A follow up on the Irish King Arthur

According to the Annals of Tigernach, Maelmorda was of the Conaille Muirthemne. He was also the half brother or foster brother of Diarmaid Mac Cearbaill, the high king who succeeded Tuathal Maelgarbh. The Conaille Muirthemne were a Pictish tribe, also known as Cruithne, based in County Louth just to the north of County Meath. This is another interesting parallel with the Arthurian legends. Mordred was the son of King Lot, who was a king of the Picts, based in the Lothians in Scotland. The names County Louth and the Lothians are both possibly derived from the Celtic god, Lugh.

There are also examples of the name Tuathal in Welsh folklore. In the story Math son of Mathonwy in the Mabinogion, there’s a place called Caer Dathal in Arfon, which is the fort of Math son of Mathonwy, the king of Gwynedd. Dathal is the Welsh version of the name Tuathal. The name Math is probably derived from Mathan, which is Gaelic for bear. Furthermore, in the story Culhwch and Olwen, the sons of Laen who are present at King Arthur’s court are supposedly the men of Caer Dathal and the kindred of King Arthur on his father’s side.

There are also many Irish ogham stones in Wales and Cornwall, which date to around the 5^th/6^th centuries AD. This suggests that the Irish may have settled in these places as opposed to simply raiding the west coast of Britain. They may have established a kingdom in Dyfed in the south of Wales and they may have held Tintagel in Cornwall, the birth place of King Arthur, according to the legends. The name Tintagel may be derived from the Cornish, Din Tagel, meaning ‘the fort of the narrow place’. However, it may be derived from Din Tutagual or Din Tugual, which are different versions of the name Tuathal.  

The main article on the Irish King Arthur is available here.

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