3 reasons why storytelling is the world’s most powerful force

October 19, 2011 

Surely you’ve noticed that storytelling has become a business sensation.

You can barely watch advertising campaigns these days without being continuously introduced to new characters, company mascots, narratives and other building blocks of story. That’s to say nothing of the storytelling that takes place at sales pitches, shareholder meetings, product launches, IPO road shows, management retreats, company rallies and other gatherings where attempts are made to positively influence internal and external constituencies.The biggest, richest, smartest companies get it. They’ve figured out that there is no bigger force in this world than storytelling.That’s a big claim, but I can back it up with just a few examples of how thoroughly storytelling deploys itself in our lives.

1. What is the most abiding and influential presence in most people’s lives? It’s called religion. Billions of people the world over have dedicated themselves (to varying degrees) to a religious faith or spiritual doctrine. And what is sitting at the center of the world’s major and minor religions? A book. It might be The Bible, Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, Bodhisattva, I Ching, the Book of Mormon. The list goes on. It’s not a stretch to say these scriptures upon which the religions are based are, at their core, giant compilations of allegories, parables, metaphors, vignettes and all manner of stories about mankind’s relationship to a higher power. What would religion be without story? Does a god exist without a creation story or some other relevant tale?
2. Entire cultures and societies are built upon and undergirded by stories. What does it mean to the Jews to be the Chosen People? What does it mean to Persians to be associated with Mesopotamia and the Cradle of Civilization? How could the French psyche survive if its perception as the planet’s most epicurean people were to somehow be banished? One of the principal forces within any culture or society is government. Think about the narratives governments continually feed their people to sustain their own interests and keep their power structure entrenched. What narratives do you think are currently at play in China with its expectations to reclaim the mantle as the world’s dominant people? What narratives keep the people of India and Pakistan poised on the brink of nuclear exchange, or the Palestinians and Jews locked in eternal warfare? Just try arguing in a crowd of Americans that the United States is not the world’s greatest country. This is such a fixed mental edifice supported by so many stories of national piety, achievement and heroism that one can barely fathom its deconstruction.
3. Then there’s our personal narratives – the stories we tell ourselves about who we are and what our relationship is to those around us. To say anything less than we create our own reality is sheer folly. Our heads teem with stories that drive our behavior in ways we rarely take time to notice. Whether overtly or subliminally we are constantly writing our personal narratives. These narratives shape our self-image. Positive narratives can drive us to astounding successes. Negative narratives can destroy by driving us to the depths of depression and self-loathing.

Be careful what you think. Be careful what you say. It is all part of a universal storytelling mosaic upon which the very nature of reality depends.

Fat Chance

http://www.logotv.com/video/episode-2-season-1-fat/1666459/playlist.jhtml

Fat Chance

The First Cycle of Irish Storytelling

This is known as the Stone of Destiny, and was frequently mentioned in the medieval Irish romance. The belief is that when the feet of rightful kings rested on it the stone would roar for joy. In myth, the Tuatha De Danann first brought the stone to Ireland.

According to tradition the stone became the famous Stone of Scone on which the Scottish kings were crowned at Scone, near Perth. It was removed by Edward I, in 1296, and taken to Westminister Abbey, in London, being placed under the chair of St. Edward. It was stolen by the Scottish Nationalists on Christmas Eve of 1950, but was recovered and returned in February, 1952.

The stone is also known as the Tanist Stone or Jacob's Stone. A.G.H.

Tuatha Dé Danann
In Irish-Celtic mythology, the Tuatha Dé Danann ("People of the goddess Danu") are the Irish race of gods, founded by the goddess Danu. These gods, who originally lived on 'the islands in the west', had perfected the use of magic. They traveled on a big cloud to the land that later would be called Ireland and settled there.

Shortly after their arrival they defeated the Firbolg at the first battle of Mag Tuireadh. In the second battle of Mag Tuireadh they fought and conquered the Fomorians, a race of giants who were the primordial inhabitants of Ireland. The Tuatha Dé dealt more subtly with the Fomorians than with the Firbolg, and gave them the province of Connacht. There was also some marrying between the two races.

