Lawlor— 7'Ae Ancient Lint of the Coarha of Patrick. 349 



months. Artri died in 833. Ait.ri's father, Conchobar, was the son of 

 Donnchad, King of Ireland, and was therefore not of the Clann Sinaicli. 

 Another attempt was made by Conchobar to unseat Eocjan in 831. Possibly 

 on this occasion Fland Eoi (no. 36, note) was put in possession for a short 

 time. 



Fland Roi was the son of Cummascach, son of Conchobar Corrach, of 

 the Ui Bresail, and was therefore of the same stock as Cummascach the 

 opponent of Dub da Lethe III, who was the sixth in descent from Aed Laigen, 

 the third son of Conchobar Corrach.^ The statement of the genealogist that 

 Fland Roi " urged on the dogs out of the chariot, bo that he was deposed 

 from the coarbship of Patrick," happily illustrates the note under no. 36, 

 Apparently a hunting coarb was regarded as unfit for his office ! 



In all these struggles Eogan was supported by Niall Caille, no doubt the 

 Niall from whom Artri suffered martyrdom (no. 35), and whom the compiler 

 of the liist (or the scribe of L) confuses (no. 36) with Niall Glundub.^ 



The next two abbots, Forannan and Dermait (nos. 37,38), were in the 

 strictest sense contemporary. The first to get possession was Dermait : but 

 the Annals represent him to have been soon driven out by Forannan (83.5), 

 though still in possession of the insignia of office (836). Four years later — 

 in 839 — they report a " change of abbots," Dermait being re-instated. But 

 this seems to be a misplaced duplicate of a similar entry under 848 ; for 

 there is no mention of a restoration of Forannan in the interval between 

 them, and he was certainly abbot when he was taken prisoner by " Gentiles " 

 in 845. It seems, therefore, that Forannan was in actual possession of the 

 abbacy from 835 to 848, except the year that he was in the hands of the 

 Norsemen, while Dermait was at least dc facto abbot from 848 to 852. In 

 the latter year both the claimants died. The compiler of the List, following- 

 one of his authorities, gives ForannAn a period of eighteen years (834-852) ; 

 following another, he gives Dermait four years (848-852). Thus, again, tlie 

 term of office of one of two rival abbots is part of, and included in, the term 

 of office of the other. Forannan can hardly liave been of the Clann Sinaich ; 

 for, according to a gloss in the Ulster Annals, he came from Rath mie Malais, 

 now known as Rackwallace, in the parish of Monaghan.^ 



' See above, [>. 344 ; and Laud 610, f. 10."). a (eu. K. Meyer, ZCP, viii, 320) ; Book of 

 Ballymoce, 111, a, 10; Bunk of Lecan. 176, b; Kawliuson, B 502, p. 146, f ; Book of 

 Leiiister. p. 333 c. 



- Niall Gliludub was the grandson of Niall Caille. Kawlinson, B 502, p. 145, g. 



•• Hogaii, OiMawviticon, s. v. ; Joyce, Irish Ntime.i of Flace.i, iii, 535. On the other 

 hand, Dermaifs journey to Connaught raises some doubt as to his being of the Clann 

 Sinaich. See above, p. .348, note 2. 



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