Sárán mac Cóelbad (flourished circa third quarter of 5th century) was a

Dal nAraide In Indian cuisine, ''dal'' (also spelled ''daal'' or ''dhal''; pronunciation: , Hindi: दाल, Urdu: ) are dried, split pulses (e.g., lentils, peas, and beans) that do not require soaking before cooking. India is the largest producer of pu ...

king in the time of

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 ...

. He was the son of

Cáelbad Cáelbad (Cáelbhadh, Caolbhadh, Caolbhaidh), son of Cronn Badhraoi, a descendant of Mal mac Rochride, was, according to Lebor Gabála Érenn, a High King of Ireland for a period of one year. Inneacht daughter of Lughaidh was the mother of Caolbha ...

mac Cruind Ba Druí, a high king of Ireland and

King of Ulster The King of Ulster (Old Irish: ''Rí Ulad'', Modern Irish: ''Rí Uladh'') also known as the King of Ulaid and King of the Ulaid, was any of the kings of the Irish provincial over-kingdom of Ulaid. The title rí in Chóicid, which means "king of ...

. He is listed in king lists such as in the ''Book of Leinster'' and ''Laud Synchronisms'' but is not mentioned in the Irish annals. Genealogies such as ''Laud Genealogies'' and ''Rawlinson Genealogies'' give him a reign of 26 years. Another mention of Sárán is in the

Vita tripartita Sancti Patricii The ''Vita tripartita Sancti Patricii'' (''The Tripartite Life of Saint Patrick'') is a bilingual Life of Patrick, written partly in Irish and in parts in Latin. It is a hagiography focusing on Patrick. The text is difficult to date. Kathleen Mul ...

. According to this, Sárán had made a raid on the Irish portion of

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 now ...

and took away some captives. According to the ''Keating Genealogies'', the Mac Artáin of Kinelarty, County Down descend from him.

Early life and kingship

Sárán mac Cóelbad was second son of

and was

for 26 years before he was ousted () by the three brothers known as the

Three Collas The Three Collas (Modern Irish: Trí Cholla) were, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, the fourth-century sons of Eochaid Doimlén, son of Cairbre Lifechair. Their names were: Cairell Colla Uais; Muiredach Colla Fo Chrí ( ...

. According to folklore, the Three Collas conquered Ulster, burnt and destroyed

Eamhain Mhacha Navan Fort ( sga, Emain Macha ; ga, Eamhain Mhacha, label=Modern Irish ) is an ancient ceremonial monument near Armagh, Northern Ireland. According to tradition it was one of the great royal sites of pre-Christian Gaelic Ireland and the ca ...

, and transplanted the natives to

Dál nAraidi Dál nAraidi (; "Araide's part") or Dál Araide, sometimes Latinised as Dalaradia or Anglicised as Dalaray,Boyd, Hugh AlexanderIrish Dalriada ''The Glynns: Journal of The Glens of Antrim Historical Society''. Volume 76 (1978). was a Cruthin kin ...

and

Iveagh Iveagh ( ; ) is the name of several historical territorial divisions in what is now County Down, Northern Ireland. Originally it was a Gaelic Irish territory, ruled by the ''Uí Echach Cobo'' and part of the overkingdom of Ulaid. From the 12th c ...

. Sárán mac Cóelbad, as the last king of Ulster of the Irian line, was removed to the Barony of Iveagh, where he became a

Cruithin The Cruthin (; mga, Cruithnig or ; ga, label=Irish language, Modern Irish, Cruithne ) were a people of early medieval Ireland. Their heartland was in Ulster and included parts of the present-day Counties of Ireland, counties of County Antrim, ...

political figure and patriarch of the MacAonghusa ( McGuinness) family.

Chief of the Dal Airaidhe

Sárán was chief of the

during the time of

. He was seemingly known as a blood thirsty warrior who killed and enslaved many people and criticised Saint Patrick.

Olcán Olcán () is the name of an early Irish saint of the Dál Riata, disciple of St Patrick, founder and bishop of the monastery in Armoy, County Antrim, Armoy in northeast County Antrim, Northern Ireland.Charles-Edwards, "Ulster, saints of (act. ''c ...

, an Irish saint with a monastery at

Armoy Armoy () is a village and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is 5.5 miles (9 km) southwest of Ballycastle and 8 miles (13 km) northeast of Ballymoney. According to an estimate in 2013 by the Northern Irelan ...

, reputedly agreed to baptise Sárán to save lives. This infuriated Saint Patrick, who prophesied that Olcan's monastery would be destroyed three times. Accordingly, some of the Irish historical annals record that Olcan's monastery was raided by a king of

, later by Cucuaran, and finally by Eochaid, who destroyed all but the stump of its

round tower A fortified tower (also defensive tower or castle tower or, in context, just tower) is one of the defensive structures used in fortifications, such as castles, along with curtain walls. Castle towers can have a variety of different shapes and ful ...

Notes

Kings of Dál nAraidi 5th-century Irish monarchs {{Ireland-royal-stub

Early life and kingship

Chief of the Dal Airaidhe

Further reading

Notes