When he had reached budding manhood, Torna brought him back to court to take his rightful place - much to his father's joy. Niall was grandson of Muiredeach Tireach. Naill of the Nine Hostages (c. 357-405 AD, King of all Ireland 379-405) was one of the greatest Irish kings. Hey man, thanks for the response, I'm going to check over the report when I get home but I'm pretty sure it said I descend from Niall. 1 / 5. His body is said to have been buried at Ochann, now known as Faughan Hill at Jordanstown, a few miles west of Navan in County Meath. [5] O'Rahilly suggests that the nine hostages were from the kingdom of the Airgialla (literally "hostage-givers"), a satellite state founded by the Ui Nill's conquests in Ulster, noting that the early Irish legal text Lebor na gCeart ("The Book of Rights") says that the only duty of the Airgialla to the King of Ireland was to give him nine hostages. [2] Famous descendants include Niall's great-great grandson Saint Columba, Saint Mel Ruba, the Kings of Ailech, the Kings of Tir Eogain, and the Kings of Tr Conaill. Niall does not have verifiable remains that can be tested. When Niall grows up he returns to Tara and rescues his mother from her labour. [12] Keating says that he received five from the five provinces of Ireland, and four from Scotland. Niall chains Eochaid to a standing stone, and sends nine warriors to execute him, but Eochaid breaks his chain and kills all nine of them with it. In Italy the Irish were primarily found in Milan and Naples - deployed there by Spain. In the According to one version of the story, Niall took hostages from the five provinces of Ireland (Ulster, Connacht, Leinster, Munster, and Meath), from the Scots, the Saxons, the Britons, and the Franks. However, the traditional roll of kings and its chronology is now recognised as artificial. [7]:222232 O'Rahilly and Byrne argue that the literary sources, though late and garbled, preserve genuine traditions that Niall led raids on Britain, and perhaps died on one. Cookie Notice If instead, I want to see if I have Irish ancestry on my fathers side (even though my father has never claimed to be Irish! Niall of the Nine Hostages, whose dynasty dominated Ireland between the 5th and 10th Centuries, got his name from taking hostages as a strategy against his opponent chieftains. Dedicated to helping YOU discover your Irish Heritage. Niall of the Nine Hostages was so named because in his early reign he consolidated his power by taking hostages from opposing royal families. Talk about your genes and their possible implications! "Tara is a prehistoric burial site in County Meath, famed as the legendary capital of the high kings of Ireland, and a holy site for thousands of years. McEvoy states: "As in other polygynous societies, the siring of offspring was related to power and prestige." Niall established a dynasty of powerful chieftains that dominated the island for six centuries. Niall makes war in Europe as far as the Alps, and the Romans send an ambassador to parlay with him. They defeat him and win great spoil, but Fiachrae is wounded in the battle and dies of his wounds shortly afterwards. Or is it just bs from 23andMe? Niall and his dynasty. Joined then by the Irish in Alba, he marched against the Picts, overcame them, took hostages from them and had Argyle and Cantire settled upon the Albanach Irish. Editors note: This post has been edited to reflect changes to the 23andMe ancestry product. In the saga "The Death of Niall of the Nine Hostages", Eochaid's enmity with Niall begins when he is refused hospitality by Niall's poet, Laidcenn mac Bairchid. Niall exiles him to Scotland. Although generally supposed to be a historical personage, very little can confidently be said of Niall's life. Ruling from Tara, Niall's modus operandi for gaining dominance was taking Each brother in turn goes looking for water, and finds a well guarded by a hideous hag who demands a kiss in return for water. The southern Venii came to be known as the Eoghanacht, while another group of them migrated north and formed a new kingdom west of the River Shannon where they became known as the Connachta after a revered leader named Conn. He estimated that two million to three million. The story then becomes confused. for most of the next six centuries. McManus, Molloy, Reilly, Rourke and Quinn. [6 ], King Of Ireland & Tara Niall Mor NOIGIALLACH, Died: Abt 453, Tara, Ireland about age 73. The High Kingship did not become a reality until the 9th century, and Niall's legendary status has been inflated in line with the political importance of the dynasty he founded. The center of his government was at Tara. [11], The Lebor Gabla renn says there was war between Niall and nnae Cennsalach, king of Leinster, over the brama or cow-tribute first imposed on Leinster by Tuathal Techtmar. Mongfind refuses to accept the decision. [14] However, more recently some reservations have been expressed, as the subclade, which is defined by the presence of the marker R-M222, is found in a belt from Northern Ireland across southern Scotland and is not exclusively associated with the U Nill. Granted my great great great great paternal ancestor was unknown, and his son took his mothers name (which is my last name). Only Niall