Conall Cernach

  • warriors
Warrior of the Ulaid in the Ulster Cycle; son of Amergin and Findchóem. In Irish genealogies, he is presented as an ancestor of the kings of the Dál nAraidi and the Uí Echach Coba.
See also: Cú ChulainnCú Chulainn
Young Ulster hero and chief character of Táin bó Cuailnge and other tales of the Ulster Cycle; son of Súaltam or Lug and Deichtire (sister to Conchobor); husband of Emer (ingen Forgaill)
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Dál nAraidiDál nAraidi
Dál nAraide;Dál Araide
A kingdom of the Cruithni in north-east Ulster.

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AmerginAmergin
Entry reserved for but not yet available from the subject index.

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FindchóemFindchóem
Entry reserved for but not yet available from the subject index.

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Uí Echach CobaUí Echach Coba
Uí Echach Cobo;Uí Echach Ulad

Early Irish dynasty of the Cruithni, located roughly in the coterminous territory of Iveagh (Uí Echach), in what is now west Co. Down.


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Cet mac MágachCet mac Mágach
Cet mac Mátach
(time-frame ass. with Ulster Cycle)
Warrior in the Ulster Cycle of tales; hero of Connacht; in some texts, brother of Findchóem and uncle of Conall Cernach.
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Lugaid Laígsech CendmárLugaid Laígsech Cendmár
(supp. fl. c.reign of Cú Chorb)
Lugaid Lóechsech, Laígsech Cendmár, Laígsech Cennmór, Lugaid Laígse, Lugaid Loígse, Lugaid Loígsech, Lugaid Laigse mac Loigsig Chendmáir
(time-frame ass. with Cú Chorb mac Moga Corb)
In Irish historical tradition, Lugaid Laígsech Cendmár, or Laígsech Cendmár, al. Lugaid Loígse, is the eponymous ancestor of the Laígsi/Loígis/Loíges and a son of Conall Cernach. In a number of genealogies, his persona is artificially divided into a son and his father, Lugaid Laígse and Loigsech Cendmár. While he is not prominent in saga literatue, he is given a role in an origin legend concerning the Loígis, according to which he helped Cú Chorb, king of Leinster, repel the Munstermen.
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See also references for related subjects.
OʼDonnell, Thomas C., Fosterage in medieval Ireland: an emotional history, The Early Medieval North Atlantic, 9, Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2020.  
abstract:
Fosterage was a central feature of medieval Irish society, yet the widespread practice of sending children to another family to be cared for until they reached adulthood is a surprisingly neglected topic. Where it has been discussed, fosterage is usually conceptualised and treated as a purely legal institution. This work seeks to outline the emotional impact of growing up within another family. What emerges is a complex picture of deeply felt emotional ties binding the foster family together. These emotions are unique to the social practice of fosterage, and we see the language and feelings originating within the foster family being used to describe other relationships such as those in the monastery or between humans and animals. This book argues that the more we understand how people felt in fosterage, the more we understand medieval Ireland.
Boyd, Matthieu, “The timeless tale of Bricriu's feast”, North American Journal of Celtic Studies 1:2 (November, 2017): 151–172.  
abstract:
The early Irish tale Fled Bricrenn ‘Bricriu's feast’ is set at an impossible time relative to the centerpiece of the Ulster Cycle, the epic Táin bó Cúailnge. Key characters, including Bricriu himself, are not available after the Táin, while the integral episodes involving Ailill and Medb would make no sense before the Táin. The embarrassing behavior of the heroes Lóegaire and Conall is also inconsistent with the way they are portrayed in other texts. Although there are limited parallels with other kinds of medieval literature, such as the verse tradition of French Arthurian romance, these problems are most helpfully addressed by recourse to contemporary Fan Fiction studies in conjunction with the medieval concept of glossing. Even if it does contain authentic lore, Bricriu's feast comes into focus as a comically distorted, but serious-minded reflection on the rest of the Ulster Cycle, including the Táin. The major themes of this reflection include the devaluation of fame through excess of praise, and the worthiness of the hero's community to benefit from him, even as the hero's own status depends on serving their interests and enacting their values.
Pettit, Edward, “Three variations on the theme of the dog-headed spear in medieval Irish: Celtchar’s lúin, Conall Cernach’s Derg Drúchtach, Lugaid’s flesc”, Studia Hibernica 42 (2016): 65–96.  
abstract:

This article seeks to show that aspects of the late-attested myth of the origin of Cú Chulainn’s gae bolga ‘spear of the bulge’ illuminate medieval descriptions of another remarkable spear, an extraordinary horse that acts like a spear, and a divinatory rod wielded by a spearman: respectively, the lúin of Celtchar mac Uthechair, the Derg Drúchtach of Conall Cernach, and the flesc of a poet called Lugaid. This finding helps to demonstrate the essential integrity of what might otherwise seem arbitrarily fanciful passages in Mesca Ulad ‘The intoxication of the Ulstermen’, Brislech mór Maige Muirthemni ‘The great rout of Murthemne’ and Sanas Cormaic ‘Cormac’s glossary’. Also included in a footnote is a suggested solution to a crux in Lebor gabála Érenn ‘The book of invasions of Ireland’ concerning Lug’s gae Assail ‘spear of Assal’.

Sayers, William, “Portraits of the Ulster hero Conall Cernach: a case for Waardenburg’s syndrome?”, Emania 20 (2006): 75–80.
Sayers, William, “Severed heads under Conall’s knee (Scéla mucce Meic Dathó)”, Mankind Quarterly 34 (1994): 369–378.
Mallory, James P., “The career of Conall Cernach”, Emania 6 (Spring, 1989): 22–28.
Dobbs, Margaret E., “The traditions of Conall Cernach”, The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 6th series, 59 (1929): 116–127.