Eolais mac Biobhsach

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 the Conmaicne" of present-day south county Leitrim, and parts of west County Longford. His descendants are known as "the Muintir Eolais".[1]

Eolais mac Biobhsach
Conmaicne Réin
Reignc. 890-940 AD
SuccessorMaolmuire mac Eolais
Bornc. 870 AD
Conmaicne Réin, County Leitrim IE
DiedIreland
IssueBrocan,
Anbeith,
MaolMuire.
HouseConmaicne Réin
FatherBiobhsach mac Croman Oge
ReligionChristian

Biography

Eolais was born into a Túath of the Conmaicne settled in present-day south county Leitrim, 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.[6]

Eolais's death is not recorded by the Irish Annals, but probably occurred 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 territories of modern-day Leitrim (barony) and Mohill (barony).[7] The primary sept of Eolais today are Reynolds,[6] 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] In the remote mountainous Cuilcagh-Anierin uplands, the oligotrophic lake named "Lough Munter Eolas" marks a borderline between west Cavan and south Leitrim.[7][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 "descendant of Eolais") is still found anglicised as "Olus" or "Olis".[3] In 1566 two instances of the surname corrupted as "Oelase" and "Olase", are found in the Irish Fiants for Leinster.[14] The surname must be very rare.[15]

See also

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
  1. O'Daly, Mangan, O'Donovan, O'Daly 1852, pp. 35.
  2. O'Hart 1876, pp. 135.
  3. O'Cleary, et. al. 1856, pp. 732.
  4. O'Hart 1876, pp. 136.
  5. O'Hart 1876, pp. 135-136.
  6. Petrie 1872, p. 61.
  7. Ó Duígeannáin 1934, pp. 134.
  8. Hardiman 1831, pp. 46.
  9. AFM.
  10. Joyce 1913, pp. 268.
  11. Templan 2010, pp. 14.
  12. Ward 2016, pp. 12.
  13. Ward 2016, pp. 1.
  14. Deputy Keeper 1879, pp. 124.
  15. Woulfe 1923.

Primary sources
  • O'Daly, Aengus; Mangan, James Clarence; O'Donovan, John; O'Daly, Ferdoragh (1852). The tribes of Ireland: a satire (PDF). p. 35.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

Secondary sources
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