kisses her properly, and she is revealed as a beautiful maiden, the Sovereignty of Ireland. Confirm your suspicions or surprise yourself with a DNA test DNA - It's something so personal and integral to who you are and where you come from, but often it remains a total mystery. [8] Death, The Lebor Gabla renn says there was war between Niall and nnae Cennsalach, king of Leinster, over the brama or cow-tribute first imposed on Leinster by Tuathal Techtmar. Niall succeeds to the High Kingship, and Brin becomes his second in command. His men carry his body home, fighting seven battles on the way, and his foster-father Torna dies of grief. [6], Early in 2006, geneticists at Trinity College, Dublin suggested that Niall may have been the most fecund male in Irish history. Mongfind, purporting to make peace between her brother and her sons, holds a feast, at which she serves Crimthann a poisoned drink. Mongfind, purporting to make peace between her brother and her sons, holds a feast, at which she serves Crimthann a poisoned drink. well-known story has it that they were taken from the Airgialla, a once He eventually came to control most of the Northern half of Ireland. There is a legend that on one of his ventures into Gaul, he captured a young boy. (Remember that women have two X chromosomes while men have one X and one Y chromosome). Niall Nogallach (pronounced[nil noilx]; Old Irish "having nine hostages"),[1] or Niall of the Nine Hostages, was a legendary, semi-historical Irish king who was the ancestor of the U Nill dynasties that dominated Ireland from the 6th to the 10th centuries. [11] Another version has Mongfind try to poison Niall, but she takes the poison herself by mistake. Especially considering the fact that my paternal line can only be traced back to 1830? Yet, my paternal Haplogroup is "R-CTS241", which seems to be heavily common of people from the UK, yet my 23andme shows absolutely 0 percentage coming from the UK, actually none from western europe in general.I also share a paternal line ancestor with "Niall of the nine hostages". [3] O'Rahilly suggests that the nine hostages were from the kingdom of the Airgialla (literally "hostage-givers"), a satellite state founded by the Ui Nill's conquests in Ulster, noting that the early Irish legal text Lebor na gCeart ("The Book of Rights") says that the only duty of the Airgialla to the King of Ireland was to give him nine hostages. Abruptly, the tale then has Niall appearing before an assembly of Pictish bards in Scotland, where he is killed by an arrow shot by Eochaid from the other side of the valley. There is a large community of M222 men and a very interesting "family tree" of sorts is emerging as these men get into Y-DNA testing. Keating, quoting a Latin Life of Saint Patrick, says that Niall led Irish raids on Roman Britain, and in one of those raids Patrick and his sisters were abducted. The only company that does Y-dna tests is FTdna (FamilyTreeDNA). The geneticists estimated that about 23 million men bear this marker, and concluded that these men are patrilineal descendants of Niall. While Cairenn is pregnant with Niall, the jealous Mongfind forces her to do heavy work, hoping to make her miscarry. I confirm that, as stated in this site's Privacy Policy, I do not sell personal information. The earliest version of the Lebor Gabla says Eochaid killed him on the English Channel, later versions adding that Niall was invading Brittany when this happened. [8 ], In another story, the succession is not settled when Eochaid dies, and Mongfind's brother Crimthann takes the high kingship. Niall chains Eochaid to a standing stone, and sends nine warriors to execute him, but Eochaid breaks his chain and kills all nine of them with it. Brin defeats Fiachrae and hands him over as a prisoner to Niall, but Fiachrae's son Nath continues the war and eventually kills Brin. Variations of this story are told of the earlier Irish high king Lugaid Logde, in Arthurian legend one of the most famous versions appears in both Geoffrey Chaucer's The Wife of Bath's Tale and the related Gawain romance, The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell and in John Gower's Middle English poem Confessio Amantis. Furthermore, the paper examined only 17 STR loci, which are not a reliable means of verifying descent, as SNPs, which define haplogroups and subclades, would be. Hughes says "Niall himself must have died not before the middle of the fifth century". His reign dated to the late 4th and early 5th centuries. There are claims that Cormac mac Art, a leading figure in the Fionn cycle, established a sumptuous court at Tara and a lavish festival was also regularly celebrated at Samhain, on 1 November. "Can't beat a good Irish pub" - David Beckham celebrates son's birthday in Dublin, UPDATE: Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for murdering wife and son, WATCH: Irish bishop's funeral held in Los Angeles today, Liam Neeson, Michael D Higgins and Bono among voices featured on "Patrick Kavanagh Almost Everything'". The saga "The Death of Niall of the Nine Hostages" says that he received five hostages from the five provinces of Ireland (Ulster, Connacht,Leinster, Munster and Meath), and one each from Scotland, the Saxons, the Britons and