The Tuatha Dé themselves were later driven to the underworld by the Milesians, the people of the fabulous spanish king Milesius. There they still live as invisible beings and are known as the Aes sidhe. In a just battle, they will fight beside mortals. When they fight, they go armed with lances of blue flame and shields of pure white.

Important members are of the Tuatha Dé are: Dagda, Brigid, Nuada, Lugh, Dian Cecht, Ogma, and Lir. The goddess Danu can also be identified with the Welsh goddess Don.

The Epic of the Tuatha Dé Danann is the first Cycle of Irish storytelling.

Father Drinkin’ Part One….

Being Irish, there seems to be a stigma of alcoholism in the blood, and once at a funeral, I heard the priest refer to it as “The Irish Disease…” I think I was deeply offended, but then, my drinking problem wasn’t a problem for me, just for everybody else.

I never really took to firewater, the hard liquor though I tried all of them, but I do remember my first year in college and we had a tequila shot drinking contest  - my roommate was an alcoholic by age 18, I was just starting my career, and I was seeing TRIPLE. I sat down at the piano and played the same song over and over again. It was either 96 Tears or Heart and Soul since those are the only two songs I know.

From there, I got ‘polluted to the eyeballs,’ “three sheets to the winds,” f*&^%ked up, probably every weekend, like good American teenagers in college. We specialized in hangover cures of aspirin and Slurpees and burritos and understanding what DEATH feels like.

However, being Irish, and knowing where this behavior ends, usually with a funeral at somebody’s premature death, I knew I would have to overcome this with ‘self mastery,’ and yet, self mastery eluded me.

Here’s how I started trying to stop drinking. An alcoholic counselor told me it takes a full 90 days to detoxify the blood. Alcoholism is actually a blood disease. The blood is like a tape recorder, and once fed this high sugar intoxicant, it craves it more and more until you have a full blown alcoholic who just can’t stop drinking.

As my mother always said, “One drop and you are an alcoholic!”

To which of course, her children had to go and test that theory. My mother, Rose Francis Veronica Gallagher Boyle, never drank a drop of alcohol in her life. Maybe she took a sip somewhere, but I never saw it. She was the classic teetotaler.

Her father drank and when he drank, my grandmother, Catherine Feeley Gallagher, had the priest come to the house and make him take the Pledge. Apparently this was akin to an exorcism, but catholic priests in Jersey City in the early 1900s made home visits to make alcoholic dads take the Pledge. I suppose it involved saying the Rosary two hundred times in a row.

So, James Gallagher generally abstained from drinking or face the wrath of Catherine, his wife, and all was well, until one day he decided to visit the Auld Sod, from whence he came, and took an airplane to County Lietrem, Ireland to visit his kin.

When he returned, it was apparent he had been on a bender, since they served drinks on the plane, and of course, in the pubs of Ireland, where they drink Jameson’s Irish Whiskey like water. I think my grandmother called the priest again for another round of Rosary and psychological warfare until he was again, sober.

But the specter of alcohol did not end there. The spirits haunted my mother when she married my dad, Matty Boyle, who likewise came from a hard drinking Irish Catholic family and when they married, ‘Nana’ or Catherine Gallagher took all the booze they bought for the wedding reception and poured it down the toilet.

Eyes rolled as the Boyle family welcomed the new bride, the new teetotalling, snobby, prudish, Rose Frankie Gallagher into the family, a family she would keep at arms length since she disdained their drinking.

But, the spirits haunted Matty Boyle and after his Navy accident and head trauma, he liked his beer. Being a diabetic and suffering headaches,
 
beer was his medicine, and his downfall, and he died of heart attack at age 62.

So, I knew I didn’t want to be an alcoholic when I grew up. And, when I found myself unable to ‘stop’ I was pretty worried, and tried to detox and abstain for 90 days.

