the septs and their defined ancestor have been maintained for well over a millennium. The Connachta in the Ulster Cycle In the sagas of the Ulster Cycle, the Connachta, ruled from Cruachan by their king Ailill mac Máta and their formidable queen Medb, are the enemies of the Ulaid, ruled from Emain Macha (Navan Fort, County Armagh) by Conchobar mac Nessa, and their wars, notably the Táin Bó Cúailnge (cattle raid of Cooley), are the setting for most of the stories. These sagas are traditionally set around the time of Christ, which creates an apparent anachronism: the Connachta are supposedly named after Conn Cétchathach, who in the usual chronological scheme established by the Lebor Gabála Érenn, lived in the 2nd century AD. Later texts used the supposedly earlier names of Cóiced Ol nEchmacht (the province of the Fir Ól nÉcmacht, an ancient people of Connacht) and Cóiced Genaind (the province of Genann, a legendary king of the Fir Bolg) for the western province to get around this difficulty. However, the saga tradition is older than the chronological scheme, which is an artificial attempt by Christian monks to synchronise native traditions with classical and biblical history, and it is possible that the Ulster Cycle is based on historical wars between the Ulaid and the Connachta which have been chronologically misplaced. Kenneth H. Jackson estimated that Ulster heroic saga originated in the 4th century. Connachta family tree See also Kings of Connacht Síol Muireadaigh Cenél Conaill Cenél nEógain Irish nobility Irish royal families References External links R-M222 Haplogroup Project at Family Tree DNA Medieval Irish people Gaelic-Irish nations and dynasties Irish royal families Ulster Cycle