| Deda mac Sin | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issue | Íar mac Dedad andDáire mac Dedad, Conganchnes andConall Anglonnach | ||||
| |||||
| House | Clanna Dedad | ||||
| Father | Sen | ||||
Deda mac Sin (Deda, son of Sen) was a prehistoric king of theÉrainn ofIreland, possibly of the 1st century BC. Variant forms or spellings includeDed,Dedu,Dedad,Degad,Dega,Dego,Deguth andDaig, with some of these occurring as genitives although usage is entirely unsystematic, besides the rare occurrence of the obvious genitiveDedaid.
He is the eponymous ancestor of theClanna Dedad,[1][2] and may also have been aKing of Munster.
Through his sonsÍar mac Dedad andDáire mac Dedad, Dedu is an ancestor of many famous figures from legendaryIreland, including his "grandsons" (giving or taking a generation)Cú Roí mac Dáire andEterscél, "great-grandsons" (again)Conaire Mór andLugaid mac Con Roí, and more distant descendantConaire Cóem. A third son wasConganchnes mac Dedad.
Through these, Dedu is also an ancestor of several historical peoples of both Ireland andScotland, including theDál Riata,Dal Fiatach,Múscraige,Corcu Duibne, andCorcu Baiscind, all said to belong to the Érainn (Iverni), of whom the Clanna Dedad appear to have been a principal royal sept.
The generations preceding Dedu mac Sin in the extant pedigrees appear artificial.[3][4] Eventually they lead throughAilill Érann to a descent fromÓengus Tuirmech Temrach[5] and thus a distant kinship with theConnachta andUí Néill, whose own pedigree is in fact unreliable beforeTúathal Techtmar.
A proto-historical sept of the Clanna Dedad are known as theDáirine,[6] descending from Dáire mac Dedad and/orDáire Doimthech (Sírchrechtach), and are later known as theCorcu Loígde. Alternatively this may be used synonymously, with some confusion created by their identification with theDarini of prehistoricUlster. In any case, the Darini and Iverni are clearly related.[7]
According to theBook of Glendalough (Rawlinson B 502) andLaud 610 pedigrees,[8][9] a brother of Dedu was Eochaid/Echdach mac Sin, from whom descend theDál Fiatach of Ulster. But alternatively they descend directly from Cú Roí mac Dáire,[10] and thus from the Clanna Dedad proper. The precise relation of the Dál Fiatach to theUlaid of theUlster Cycle, rivals of the Clanna Dedad, is lost to history.
Eoin MacNeill finds theConaille Muirtheimne to also descend from Dedu mac Sin, from another sonConall Anglonnach,[11] believing they are quite mistakenly thought to beCruthin, as found in later genealogies.
Dui Dallta Dedad was a foster-son of Dedu.
There is also anOgham of Dedu (Ogam Dedad) found in theBook of Ogams. Over one third of all Irish ogham inscriptions are found in the lands of his descendants the Corcu Duibne.[12]
The Síl Conairi were those septs of the Clanna Dedad descended fromConaire Mór,[13] namely theDál Riata,Múscraige,Corcu Duibne, andCorcu Baiscinn.[14] The first, presumably settling in far northeastern Ulster in the prehistoric period, would famously go on to found theKingdom of Scotland. The Royal Family of Scotland, theHouse of Dunkeld, were described as the "seed of Conaire Mór" as late as the twelfth century.[15] Through the House of Dunkeld and Conaire Mór, Dedu mac Sin is an ancestor of the modernBritish royal family. The last king in the direct male line from the Clanna Dedad and Sil Conairi wasAlexander III of Scotland (d. 19 March 1286).
The remaining Síl Conaire would settle and/or remain in Munster, where, although retaining their distinctive identity, they would be overshadowed first by their Dáirine (Corcu Loígde) kinsmen, and later fall under the sovereignty of theEóganachta. But it appears the Síl Conaire, and especially the Múscraige, actually acted as prominent facilitators for the latter, and this would presumably have been in opposition to the Dáirine.[16] A late and unexpected king of Munster from the Múscraige wasFlaithbertach mac Inmainén (d. 944).[17]
The birth, life, and fall of Conaire Mór are recounted in the epic taleTogail Bruidne Dá Derga.[18] Two distantly related tales of more interest to genealogists areDe Síl Chonairi Móir[19] andDe Maccaib Conaire.[20] In these he is confused with his descendantConaire Cóem.
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The descent of theDál Fiatach princes of Ulster from Dedu mac Sin is less secure, but nonetheless is supported by independent medieval sources (and contradicted by others).
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As early as 1849, the great Irish scholarJohn O'Donovan noted that the pedigree of the Corcu Loígde, the leading historical descendants of the Dáirine, is corrupt for many of the generations preceding the legendary monarchLugaid Mac Con.[21]
Skipped generations are given in the notes.
