Lugaid Mac Con

Lugaid Mac Con (also called Mac Con) is a legendary king of Ireland from old Irish stories and early records.

Reign as High King

Traditional sources say he ruled as High King of Ireland at about the same time as the Roman Emperor Commodus (AD 180–192). Other sources give different dates for his reign:

  • AD 173–203 (Annals of the Four Masters)
  • AD 195–225 (Geoffrey Keating)

Mac Con had two sons, Fothad Cairpthech and Fothad Airgthech, who later became co–High Kings.[1]

Early life

Mac Con came from the Corcu Loígde, an important people in early Ireland.[2] His father was Macnia mac Lugdach and his mother was Sadb, daughter of King Conn Cétchathach. After his father's death, his mother married Ailill Aulom, a powerful ruler in southern Ireland. Mac Con grew up in Ailill's household.

Meaning of his name

The name "Mac Con" means "son of a dog". According to legend, as a baby he was fed by a greyhound owned by Ailill Aulom.

Exile and return

Mac Con and his stepbrothers joined the rebel leader Nemed, who killed the earlier High King in battle. Later, Mac Con was wounded and driven into exile by his foster-father. During exile, he allied with a British prince named Benne Brit, raised an army, and returned to Ireland. He defeated the king Art mac Cuinn in the Battle of Maigh Mucruimhe and became High King.

End of his reign

Mac Con ruled for about thirty years. His downfall began when he made a bad judgment in a legal dispute involving a woman grazing her sheep illegally. This angered many nobles, including Cormac mac Airt, who overthrew him and became the new High King.

Death

After losing the throne, Mac Con fled to Munster to seek help but was betrayed by Ailill Aulom. Ailill killed him by biting him with a poisoned tooth during an embrace. Soon after, the poet Ferches mac Commáin killed Mac Con with a spear. After his death, Fergus Dubdétach became High King for one year, until Cormac mac Airt regained the throne.[3]

Legacy

Mac Con's two sons later ruled as co–High Kings. Some Irish families—such as the O'Driscolls, O'Learys, Coffeys, Hennessys, and Flynns—are said to descend from him, especially in County Cork.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Keating, Geoffrey. Foras Feasa ar Éirinn. pp. 1.41-42.
  2. ↑ "The Genealogy of Corca Laidhe". Miscellany of the Celtic Society
  3. ↑ "The Death of Mac Con". The Yellow Book of Lecan. Translated by Dillon, Myles. Publications of the Modern Language Association of America 60. 1945. pp. 340-45 (orig. and trans.) – via ucd.ie.
  4. ↑ "Ireland's History in Maps - Mumu, the Kingdom of Munster". www.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
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