Day One….

Day Two…

Day One….

Day Two…

Day Three!

Day One…

And this how it went. Until I got myself on Prozac and that was the turning point. I weaned myself off of alcohol, and no longer crave the spirits. I still drink, but only wine, and an occasional beer. No firewater. I drink a lot of water. I meditate and do yoga. I steer clear of drinkers and drunken culture. My life became incredibly boring as reality is fairly boring unless you light up like a Christmas tree all the time.

And, yet, I found a new satisfaction: Inner Peace. Good Health. Intellectual Pursuits. Success…Money….Love, all those things that drunks avoid. They avoid them because they are hard to get. Drinking is easy…dying is easy, living is hard.

Part Two
So, family crisis abated, but one member is in the drunk tank, and another one should be. 
Why people cave to alcoholism is simple.


It is a blood disease, and the blood is like a tape recorder, and whatever you feed it, it craves, so once people start drinking, they cannot stop.  Unfortunately, most people do not understand this, and think this is a matter of 'free will.'   So, the adage by Rose "Frankie" Boyle of "One drop and you are an alcoholic," is actually true, at least genetically for Irish people. And, yet, there's a way to go.


For one, thing if you detox for 90 days, alcohol leaves your blood and the cravings stop. Your liver will heal. You will be 'normal,' once again, and may even resume drinking, but must be extremely vigilant about it and never drink more than two. And, stay away from Firewater - Firewater is the reason the Indians no longer control America. White people didn't just move in and buy up all the real estate - they gave them Firewater, and Native Americans have the same 'sensitivity' to alcohol that Irish people do, and with the same results. 

So, what have we learned?
Drink and Die?
or here's my favorite...
"Why do I drink?"
"I drink to forget!"
"What am I trying to forget?"
"...That I drink!..."

Another 12 steps to stop drinking (alcohol)

1. Make a determination to stop or slow down your drinking
2. Get a date book or calendar and mark day one for the day you want to start and stop drinking…
3. try cold turkey and see how long you go, marking the days.
4. Start again with Day One.
5. Get a prescription for antidepressants.
6. You may also need tranquilizers
7. take a yoga class or study meditation
8. If you don’t know how to meditate, close your eyes, take deep breaths and count backwards from 100.
9. drink only beer and wine if pressured by friends and family
10. do not mix wine and beer, one or the other.
11. day one, start again, practice makes perfect
12. day two, day three, day one, start again

It takes 90 days to detoxify from alcohol. It is a blood disease.

Cemetary for Grandmother, Grandfather Gallagher, Kay and Hughie Tumulty seen in this video in Jersey City NJ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUT07eZoXPw

 I don't know if it is the same one...

Is he related to us? Barack O'Bama

DUBLIN – He downed a pint of Guinness with a distant cousin and checked out centuries-old parish records tracing his family to Ireland. From the tiny village of Moneygall to a huge, cheering crowd in Dublin, President Barack Obama opened his four-nation trip through Europe on Monday with an unlikely homecoming far removed from the grinding politics of Washington and the world.

"My name is Barack Obama, of the Moneygall Obamas, and I've come home to find the apostrophe we lost somewhere along the way," a clearly tickled Obama — make that O'Bama — told the overflow throng at Dublin's College Green with his wife, Michelle, right by him. "We feel very much at home."

Obama's feel-good indulgence in Ireland came at the start of a four-country, six-day trip that is bound to get into stickier matters as he goes. The only hitch on day one was the threat of a volcanic ash cloud from Iceland that led the president to leave Ireland without even a night's stay, as he planned to move on to England on Monday night.

A high point was a helicopter jaunt to Moneygall, population 350 give or take it, where the president's great-great-great grandfather, Falmouth Kearney, was born and where thousands congregated to welcome the United States' first black president home. Obama met there with his nearest Irish relative, 26-year-old accountant Henry Healy, and they stopped in at Ollie's Bar for a Guinness.