the Franks. [3 ] O'Rahilly suggests that the nine hostages were from the kingdom of the Airgialla (literally "hostage-givers"), a satellite state founded by the Ui Nill's conquests in Ulster, noting that the early Irish legal text Lebor na gCeart("The Book of Rights") says that the only duty of the Airgialla to the King of Ireland was to give him nine hostages. Emain Macha, the capital of the Uliada, which Niall captured early on, became the capital of the Airgialla (lit: "givers of hostages") which is said to explain Niall's second name (Noigiallach = "of the Nine Hostages"). The Annals of Inisfallen date his death before 382, and the Chronicon Scotorum to 411. Irelands most popular baby names of 2022 - by county! Over the generations, a genetic Irish men would've been barred from British Military service at the time due to their religion. Niall Nogallach (Irish pronunciation: [%CB%88ni%CB%90%C9%99l noilx], Old Irish "having nine hostages"),[1] or in English, Niall of the Nine Hostages, was a prehistoric Irish king, the ancestor of the U Nill family that dominated Ireland from the 6th to the 10th century. Brin defeats Fiachrae and hands him over as a prisoner to Niall, but Fiachrae's son Nath continues the war and eventually kills Brin. Niall Noigiallach aka "Niall of the Nine Hostages" was one of the greatest Irish kings. Niall succeeds to the High Kingship, and Brin becomes his second in command. repulsive, with green teeth and nails, matted unkempt hair, a decidedly crooked I may be wrong though. Though the legendary stories of his life may have been invented hundreds of years after he died, genetic evidence suggests that the U Nill dynasty, whose name means "descendants of Niall," did in fact trace back to just one man who bore a branch of haplogroup R-M269. He carried back hostages, many captives, and great booty from these expeditions. Keating has Eochaid shoot Niall from the opposite bank of the river Loire during his European campaign. Brin rules the province of Connacht, but Fiachrae makes war against him. Niall's first expedition was into Alba to subdue the Picts. water. His name comes from a tale of nine hostages that he held from the regions he ruled over. [2] He was himself the grandson of King Conn of the Hundred Battles. Trinity College study, nor do the researchers conclude that he ever existed. In it, Eochaid Mugmedn, the High King of Ireland, has five sons, four, Brin, Ailill, Fiachrae and Fergus, by his first wife Mongfind, sister of the king of Munster, Crimthann mac Fidaig, and a fifth, Niall, by his second wife Cairenn Chasdub, daughter of Sachell Balb, king of the Saxons. Nialls . [22][23] According to the PBS documentary series Finding Your Roots, Bill O'Reilly, Stephen Colbert, Colin Quinn, Bill Maher, and the show's host, Henry Louis Gates Jr. all display STR markers consistent with the Irish Modal Haplotype. If Patrick was not this person, he would have lived shortly thereafter. Only Niall kisses her properly, and she is revealed as a beautiful maiden, the Sovereignty of Ireland. [9], This "loathly lady" motif appears in myth and folklore throughout the world. She Keating has Eochaid shoot Niall from the opposite bank of the river Loire during his European campaign. However, the genetic evidence of the study does seem to show that the Why not list William the Conqueror or someone else? Keating credits Niall with two wives: Inne, daughter of Lugaid, who bore him one son, Fiachu; and Rignach, who bore him seven sons, Legaire, ndae, Maine, Egan, Conall Gulban, Conall Cremthainne and Coirpre. [27], There are various versions of how Niall gained his epithet Nogallach. The O'Neill dynasty (Ui Nill means 'descended from Niall') is an historical Niall releases Fiachrae, who becomes king of Connacht and Niall's right hand man. He makes war and destroys the poet's stronghold, killing his son Leat[11] (Keating has it that Laidchenn was a druid, and that Eochaid killed his son after he used defamatory language towards him). Check out our [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/Genealogy/wiki/index#wiki_faq_.28frequently_asked_questions.29)! Based on U Nill genealogies and the dates given for his supposed sons and grandsons, modern historians believe he is likely to have lived some 50 years later than the traditional dates, dying circa 450. In fact, researchers have estimated that between 2 and 3 million men with roots in north-west Ireland are paternal-line descendants of Niall.". Another, Fiachra, has In the saga "The Death of Niall of the Nine Hostages", Eochaid's enmity with Niall begins when he is refused hospitality by Niall's poet, Laidcenn mac Bairchid. Niall was the founder of the most powerful Irish royal dynasty as his descendants ruled Ireland for the 6 centuries after his death. Irish tradition had forgotten that the Romans once ruled Britain, and relocated his remembered confrontations with the Empire to continental Europe, with Alba, the ancient name for Britain, being confused with Elpa, the Alps, or being understood with its later meaning of Scotland. As the number of hostages was nine, Niall earned the epithet 'of the Nine Hostages'. Fiachrae is granted a minor royal line two of his descendants, Nath and Ailill Molt, will be High Kings.