Rechtaid Rígderg ("red king"), son of

Lugaid Laigdech Lughaidh ( or ; ) is an Irish-language name, from Old Irish which is thought to be derived from the name of the god Lugh, Lug, generally anglicised as Louis (given name), Louis or Lewis (given name), Lewis. The name is prevalent among figures in ...

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

High King of Ireland High King of Ireland ( ) 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 was later sometimes assigned anachronously or to leg ...

. He took power after killing Macha Mong Ruad, daughter of his father's killer,

Áed Rúad Aodh ( , , ; ) is a masculine Irish and Scottish Gaelic given name, which was traditionally anglicized as Hugh. The name means "fire" and was the name of a god in Irish mythology.The modern word meaning 'inflammation' or as a phrase with the ...

. He ruled for twenty years, until he was killed by

Úgaine Mór Úgaine Mór, son of Eochu Buadach, son of Dui Ladrach, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, the 66th High King of Ireland. Biography He was the foster-son of Cimbáeth and Macha Mong Ruad and he took power by kil ...

, foster-son of Macha and her husband Cimbáeth. The ''

Lebor Gabála Érenn ''Lebor Gabála Érenn'' (literally "The Book of Ireland's Taking"; Modern Irish spelling: ''Leabhar Gabhála Éireann'', known in English as ''The Book of Invasions'') is a collection of poems and prose narratives in the Irish language inten ...

'' synchronises his reign to that of

Ptolemy I Soter Ptolemy I Soter (; , ''Ptolemaîos Sōtḗr'', "Ptolemy the Savior"; 367 BC – January 282 BC) was a Macedonian Greek general, historian, and successor of Alexander the Great who went on to found the Ptolemaic Kingdom centered on Egypt. Pto ...

(323–283 BC). The chronology of

Geoffrey Keating Geoffrey Keating (; – ) was an Irish historian. He was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, and is buried in Tubrid Graveyard in the parish of Ballylooby-Duhill. He became a Catholic priest and a poet. Biography It was generally believed unt ...

's ''Foras Feasa ar Éirinn'' dates his reign to 461–441 BC, the ''

Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' () or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' () are chronicles of Middle Ages, medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Genesis flood narrative, Deluge, dated as 2,242 Anno Mundi, years after crea ...

'' to 654–634 BC.''Annals of the Four Masters'
M4546-4566
/ref> If a son of the legendary 2nd century AD Lugaid Loígde, Rechtaid Rígderg appears to have been misplaced chronologically by the later medieval synchronists.

References

Legendary High Kings of Ireland Usurpers 5th-century BC murdered monarchs {{Ireland-royal-stub