In a message dated 10/4/2011 8:10:12 A.M. Central Daylight Time, bernardmorgan@hotmail.com writes: Back to the main point M222+ population is commonly assumed to be the descendants of Conn of a Hundred Battles, i.e. Dal Cuinn - the Ui Neill, Ui Briuin, Ui Fiachach and Ui Ailella plus their associated allies of Clan Colla and Ui Maine. However the M222+ O'Nuallain of Carlow do not claim to be Dal Cuinn, instead they claim to be Ui Eoghain Fhinn-Fothaidh. Eoghan Finn and Fiacha Suigdhe (said to be brothers to Conn of Hundred Battles) are said to have lead the Dessi on a war of expansion into Wales and Leinster, while later settling on the Munster border. The Eoghan Finnn descendants are people called Ui Fothaidh and Ui Eoghain Fhinn and have baronies across Leinster named for them. They and the Dessi seem to have occupied all of Co. Waterford and most of of Co. Tipperary. (Note: Co. Clare is remembered as originally belonging to the descendants of Conn, the Dal Cuinn held onto northern Co. Tipperary.) I thought this Fothaidh business sounded familiar. It's one of the pedigrees said to descend from Tuathal Teachtmar, ancestor of the Dal Cuinn. An early genealogy of the Fothairt: (Rawlinson) Sétna, the son of Artt Cerp, son of Cairbre Niad, son of Cormac Már, son of Óengus Mend, son of Eochaid Find Fuath n-Airtt, son of Feidhlimidh Reachtmhar, son of Tuathal Teachtmhar, and the ancestor of the Fothairt Fili, Fothairt Tuile, Fothairt Maige Ítha, Fothairt Imchlár oc Ard Macha & Fothairt Bile. But we're in dangerous territory here, long before the time of Niall. Modern historians routinely question the historicity of Niall and his sons. What might they think of Tuathal Teachtmar and Conn 'of the Hundred Battles'? At some point the Milesian genealogists simply began tacking tribes onto certain lines. I think even the Lagin of Leinster and the Dal Cuinn are linked at some point from Heremon. Where does this point occur? There is a point beyond which nothing is believable in the Irish genealogical scheme. I do not know for sure where that point may be but I think anything prior to Niall is suspect. John