It was a moment and a pint to savor. To the approval of the pub crowd and people all across Ireland watching on television, Obama downed the full pint in four slurps and came away with a foam mustache.

"The president actually killed his pint! He gets my vote," said Christy O'Sullivan, an Irish government clerical worker taking a long lunch break to watch live TV footage of Obama's visit. "He's the first president I've actually seen drink the black stuff like he's not ashamed of something."

An Irish link is good news for any American politician trying to connect with voters, and particularly for one who's been dogged by questions about whether he was even born in the United States. By some estimates, 35-40 million Americans trace their ancestry to Ireland. While Ireland, population 4.5 million, is a relatively small player on the world stage, this nation roughly the size of West Virginia has been a popular stopping point for modern American presidents ever since John F. Kennedy came in 1963.

For Obama, it was a day reminiscent of the campaign season when candidate Obama was greeted by adoring crowds and the president milked it for all it was worth. He spoke enthusiastically Monday of "the bonds of affection" between the United States and Ireland. "There's always been a little green behind the red, white and blue," he said to cheers in Dublin.

It wasn't until the 2008 presidential campaign that Obama discovered he had Irish roots, when a priest of the local Anglican church, Canon Stephen Neill, located the family's baptismal records and established the connection. Falmouth Kearney, who immigrated to the United States in 1850 at the age of 19, is a great-grandfather of Obama on his Kansas-born mother's side. His father was born in Kenya.

In Moneygall, 14-year-old Grainne Ryan scrawled "Obama" and drew a shamrock on her cheeks with eyeliner. Thirty-one-year-old Tara Morris pronounced herself "star-struck," a sentiment that appeared to be shared by many in a country that could use a boost as it weathers a steep economic downturn after its boom years as the Celtic Tiger.

Michelle Obama, for her part, drank her full half-pint and then got behind the bar herself to serve Moneygall's parish priest, the Rev. Joe Kennedy.

The president said the brew somehow tasted better in Ireland than in America. And, by the same token, the crowds here were by far even enthusiastic than those greeting him back home of late.

After overnighting in London at the U.S. ambassador's residence, the Obamas will enjoy the rarified pomp of a state dinner and sleepover at Buckingham Palace, with Queen Elizabeth II as host. But Obama also will confront difficult problems as he moves on to England and then France and Poland.

In advance of his arrival in London, Obama announced the formation of a new joint U.S.-British national security council designed to allow the two countries to work more closely together and share intelligence on long-term security challenges, particularly in the Middle East and Afghanistan.

British Prime Minster David Cameron said there were plenty of challenges to discuss.

"We've got some proper, very long talks, discussions about Libya, Afghanistan, security issues and also prosperity," Cameron told Britain's ITV. "The other big concern Barack and I have is making sure there are more jobs for our people, so getting trade going, making sure the economy's moving, dealing with our debts and deficits."

In Ireland, Obama said the success of the Northern Ireland peace agreement "speaks to the possibility of peace" in other world trouble spots.

His journey began with an overnight flight from Washington aboard Air Force One. The president and first lady met Ireland's President Mary McAleese at her official residence, and Obama participated in a tree planting ceremony as children rang a peace bell marking the 10th anniversary of the Good Friday accord. 

Obama then met the prime minister, Edna Kenny, and told him: "For the United States, Ireland carries a blood link with us."

Thousands of people waited hours to hear Obama speak in Dublin, and many more were turned away as the scene neared dangerously overflow conditions. The president sought to endear himself to the locals by speaking some phrases in Gaelic, including his campaign slogan of "Yes we can."

After his time in England, Obama will travel to Deauville, France, to meet with the heads of leading industrial nations, before ending his Europe trip with a visit to Poland, a strategically important Central European ally.

___

The Nail, the legend, cont...

