86 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



s. o. Colla Da Crich. Colla should have flourished aboiit two centuries earlier, Le. 

 at the begimiing of the fourth century, and this daw; accords with the time 

 usually assigned for the conquest of ilid Ulster by the three Collas. The 

 eponyms of Ui Sinaig and Ui Duach are two generations farther than 

 Cairpre Daim Argit from the common ancestor, and should belong to the 

 latter part of the sixth century. 



70. The septs of Dal Cuinn, the Eoganachta, and Dal ^Jiad Corb were 

 predominant throughout nearly all Ireland from St. Patrick's time until the 

 Norman Invasion. Hence one may suppose that their traditions were more 

 minutely recorded in the early sis. period than the traditions of less prominent 

 groups: also that, so far as chronological checks were arailable, they were 

 more operative iu the history of these dominant hnes. But it is evident that, 

 even in their case, no anterior limit can be placed to the use of the Ui-formula 

 except to say that it appears to mark a later classification than the collective 

 names. 



71. The Ui-formula is succeeded by one in which cenel precedes the 

 eponym. This is conspicuous and of early occurrence in the case of the 

 Ui NeilL 



72. Cenel ConaiU, C. Cairpri, C. Loiguiri, C. nEogain, C. Fiachach, 

 C. Maini, C. nEndai, C. nOengusso take their names from sons of 

 NiaU, and their origin therefore from about the middle of the fifth 

 century. 



73. From sons of Eogan, C. Muredaig, C. mBindig, C. Fergusso, 

 C. nOengusso, C. nDallain, C. Cormaic, C. Feidlimthe, C. nAilello, C. nEichein, 

 C. nlllainn, C. nEchach. 



74. From sons of Muredach, C. Feradaig, C. Tigemaig, C. Moain. From 

 Forggus s. 0. Baetan s. o. Muirchertach s. o. Muredach, C. Forgusso. 

 Muirchertach died about 530 (533 AU, 527 FM, 531 Chron. Scot.), Baetan 

 in 571 (AU), and a son of "Fergus"' son of Baetan in 619 (AU). Hence 

 we may regard the Cenel formula in the Ui Neill line as based on fifth, sixth, 

 and seventh century eponyms. 



75. In the Eoganacht line, the symmetrical numbers of 24 sons and 24 

 daughters are assigned to Oengus s. o. Nat Froich, fBB 172 b). 

 Eithne Uathach, the woman-chief of the Desi, was mother of three of the 

 sons, and hence their posterity is called Cenel nEithne {sic L 26). From 

 Cennlan sixth in descent from Oengus, is C. Cennlain. Cenel Fingein from 



' Hennessy, except in one instance, reads the name Forggus, Forgus, Forcus, as Fergus. It is 

 correctly printed Forggns in the poem at 562, but incorrectly as Ferggns in the translation, and is 

 not found in MacCarthy's index. In Fergus = * Virogustns, g is spirant; not so in Forggus 

 = *Vorgiistus, earlier *Vergustus. 



