JOURNAL OF THE COUNTY DONEGAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY NA DALAIGH (The O'Donnells of Tirconaill) By Rupert S. O'Cochlain, Meenbanad, Co. Donegal Paper read to the County Donegal Historical Society in Four Ma~ters' Hall, Donegal Town, on Saturday, 15th July, 1950. 'The bardic historians tell us that rubout 1700 years before the Christian era Gola;mh Milidh, or Golarnh the Knight, who is commonly called Milesius of Spain, collecLed an invasion fleet of 30 ships to attack Ireland. He died, however, before D-day, so that the carrying out of the project devolved upon his sons who saw it through 'Successfully. , I:{aving dt:JCfeated the Tuath de Danann, the previous colonists, the Milesians took possession of the island and set up Eber and Eremon, sons of their dead leader, as joint monarchs. As the hro.thers did not agree they divided the kingdom between them. Even this was not saliSiactory as dissentions sprung up and Eber was slain. Eremon thus became sole monaoch and from him are descended, with few exceptions, all the High Kings of ilreland. One hundred and twenty sixth in the line and fifty second in descent from Eremon was Niall Naoig- :hi:allach, or Niall of the Nine Hostages, 1who rei•gned from 3,79 - 405 A. D. He had many sons. Of these, Lao,ghaire was Ard Ri at the coming of Patrick in 432; Ebghan became the :ancestor of the O'Neills and Conan Gwban (who was .fostered at Ben Bul!ban in Go. Sligo) of the O'Donnells. Conan Gulban and hh; !brothers conducted a campaign in West Ulster that made them masters of the territory comprising the present county of Done- .gait. This they divided, Conall receiving the district west of the Siwilly and Barnesmore. A struggle for supremacy between Cine263. al Chonaill .(the descendants of Gonall) and Cineal Eoghain (the des•cendants of Eoghan) ensued. Feuds and wars raged for l,000 years before the Lagan (•Raphoe) and Inishowen were finally in· corporated io. Tir Chonaill. Conall Gulban quiJcikly entered upon his new domain and became the founder of one of the grwtest Houses in the .long history of our •country. From him have spr111ng' no fewer than 41 saint:;;,. 10 Monarchs of Ireland and a host of lesser nobility. iit was at Siodh-Aodha, now Mullaghnashee, close to the town of Ballyshannon, that Conan Gu~ban first met St. Patrick, and not near Ta.ilte in Meath as is commonly supposed. The following is a description of the meeting from the Tripartite Life of the Saint:- , '';Returning from thence {.Ardforftadh near Ballymagroart.v) he '(Patrick) came to that beautiful hnl called SiadhAodha situate on the margin of the ri~er E.rne, near Eas-Ruaidh, whe.re at a p111blic meeting he met Conall son of King Niall the Great a~d b11other of King Laoghaire, and enriched him with rthe happy 'Patrimony of his blessing. He als.o blessed Fergus, son of Conan (who d~out~y sought his 'blessing) placing his hands on his head with delay and great devotion saying ':From thy seed shall he born a son of blessings, who shall be enriched with the treasure!'. of science and wisdom, 1and who s~an lbe a orophet of the Most High, and a burning and a shining lamp; from whose mouth no intentional falsehood shall ever escape.'
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