King Niel and the Oral Tradition straight from YOUTUBE

Irish history with Pat Flannery. This was filmed 7/2/07. Pat continues on the theme of the history of the O'Neill with one of their greatest ancestors, Niall Noigíallach, better known as "Niall of the Nine Hostages." The O'Neill theme will culminate with a talk on "The Flight of the Earls" in September (which will be the 400th aniversary of the event). Again, Monsignor O'Neill contributes to the lecture with his unique insight. For more about Pat, check his website - http://patflannery.com/index.htm

Here's the video...

THE NAIL and the Legend...

Niall was one of the great Irish kings. He was the only son of Eochaid Muighmedon, high king and his wife Catharann, daughter of an English king. Eochaid later married Mong-Fionn, daughter of the king of Munster, and had another four sons. These sons were Brian, Fiachra, Ailill and Fergus.

It is said that Mong-Fionn was jealous of her stepson Niall; she wanted Brian to succeed to Eochaid. She did not rest until she had Niall as an outcast and his mother reduced down to servant.

As Niall was entering manhood, he was returned to the court and welcomed by his father. One of his first acts was to restore his mother to her rightful place. Niall underwent many tests and did excellent on every one.

Niall's stepmother still had her hopes for Brian and upon Eochaid's death, she managed to get her brother king until Brian came of age. Once in power, however, Crimthann betrayed his sister and took full control of the kingdom instead of regency. To Crimthann's credit, he proved to be a strong king and ruled for twenty years.

During his early reign, Niall consolidated his power and home by subduing his enemies and taking hostages from the families in opposition. Meanwhile the Picts were getting wary of the small Lirsh colony of Dalriada which is now Scotland. They attacked and severely damaged the colony. In response Niall ventured to Scotia Minor and the land of the Picts, here again subduing all and gaining submission through the taking of royal hostages - hence the name, Niall of the Nine Hostages.

After a short consolidation, he marched south with his Scot and Pict allies against the Romans in Britain. It was there that Niall's forces took hostage one Succat, who is better known by his later name of St. Patrick.

Besides taking St. Patrick in his youth, Niall is known mainly for two things. First, he consolidated the northern region of Ireland and created a dynasty that kept his descendants High Kings of Ireland for six hundred years. Second, his military ability led him to the Irish taking control of all of Alba and a large part of Britain.

He seriously damaged the Roman's ability to control Britain and even managed to carve out some Irish controlled territory in France. It is said this Irish empire was only eclipsed in size by Dathi's, Niall's nephew and successor.

"Granpa" aka THE NAIL

Famous DNA Review, Part III – Niall of the Nine Hostages

December 28th, 2007 in Ancient DNA, Famous DNA |

As many as 3 million men worldwide might be directly descended from a single Irish warlord named Niall of the Nine Hostages who was the High King at Tara from 379 to 405.

In February 2006, researchers at Trinity College in Dublin released a paper that studied that Y chromosome signature of men throughout Ireland. They found that 8% of men sampled had the same Y chromosome, with a cluster in the northwest where fully 21% of men carried the signature chromosome (which fell into Haplogroup R1b1c7). The article appeared in The American Journal of Human Genetics and was titled “A Y-Chromosome Signature of Hegemony in Gaelic Ireland.”

The researchers looked at 17 STR markers on Irish Y chromosomes to determine the relatedness of samples they had obtained. They found that there was a strong association between the most common signature and surnames that were related to the most significant dynasty of early medieval Ireland – the Uí Néill. Some of the surnames included (O’)Gallacher, Boyle, O Doherty, O’Connor, Cannon, Bradley, O’Reilly, Flynn, (Mc)Kee, Devlin, Donnelly, Egan, Gormley, Hynes, McCaul, McGovern, McLoughlin, McManus, McMenamin, Molloy, O’Kane, O’Rourke and Quinn (list from Oxford Ancestors). Of course there were no surnames at the time of the earliest Uí Néill dynasty, but when the Irish took surnames around 1,000 A.D., many chose names that were associated with Uí Néill dynasties.

