making love to a beautiful woman. Probably the most
famous is “The Quarrel of Echo and Cearbhall Ua
Dálaigh” (“A mhac-alla dheas” – “Oh, fair echo”), a
debate over the poet’s love for a woman named Cáit,
which he compares to Echo’s love for Narcissus,
finally making Echo agree that Cáit surpasses Narcissus
in beauty. This is also the most technically proficient
of the syllabic poems attributed to Cerball (see Doan
1990, 147–172, for editions and translations of these
poems).
Already in the poetry of Pádraigín Haicéad (f l. c.
1620–1630), we find references to a “Cerball Ua
Dálaigh” who has earned a reputation as a figure
renowned in poetry and wisdom; famed for speech,
music, and feats; cognizant of spells; and highly attrac-
tive to women (see Ní Cheallacháin, 6–9). Pádraigín’s
perception anticipates the modern view of Cerball as
lover, craftsman, trickster, and archetypal poet, which
continues to this day in Irish folk tradition (see Doan
1981, 1982, 1983).
JAMESE. DOAN
References and Further Reading
Doan, James E. “Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh as Archetypal Poet in
Irish Folk Tradition.” Proceedings of the Harvard Celtic
Colloquium1 (1981): 77–83.
———. “Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh as Craftsman and Trickster.”
Béaloideas50 (1982): 54–89.
———. “Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh as Lover and Tragic Hero.”
Béaloideas51 (1983): 11–30.
———, ed. and trans. The Romance of Cearbhall and Fear-
bhlaidh. Mountrath: The Dolmen Press, 1985a.
———. “The Ó Dálaigh Family of Bardic Poets, 1139–1691.”
Éire-Ireland20 (1985b): 19–31.
———. “The Folksong Tradition of Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh.”
Folklore96 (1985c): 67–86.
———,ed. and trans. Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh: An Irish Poet
inRomance and Oral Tradition. New York: Garland Press,
1990.
Harrison, Alan. An Chrosántacht. Dublin: An Clóchomhar
Teoranta, 1979.
McKenna, Lambert, ed. Dán Dé:Poems of Donnchadh Mór Ó
Dálaigh.Dublin, 1922.
———, ed. Dioghluim Dána. Dublin, 1938.
Ní Cheallacháin, Máire. Filíocht Phádraigín Haicéad. Dublin:
An Clóchomhar Teoranta, 1962.
Ní Laoire, Siobhán, ed. Bás Cearbhaill agus Farbhlaidhe.
Dublin: An Clóchomhar Teoranta, 1986.
Ó Cuív, Brian. “Eachtra Mhuireadhaigh Í Dhálaigh.” Studia
Hibernica1 (1961): 56–69.
Thomson, Derick S. “The MacMhuirich Bardic Family.”
Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness12 (1966):
281.
Watson, Seosamh, ed. Mac na Míchomhairle. Dublin: An
Clóchomhar Teoranta, 1979.
See alsoBardic Schools, Learned Families;
Education; Entertainment; Games; Music; Poetry,
Irish; Poets, Men of Learning; Romance
UA DOMNAILL (O’DONNELL)
The Ua Domnaill (O’Donnell) dynasty, were a leading
family of the northern Uí Néill, and became the rulers
of the lordship of Tír Conaill in the late medieval period.
They came to prominence about the year 1200 C.E., when
the first Ua Domnaill ruler, Éigneachán (c.1201–1207)
came to power. Previous to this, the O’Donnells were
local kings of Cenél Lugdach in northern Tír Conaill,
with a crannog at Lough Gartan and an inauguration site
at Kilmacrennan. The Ua Domnaills dispossessed the
previous ruling dynasties of Ua Máel Doraid, who may
have died out around 1197, and Ua Canannáin, the last
lord of whom, Ruaidrí, was deposed and slain in 1248.
The Ua Domnaill lords proved themselves to be an
innovative and talented, but very violent, family. In
themid-thirteenth century, they became the first Irish
dynasty to employ galloglass mercenaries, in their case
the Mac Suibne (Mac Sweeney) family, who became
deeply established in three separate branches in Tír
Conaill. The Ua Domnaill chieftains, Máel Sechlainn
(1241–1247), Gofraid (1248–1258), and Domnall Óc
(1258–1281), were prominent fighters against English
colonialism in the northwest. Gofraid in particular
defeated the chief governor Maurice Fitzgerald, in “a
brave battle... in defense of his country,” at Credrán
in Cairbre (Carbury) in 1257, a battle that succeeded in
keeping the English out of Tír Conaill. The O’Donnaills
also violently resisted all attempts by the Ua Néill lords
of Tír nEógain to establish provincial hegemony in
Ulster. However, they also fought fierce internal civil
wars throughout the fourteenth century until the pow-
erful Ua Domnaill chieftain, Tairrdelbach an Fhíona
(1380–1422) established himself as lord of Tír Conaill.
The ruling Ua Domnaill dynasty enjoyed crucial
support from the Ua Gallchobhair (Gallagher) family,
who commanded their household troops, and Ua
Baoigill of Boylagh and Ua Dochartaig, lord of Inisho-
wen, who were Ua Domnaill’s two most important
subchieftains. The ruling Ua Domnaills were also great
patrons of the Gaelic learned classes, endowing their
chief practitioners, such as Ua Cléirigh, ollamh in his-
tory, and Mac an Bháird, ollamhin poetry, with much
land. At the same time, the Ua Domnaills amassed great
wealth through the exploitation of salmon and herring
fisheries, becoming known as “king of fish” on the
continent. The Ua Domnaill lords had a particularly
good relationship with merchants from the city of
Bristol in England, who traded wine, firearms, and
luxury goods for the fish, tallow, and hides exported
from Tír Conaill.
Tairrdelbach an Fhíona’s son Niall Garbh, lord of
Tír Conaill from 1422 to 1439, was an innovative ruler.
He joined with Eógan Ua Néill, the lord of Tír nEó-
gain, to raid the English Pale, but was captured in 1434
and imprisoned, first in London, and then in the IsleUA DÁLAIGH