Conall Cernach (‘the triumphant’), legendary hero of the Ulaid, belongs to Old Irish literature rather than to history. In origin, he was probably an ancestor figure (perhaps a deity) of the Conaille, whose kingdom lay in north Co. Louth, on the marches of Ulaid. Conall having been adopted into Ulaid tradition, his parents are named as the poet Amargein and Findchóem, daughter of the druid Cathbad, a half-sister of King Conchobar (qv) son of Ness. Conall features prominently in the epic ‘Táin Bó Cuailnge’ and in other Ulster cycle tales including ‘Scéla Muicce Meic Da Thó’ and ‘Aided Conchobair’ – the death-tale of Conchobar. Among his more significant roles, he is the slayer of Ailill king of Connacht and avenger of Cú Chulainn (qv). He appears later in folk tradition: one story has him present at the crucifixion of Christ. Conall's historical relevance lies in his genealogical importance: he is ancestor of the royal lineages of Conaille and of the neighbouring Sogain; he is the key figure in a schema uniting the Ulster dynasties of Dál nAraide and Uí Echdach Cobo (between which any real relationship seems doubtful), and he is progenitor of the rulers of Loíches, whose realm lay in western Leinster.
Sources
O'Brien, Corpus geneal. Hib., 137, 280; Keating, Forus feasa, i, 183, 189, 194–5, 198–9; O'Rahilly, Early Ir. hist., 349–50; Carney, Ir. literature, 296–7; Byrne, Ir. kings, 14; McCone, Pagan past, 60, 74, 78, 171; Ó hÓgáin, Myth, 101–4