This association suggests that men with the signature Y chromosome are descended from the founder of the dynasty Uí Néill, Niall of the Nine Hostages. Niall of the Nine Hostages, who was the High King at Tara from 379 to 405, founded the dynasty Uí Néill, which ruled until the 11th century. According to the legend, Niall had 12 sons, many of which were rulers after Niall’s death.

The biggest caveat of this research is that without testing DNA from Niall’s remains, it is impossible to say with 100% certainty that Niall is the ancestor (and some argue that there never was a real Niall). For instance, Mrs. Niall could have only reproduced with the friendly neighbor, or a large fraction of the men with the signature Y chromosome could be descended from Niall’s promiscuous uncle George (I don’t know if there was an uncle, or if his name was George – it’s just an example).

As the authors of the study pointed out:

“The fact that about one in five males sampled in northwestern Ireland is likely a patrilineal descendent of a single early medieval ancestor is a powerful illustration of the potential link between prolificacy and power and of how Y‐chromosome phylogeography can be influenced by social selection.”

Not surprisingly, the signature Y chromosome has also spread around the world, suggesting that there may be as many as 3 million people who carry it. Using international DNA databases, the chromosome was found in roughly 1 in 10 men in Scotland, and in about 2% of European-American New Yorkers. 

For more information, see Times Online, NY Times, Family Tree DNA, Oxford Ancestors, and Wikipedia (for info about the life of Niall of the Nine Hostages, including the source of the name).

Granpa! Niall of the Nine Hostages

Most Irish people can be traced genetically back to this guy - Boyles, Sullivans, Gallaghers, etc... So, say hello to Granpa! And, yes, you are of royal blood and responsbile for killing ST. Patrick.

 Let's Just call him King Niel...

Fanciful depiction of Nial Noigiallach, wearing among others a Bronze Age helmet 

Niall Noígíallach (Irish pronunciation: [ˈniːəl noɪˈɣiːələx], Old Irish "having nine hostages"),^[1] or in English, Niall of the Nine Hostages, son of Eochaid Mugmedón, was an Irish king, the eponymous ancestor of the Uí Néill kindred who dominated Ireland from the 6th century to the 10th century. The rise of the Uí Néill dynasties and their conquests in Ulster and Leinster are not reliably recorded but have been the subject of considerable study and attempts to reconstruct them.

Although generally supposed to be a historical personage, very little can confidently be said of Niall's life. The sources for the details of Niall's life are genealogies of historical kings, the "Roll of Kings" section of the Lebor Gabála Érenn, Irish annals such as the Annals of the Four Masters, chronicles such as Geoffrey Keating's Foras Feasa ar Éirinn, and legendary tales like "The Adventure of the Sons of Eochaid Mugmedon" and "The Death of Niall of the Nine Hostages". These sources date from long after Niall's time and their value as history is limited at best.

Niall is placed in the traditional list of High Kings of Ireland. His reign dated to the late 4th and early 5th centuries. The Annals of the Four Masters dates his accession to 378 and death to 405.^[2] The chronology of Keating's Foras Feasa ar Éirinn broadly agrees, dating his reign from 368-395, and associating his raiding activities in Britain with the kidnapping of Saint Patrick (ca. 390-461).^[3] However, the traditional roll of kings and its chronology is now recognised as artificial. 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. Based on Uí Néill 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.^[4]

Legendary biography

Early life

A legendary account of Niall's birth and early life is given in the 11th century saga Echtra mac nEchach Muimedóin ("The adventure of the sons of Eochaid Mugmedón"). In it, Eochaid Mugmedón, the High King of Ireland, has five sons, four, Brión, 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. While Cairenn is pregnant with Niall, the jealous Mongfind forces her to do heavy work, hoping to make her miscarry. She gives birth as she is drawing water, but out of fear of Mongfind, she leaves the child on the ground, exposed to the birds. The baby is rescued and brought up by a poet called Torna. When Niall grows up he returns to Tara and rescues his mother from her labour.^[5]

