In a message dated 5/25/2011 1:35:08 P.M. Central Daylight Time, jerrykelly@att.net writes: Hi Sandy, As John points out, falsifications did occur. But they were extremely serious. Under Fe/ineachas, a falsely reporting seanchadh (historian / genealogist) or breitheamh ('Brehon' / jurist) would lose his or her honor-price. I'd like to present an interesting (to me at least) case of two variant pedigrees for the High King of Ireland c. 1120. The person in question is Domhnall MacLochlainn, King of Aileach and High King of Ireland, d. 1121 AD. The MacLochlainns at this time were in the ascendancy within the northern Ui Neill and the O'Neills had yet to regain political power. The Book of Leinster (1160 AD) has a pedigree for this Domhnall MacLochlainn making him descend from Domhnall, the son of Aedh Finleith, who d. 915 AD. A slightly earlier compilation (Rawlinson B. 502, c. 1120 AD) has Domhnall MacLochlainn descend from Nial glundubh, also a son of Aedh Finleith. One family, two different pedigrees from supposedly impeccable sources. Though many have tried over the years there is no way to determine which pedigree is correct. Recent Irish scholarship has come down on the side of a descent from Domhnall, son of Aedh Finleith. And the assumption is that the MacLochlainns faked their pedigree to gain a more illustrious descent within the Cenel Eoghain. By switching the descent to Nial glundubh they gained two more High Kings of Ireland in their pedigree. In contrast the line of Domhnall was relatively undistinguished. Frankly, I doubt the MacLochlainns faked anything themselves. I think it was done for them by the scribes, propagandists for various political factions within Ireland at the time. And faked may be too strong a word. One of the scribes could simply have been mistaken. If you read through the annals of the period you will find exactly one Lochlan (d. 1023) who could be the eponymous founder of the family. And he is clearly descended from Domhnall, son of Aedh Finleith. But then there is a gap in the records and when the MacLochlainns suddenly appear in the record there is no documentary proof this is the right Lochlan. If the pedigree of the High King of Ireland can be in such disarray what does that portend for the lesser pedigrees of the minor kings and sub-chieftains of Ireland? John