birational classification of algebraic varieties. Its goal is to construct a bir ...

," a feature of Celtic mythology and literature.

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Muirchertach mac Muiredaig High Kings of Ireland Kings of Ailech People from County Meath People from County Donegal 6th-century Irish monarchs 530s deaths Year of birth unknown Year of death uncertain