Historical and mythological rulers of Ireland.

[Ghillie Dhu]

2.

Legendary kings[edit]

Kings in the Baile Chuind[edit]

The earliest surviving list appears in the Baile Chuind (The Ecstasy of Conn) a late seventh century poem in which Conn of the Hundred Battles experiences a vision of the kings who will succeed him. Many of these kings appear to correspond with the kings of later traditions, although the order is different, and some of the kings cannot be identified. The last four kings following Snechta Fína (Fínsnechta Fledach) do not correspond with any of the kings in later lists. The poem is therefore presumed to have been written during his time, and the kings who follow him are presumed to be fictional.^[1]

With few exceptions, kings belong to Dál Cuinn (the Connachta and Uí Néill). Understood as a list of Kings of Tara, it is not considered to be inclusive. A number of well known kings from the Laigin, Érainn, Ulaid, and Cruthin, are missing. The chief rivals of Dál Cuinn at the time of Conn's supposed floruit were the Dáirine, alias Corcu Loígde, two of whom are listed, but whose overkingdom in the south of Ireland collapsed in the 7th century. They would be replaced by the Eóganachta, who established the Kingship of Cashel, later to rival Tara.

Name	Presumed identity	Notes
Not named	Conn Cétchathach	The list recounts Conn's vision of the kings who will follow him
Art	Art mac Cuinn	Dál Cuinn
Mac Con moccu Lugde Loígde	Lugaid Mac Con	Dáirine
Corbmac	Cormac mac Airt	Dál Cuinn
Corpre	Cairbre Lifechair	Dál Cuinn
Fiechri	Fiachrae Cássan	Cruthin and/or Airgialla?
Dáire Drechlethan	probably Dáire Doimthech	Dáirine, but precedes Conn Cétchathach, so misplaced
Fécho	Fíacha Sroiptine?	Dál Cuinn
Muiredach Tirech	Muiredach Tírech	Dál Cuinn
Crimthand	Crimthann mac Fidaig	Eóganachta, or possibly Érainn (Dáirine?)
Níell	Niall Noígíallach	Dál Cuinn
Loígaire	Lóegaire mac Néill	Dál Cuinn/Uí Néill
Corpri	Coirpre mac Néill (d. c. 463)	Dál Cuinn/Uí Néill
Ailill	Ailill Molt (d. 482)	Connachta/Uí Fiachrach
Lugid	Lugaid mac Lóegairi (d. c. 507)	Uí Néill
Mac Ercéni	Muirchertach mac Ercae (d. c. 536)	Uí Néill/Cenél nEógain
Óengarb	Túathal Máelgarb (d. c. 544)	Uí Néill
Aíd	probably Áed mac Ainmuirech (d. 598)	Uí Néill/Cenél Conaill; seemingly misplaced chronologically
Aíd Olláin	probably Áed Uaridnach (d. 612)	Uí Néill/Cenél nEógain; seemingly misplaced chronologically
Diermait	Diarmait mac Cerbaill (d. c. 565)	Uí Néill? Origins obscure.
Feáchno	Fiachnae mac Báetáin (d. 626), or perhaps Fiachnae mac Feradaig, father of Suibne Menn	Cruthin/Dál nAraidi, or Uí Néill/Cenél nEógain
Suibne	Suibne Menn (d. 628)	Uí Néill/Cenél nEógain
Domnall	Domnall mac Áedo (d. c. 642)	Uí Néill/Cenél Conaill
Blathmac and Diarmaid grandson of the other one	Blathmac mac Áedo Sláine & Diarmait mac Áedo Sláine (both d. 665)	Southern Uí Néill
Snechta Fína	Fínsnechta Fledach (d. c. 695)	Uí Néill/Síl nÁedo Sláine