The Síol Muireadaigh or Síol Muireadhaigh (; Anglicized ''Sil Murray'' or ''Silmurray''), was a leading sept of the

Connachta The Connachta are a group of medieval Irish dynasty, dynasties who claimed descent from the legendary High King of Ireland, High King Conn of the Hundred Battles, Conn Cétchathach (Conn of the Hundred Battles). The modern western Provinces of ...

group of

Gaelic Gaelic (pronounced for Irish Gaelic and for Scots Gaelic) is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". It may refer to: Languages * Gaelic languages or Goidelic languages, a linguistic group that is one of the two branches of the Insul ...

dynasties in medieval Ireland. The name Síol Muireadaigh was also used to refer to the territory occupied by the group which was centered around the ancient royal site of Cruachan on the plains of

Connacht Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...

(Mag nAí/Machaire Connacht) in

County Roscommon County Roscommon () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the province of Connacht and the Northern and Western Region. It is the List of Irish counties by area, 11th largest Irish county by area and Li ...

Overview

A branch within the royal

Uí Briúin The Uí Briúin were a royal dynasty of Connacht. Their eponymous apical ancestor was Brión, son of Eochaid Mugmedon and Mongfind, and an elder half brother of Niall of the Nine Hostages. They formed part of the Connachta, along with th ...

( Uí Briúin Aí) dynasty, the tribe of Síol Muireadaigh consisted of all the descendants of Muiredach Muillethan, a 7th-century

King of Connacht The Kings of Connacht were rulers of the ''cóiced'' (variously translated as portion, fifth, province) of Connacht, which lies west of the River Shannon, Ireland. However, the name only became applied to it in the early medieval era, being named ...

. The term ''Síol'' denotes the ''seed'', or ''descendants'', of Muiredach. The major division within the tribe was between the descendants of Muireadhach's two sons, Indrechtach and Cathal (a quo Clann Cathail), who would both go on to become Kings of Connacht. Síol Muireadagh's parent dynasty, the Uí Briúin, held the Kingship of Connacht, with one exception, for over 700 years (696–1474). The vast majority of Uí Briúin kings were members of the Síol Muireadaigh, whose power reached its peak in the 12th century when Toirdhealbhach Mór Ua Conchobhair was recognized as

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 ...

. Toirdhealbhach's son Ruaidri mac Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair, would go on to succeed him, becoming last the

High King of Ireland.

Clann Cathail

The family groupings within Clann Cathail shown below are as listed in McFirbis'

Leabhar na nGenealach ''Leabhar na nGenealach'' ("Book of Genealogies") is a massive genealogical collection written mainly in the years 1649 to 1650, at the college-house of St. Nicholas' Collegiate Church, Galway, by Dubhaltach MacFhirbhisigh. He continued to add m ...

(The Great Book of Irish Genealogies). Clann Cathail was ruled at various times by the O'Morans, O'Mulrenins, and the O'Flanagans, but the line of chiefs became permanent among the O'Flanagans by late medieval times. In addition to the family groupings below McFirbis lists 13 other surnames that he says also belonged to Clann Cathail: O'Mothlachain, O'Dathail, OhUllsa, O'Cloithfhilidh, O'Gusain, O'Fionnagain, O'Laighin, O'Laoghog, O'Tomhrair, O'Caomhoige, O'Breslein, O'Dubhain, and O'Fannain. He lists another sub-tribe in Clann Cathail called Siol Con Bhuidhe (a townland in Kilcorkey Parish called Ballyconboy was the land of that group). Other sources refer to O'Maolmordha (O'Moore) and O'Carthaig (O'Carthy) as being sub-chiefs of O'Flanagain. The O'Flanagans had their main seat in Mantua (previously called Mointeach) which is located along the southern borders of Cloonyeffer and Corry East townlands in Shankill Parish. They also had another seat in the townland of Ballyroddy in Shankill Parish. They lost their territory to the O'Connor Roe in the 1300s.

Septs

Sept A sept () is a division of a family, especially of a Scottish or Irish family. The term is used both in Scotland and in Ireland, where it may be translated as Irish , meaning "progeny" or "seed", and may indicate the descendants of a person ...

s of the Síol Muireadaigh included * Ó Conchubhair/O'Conor * Mac Diarmada/MacDermot * Ó Tighe/Tighe/MacTeige * Ó Flannagain/O'Flanagan * Ó Fithcheallaigh/O'Feely * Ó Mannachan/O'Monahan * Ó Maoilbhreanainn/O'Mulrennan/Brennan * Ó Birn/O'Beirne * Ó Concheanainn/Concannon * Mag Oireachtaigh/MacGeraghty/Geraghty * Mac Maghnusa/MacManus * Ó Conbhuidhe/O’Conboy * Ó Fionnachta/O’Finnerty/Finnerty

Family tree

Muiredach Muillethan of the

, , ____________________________________________________________________________ , , , , Indrechtaig, died 723. Cathal , , , ____________________________________________________________ , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Murgal Medb , , = Áed Oirdnide , , , , , , , , , , , Niall Caille , , , , , , , ,

Áed Findliath Áed mac Néill (died 879), called Áed Findliath ("fair-grey Áed"; Modern Irish: ''Aodh Fionnadhliath'') to distinguish him from his paternal grandfather Áed Oirdnide, was king of Ailech and High King of Ireland. He was also called Áed Olach ...

, , ________________________________, , , Síol Muireadaigh

References

External links