ABSTRACT
The Connacht dynasty of Ua Conchobair claimed descent from the legendary king Conn Cétchathach. Conn was the purported ancestor of Brión, whose descendants, the Uí Briúin, gained ascendancy over their dynastic rivals in Connacht, and from the ninth century the kingship of the province was reserved for those of Uí Briúin extraction. The Uí Briúin split into the Uí Briúin Seóla, the Uí Briúin Bréifne, and the Uí Briúin Aíi. From the latter came the Síl Muiredaig (named after their ancestor Muiredach Muillethan (696-702)), from whom sprang the Uí Chonchobair.
