The Picts - the Irish Connection

The Romans are not our only source of information about the Picts. Our main other source is Irish legend. These stories were recorded by early Christian monks from about 400AD. Unfortunately, time has not dealt well with the documents. Many were destroyed by the pillaging Danes in the 9th and 10th centuries. During this time, monks fled Ireland, taking their precious manuscripts with them. To try to preserve them, they were then copied. But once more, they became the subject of destruction, this time by the Anglo-Normans. Only a few remnants of this once magnificent collection are left.

Three texts are of most interest in our quest for information about the Picts: the Book of Ballymote, the Book of Leinster and the Book of Ui Maine.

The Book of Ballymote states that at about 212 - 220 AD, King Conaire of Ireland was killed and his three sons were forced to flee. One of those sons was Cairpre Riata. The Book of Leinster tells us that one of Cairpre Riata's opponents was Lughaidh Mac Con who was exiled and went to Alba (Scotland) where he remained for seven years. He then returned to Ireland and killed the present king, Con. He had three sons who were known as the Fothads. This name has been connected with Fothudain, the Gaelic for Votadini, one of the tribes of Southern Scotland.

Meanwhile Cairpre Riata and his brothers, with their people, travelled south to Munster but had to return north after a great famine. They then went to Scotland. King Lughaidh of Munster had banished his son, Corc (for unknown reasons), who also went to Alba and there married the daughter of the King of Cruithentuath (Northern Scotland). They had a son, Cairpre Cruithnechan (Little Cruithne), whose descendants became the Eoghanacht of Magh Gerginn - one of the ancient Pictish divisions.

The Cruithne tribe of Northern Ireland became known as the Dal n'Ariade.

Around 300 Ad, Cormac Mac Airt was the ruler in Ireland. During his reign the Deisi, one of the Irish tribes, was forced to move. Some of them migrated to Wales but were driven out by the Votadini tribe of southern Scotland. About this time, another tribe, the Ui Liathainn, also left Ireland to occupy lands north of the Deisi, possibly in Scotland.

From 327 to 331 AD Colla Uais, Cormac Mac Airt's great grandson, was King of Ireland, but had to flee to Alba after killing the son of another king. He took with him his two brothers and three hundred people. Their mother was the daughter of the King of Alba and they stayed there for three years.

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