Eolais mac Biobhsach

Eolais mac Biobhsach
Conmaicne Réin
Reign c. 890-940 A.D.
Successor Maolmuire mac Eolais
Born c. 870 A.D.
Conmaicne Réin, County Leitrim IE
Died Ireland
Burial Fenagh, County Leitrim
Issue Brocan,
Anbeith,
MaolMuire.
House Conmaicne Réin
Father Biobhsach mac Croman Oge
Religion Christian

Eolais mac Biobhsach[1] (alias 'Irish: Eolus' "knowledge", anglicized "Wallis",[2] "Olis" or "Olus"[3] fl. AD 900) was a chieftain of 10th century Gaelic Ireland. He is noted as the first "full chieftain of Conmaicne Réin". His descendants, "the Muintir Eolais",[1] expanded into the territory of present day south county Leitrim, and parts of west County Longford.

Biography

Eolais was born into the Túath of Conmaicne Réin, present day south county Leitrim, sometime in the second half of the 9th century. As an adult, he became chieftain of his sept. A charismatic leader, he became the first full chieftain of the "Conmaicne Réin" c. AD 900.

He married, having at least three sons, named "Brocan", the ancestor of Shanley; "Anbeith", the ancestor of Mac Garry; and "Maolmuire", lord of Conmaicne Réin and ancestor of Mag Raghnaill (anglicised Mac Rannell, Reynolds).[4][n 1] Ódhrán Ua hEolais, a famous scribe of Clonmacnoise, was probably his grandson. His death is not recorded by the Irish Annals, but was probably between A.D. 920-960.

Legacy

Eolais Mac Biobhsach is the ancestor of the Muintir Eolais who were the most famous of the ancient Leitrim sub-septs of the Conmaicne Rein district of Leitrim (barony) and Mohill (barony).[6] The primary sept of Eolais today are Reynolds,[7] Mulvey, Shanley, and McGarry. From the 11th to 17th centuries, the Irish: "Muintir Eolais" ("'tribe of Eolais'") ruled most of the territory of present day south county Leitrim.[1][8][9] Place names preserve his memory. The townland of Corryolus (Irish: Coraidh Eolais, Eoluis) located in the town of Carrick on Shannon clearly retains his name.[10] And in the remote mountainous Cuilcagh-Anierin uplands, we find the oligotrophic lake named "Lough Munter Eolas", straddling the border of west Cavan and south Leitrim.[6][11]

Tributes

A well established Leitrim-Longford traditional fiddle group, trained by a Fr. Quinn since 1966, adopted the name "Ceolus" preserving his name,[n 2] and they play music garnered from local manuscripts going back almost two hundred years.[13]

Surname

O'Donovan claimed the family name (Irish: Ó hEóluis "descendent of Eolais") is still found anglicized as "Olus" or "Olis".[3] In 1566 two instances of the surname in Leinster, corrupted as "Oelase" and "Olase", appear in the Irish Irish Fiants.[14] The surname must be very rare.[15]

Notes and references

Notes

  1. The O'Hart pedigrees show Eolais being closely related to the ancestors of Quinn and Farrell of Longford, and Mulvey of Leitrim.[5]
  2. "A contraction of the Irish words “Ceol” meaning “music” and “Muintir Eoluis”, which means “the people descended from Eolus”, the first Conmhaicne chief of the area of South Leitrim. The band was christened Ceolus on January 31st, 1990."[12]

Citations

Primary sources

Secondary sources

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.