In December of 2012 I had my DNA tested by Family Tree DNA and
was surprised to find that I was a direct descendant of an ancient high king of
Ireland named Niall Noigiallach. Family
Tree DNA noted that a recent study was conducted at Trinity College Dublin,
Ireland, which found that a striking percentage of men in Ireland (and quite a
few in Scotland) share the same Y chromosome, suggesting that the 5th-century
warlord known as "Niall of the Nine Hostages" may be the ancestor of
one in 12 Irishmen. Niall established a dynasty of powerful chieftains that
dominated the island for six centuries.
In the Trinity College study scientists found an area in northwest
Ireland where they claim 21.5 % carry Niall’s genetic fingerprint, says Brian
McEvoy, one of the team at Trinity. According to McVoy this area was the main
powerbase of the Ui Neills, which literally translated means "descendants
of Niall" (Family Tree DNA Report 2013).
Niall of the Nine Hostages received his name from the taking
of hostages as a strategy for playing mental havoc upon his opponent
chieftains. He is known in folklore as a raider of the British and French
coasts. The chronology of Keating's
Foras Feasa ar Éirinn broadly agrees, dating his reign from 368-395 CE, and
associating his raiding activities in Britain with the kidnapping of Saint
Patrick. Niall was supposedly slain either
in the English Channel or in Scotland. His
descendants were the most powerful rulers of Ireland until the 11th century
(Family Tree DNA Report 2013).
Modern surnames tracing their ancestry to Niall include
(O')Neill, (O')Gallagher, (O')Boyle, (O')Doherty, O'Donnell, Connor, Cannon,
Bradley, O'Reilly, Flynn, (Mc)Kee, Campbell, Devlin, Donnelly, Egan, Gormley,
Hynes, McCaul, McGovern, McLoughlin, McManus, McMenamin, Molloy, O'Kane,
O'Rourke and Quinn (Family Tree DNA Report 2013).
I started doing research on Niall and found he was both a
king in Ireland who also held the title the king of Tara. The title king of Tara represented a very old
ideal of sacred kingship in Ireland. It
had a mythical quality stretching back deep into the ancient times.
After doing some research, I took a break from posting on this blog to write a book about Niall. My book is a fictional account
inspired by the traditions and legends passed down from ancient Ireland and is available on Amazon for e-book downloads.