Although it is anachronistic for Niall's mother to have been a Saxon, O'Rahilly argues that the name Cairenn is derived from the Latin name Carina, and that it is plausible that she might have been a Romano-Briton.^[6] Indeed, Keating describes her not as a Saxon but as the "daughter of the king of Britain".^[3] Mongfind appears to have been a supernatural personage: the saga "The Death of Crimthann mac Fidaig" says the festival of Samhain was commonly called the "Festival of Mongfind", and prayers were offered to her on Samhain eve.^[7]

Accession

Seeing Niall's popularity among the nobles, Mongfind demands that Eochaid name a successor, hoping it will be one of her sons. Eochaid gives the task to a druid, Sithchenn, who devises a contest between the brothers, shutting them in a burning forge, telling them to save what they can, and judging them based on which objects they choose to save. Niall, who emerges carrying an anvil, is deemed greater than Brión, with a sledgehammer, Fiachrae with bellows and a pail of beer, Ailill with a chest of weapons, and Fergus with a bundle of wood. Mongfind refuses to accept the decision.

Sithchenn takes the brothers to the smith, who makes them weapons, and sends them out hunting. 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. Fergus and Ailill refuse and return empty-handed. Fiachrae gives her a quick peck, but not enough to satisfy her. Only Niall kisses her properly, and she is revealed as a beautiful maiden, the Sovereignty of Ireland. She grants Niall not only water but the kingship for many generations - twenty-six of his descendants will be High Kings of Ireland. Fiachrae is granted a minor royal line - two of his descendants, Nath Í and Ailill Molt, will be High Kings.^[5]

This "loathly lady" motif appears in myth and folklore throughout the world. Variations of this story are told of the earlier Irish high king Lugaid Loígde, 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.^[8]

In another story, the succession is not settled when Eochaid dies, and Mongfind's brother Crimthann takes the high kingship. But while he is away on a tour of his lands in Scotland, Mongfind's sons seize Ireland. Crimthann returns to Ireland intending to give battle. Mongfind, purporting to make peace between her brother and her sons, holds a feast, at which she serves Crimthann a poisoned drink. Crimthann refuses to drink it unless she does too; they both drink, and both die. Niall succeeds to the High Kingship, and Brión becomes his second in command.^[7] Another version has Mongfind try to poison Niall, but she takes the poison herself by mistake.^[9]

While Niall is high king, his brothers establish themselves as local kings. Brión rules the province of Connacht, but Fiachrae makes war against him. Brión defeats Fiachrae and hands him over as a prisoner to Niall, but Fiachrae's son Nath Í continues the war and eventually kills Brión. Niall releases Fiachrae, who becomes king of Connacht and Niall's right hand man. Fiachrae and Ailill then make war against Crimthann's son Eochaid, king of Munster. They defeat him and win great spoil, but Fiachrae is wounded in the battle and dies of his wounds shortly afterwards. The Munstermen renew the battle, capture Ailill and cut him to pieces, and war continues between Munster and Connacht for many years.^[7]

Death

The Lebor Gabála Érenn says there was war between Niall and Énnae Cennsalach, king of Leinster, over the bórama or cow-tribute first imposed on Leinster by Tuathal Techtmar.^[10] Énna's son Eochaid is named as Niall's killer in all sources, although the circumstances vary. All sources agree he died outside Ireland. The earliest version of the Lebor Gabála says Eochaid killed him on the English Channel, later versions adding that Niall was invading Brittany when this happened. 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. Keating associates these raids with those mentioned by Gildas and Bede, and deduces that, since some Irish sources say Patrick was abducted from Brittany, that Niall's raids must have extended to continental Europe as well.^[3]
 

Niall Noigiallach aka "Niall of the Nine Hostages" (d450/455 ad.) was one of the greatest Irish kings. He was said to have consolidated his power by leading raids on the Roman Empire, taking hostages from rival Irish royal families, Britain and the European mainland, thus earning the name Niall of the Nine Hostages? Saint Patrick was said to have been kidnapped and brought to Ireland as one of his hostages during his raids.

