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Moy-Ith
Once upon a time a Milesian chieftain called Ith set out from Spain in search of the 'Isle of the West.' In a storm he was a driven up Lough Swilly and landed in the Lagan Valley where he found that the language spoken was the same as his own so that he was able to talk to the people. They were very suspicious of him because he talked in high terms about their climate and fertile soil.
Fearing that he was going to take their land they attacked him and his followers. Ith was mortally wounded and was carried back to Spain dead. Afterwards the place where the battle was fought was called "Moy-Ith".
The royal clans of Ulster, O'Neill and McLaughlin, were descended from Murdock Mac-Earca. O'Devlins and O'Donnellys probably sprang from a grandson of this Murdock Mac-Earca. An important point in the descent from Murdock Mac-Earca comes with Hugh Allen, king of Ireland, who distinguished himself by a series of victories over the descendants of Conall from Donegal. This king, Hugh
Allen, had two brothers, Niall Frossach and Connor, whose descendants afterwards came into prominence. From Niall Frossach through Hugh Finlay were descended both the McLaughlins and O'Neills-the O'Neills taking their surname from Niall Glundubh (Niall Black-knee). The McLaughlin and O'Neill stocks provided vigorous leaders and kings for the Owen clans in Ulster, as well as reaching at times the position of high king of Ireland. Murdock's line, from which kings were promised, provided an ample fulfillment. From the other brother of Hugh Allen-Connor there arose certain strong clans by whose combined power these northern kings were supported and maintained. It is from the descendants of Connor, the Clan Connor, that the second important thrust from the Owen Clan came. This clan is often known as Clan Connor Magh Ithe, or the Fir Magh Ithe (men of Magh Ithe). Magh Ithe is the rich countryside stretching southward from Inishowen, later known as the Laggan district in east Donegal. According to the O'Clery book of genealogies, Connor had twelve sons, from one of which called Drughan were descended the O'Cahans (O'Kanes). The O'Mullans were also descended from Connor. The McCloskeys, later prominent in County Derry, were descended from a Blosky O'Cahan mentioned the Annals under the year 1196.
It will be remembered that in earlier advances the hard core of resistance in County Derry formed by the Cianachta had been bypassed. The Cianachta, whose leading sept was the O'Connors af Glengiven in the Roe Valley, had held their position for many centuries. The overthrow of the Cianachta and the O'Connors came oddly enough from their namesakes, the Clan Connor. Between the years A.D. 900 and 1000, according to Dr. Kelly's reckoning, the families of Clan Connor moved out from the cramped territory of Magh Ithe, and eventually established themselves in the whole of the territory from the Foyle to the Bann in County Derry. No express record of the conquest of Cianachta exists, and the method of the conquest is a fascinating problem to which we must later turn. When the process of conquest ends, we find various septs of Clan Connor firmly settled in County Derry, the Clan Dermot and its chief family O'Carrolan south of the Faughan river, and the O'Cahans, O'Mullans and McCloskeys scattered elsewhere over North Derry. This intermittent expansion of the Owen clans, which has been described in the present chapter, occupied several centuries. Consequent upon this expansion, and concurrent with it, various other changes took place. These changes centre around the quest for power, and for a place from which the power obtained might be competently exercised.
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720 - 772 (52 years)