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. 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).^[3] Laidchenn responds by satirising Leinster so that no corn, grass or leaves grow there for a year. Then Niall makes war against Leinster, and peace is concluded on the condition that Eochaid is handed over. 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. He then kills Laidchenn by throwing a stone which lodges in his forehead. Niall exiles him to Scotland. The story then becomes confused. Niall makes war in Europe as far as the Alps, and the Romans send an ambassador to parlay with him. 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. Keating has Eochaid shoot Niall from the opposite bank of the river Loire during his European campaign. His men carry his body home, fighting seven battles on the way, and his foster-father Torna dies of grief. 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.^[9] He is succeeded by his nephew Nath Í.

Byrne suggests that Niall's death took place during a raid on Roman Britain. 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.^[4] A poem by the 11th century poet Cináed Ua Hartacáin in the Book of Leinster credits Niall with seven raids on Britain, on the last of which he was killed by Eochaid "above the surf of the Ictian Sea";^[4][12] a poem attributed to the same poet in Lebor na hUidre credits him with going to the Alps seven times.^[6]

[edit] Family and descendants

Further information: Uí Néill descendants

Keating credits Niall with two wives: Inne, daughter of Lugaid, who bore him one son, Fiachu; and Rignach, who bore him seven sons, Lóegaire, Éndae, Maine, Eógan, Conall Gulban, Conall Cremthainne and Coirpre.^[3] These sons are the eponymous ancestors of the various Uí Néill dynasties: Eógan of the Cenél nEógain and Conall Gulban of the Cenél Conaill, making up the northern Uí Néill; Fiachu of the Cenél Fiachach dynasty, Lóegaire (the king who Saint Patrick is said to have converted) of the Cenél Lóegaire, Maine of the Uí Maine, Eógan of the Cenél nEógain, Conall Gulban of the Cenél Conaill, Conall Cremthainne of the Clann Cholmáin and the Síl nÁedo Sláine, and Coirpre of the Cenél Coirpri, making up the southern Uí Néill.^[4] Famous descendants include Niall's great-great grandson Saint Columba, Saint Máel Ruba, the Kings of Ailech, the Kings of Tir Eogain, and the Kings of Tír Conaill.^[13]

In January 2006, geneticists at Trinity College, Dublin suggested that Niall may have been the most fecund male in Irish history. The findings of the study showed that within the north-west of Ireland as many as 21% of men (8% in the general male population) were concluded to have a common male-line ancestor who lived roughly 1,700 years ago. The geneticists estimated that there are about 2-3 million males alive today who descend in the male-line from Niall.^[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 Uí Néill. It is now more commonly referred to as the Northwest Irish/Lowland Scots variety.^[15]

[edit] Origin of his epithet

There are various versions of how Niall gained his epithet Noígíallach. 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.^[11] Keating says that he received five from the five provinces of Ireland, and four from Scotland.^[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 Néill'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.^[6]

[edit] Family tree

Bold indicates a High King of Ireland.

Tuathal Teachtmhar

Fedlimid Rechtmar

Conn Cétchathach

Art mac Cuinn

Son

Son

Son

Son

Cormac mac Airt

Cairbre Lifechair

Fíacha Sroiptine

Muiredach Tirech

Mongfind

Eochaid Mugmedon

Cairenn

Brion

Fiachrae

Ailill

Niall Noigíallach

Fergus

Conall Gulban

Endae

Eogan

Coirpre

Lóegaire

Maine

Conall Cremthainne

Fiachu

Muirdeach

Cormac Caech

Lughaid mac Loeguire

Fergus Cerrbel

Ardgal

Muirchertach mac Ercae

Tuathal Máelgarb

Diarmait mac Cerbaill

Preceded by Eochaid Mugmedon

King of The Connachta ?–c.450

Succeeded by Amalgaid mac Fiachrae

Preceded by Crimthann mac Fidaig

Legendary High King of Ireland FFE 368-395 AFM 378-405

Succeeded by Nath Í