Editing Art mac Cuinn

{{short description |Legendary High King of Ireland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
'''Art mac Cuinn''' ("son of [[Conn of the Hundred Battles|Conn]]"), also known as '''Art Óenfer''' (literally "one man", used in the sense of "lone", "solitary", or "only son"),<ref>''[[Dictionary of the Irish Language]]'', Compact Edition, [[Royal Irish Academy]], 1990, pp. 299-300, 485</ref> was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a [[High King of Ireland]].

==Siblings==
According to the legend, ''[[Echtra Condla]]'', he was not Conn's only son: he had a brother called [[Connla the Ruddy|Connla]], who fell in love with a fairy woman, and went with her to [[Mag Mell]], never to be seen again. After that, Art was alone and gained his nickname, ''Art Óenfer''.<ref>[http://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/connla.html "The Adventures of Connla the Fair"], Cross & Slover 1936, pp. 488-490</ref> [[Geoffrey Keating]] says he had two brothers, Connla and Crionna, who were killed by their uncle Eochaid Finn.<ref>[[Geoffrey Keating]], ''Foras Feasa ar Éirinn'' [http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100054/text051.html 1.41]</ref>

==Biography==
Another fairy woman, [[Bé Chuille]]/Bechuma, who had been banished to Ireland by the [[Tuatha Dé Danann]], fell in love with Art, but, when she learned his father Conn was still alive and a widower, agreed to marry him instead, on the condition that Art be banished from [[Hill of Tara|Tara]] for a year. The injustice caused famine in Ireland, until Art forced Bé Chuille to leave as a forfeit in a game of ''[[fidchell]]''.<ref>[http://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/art.html "The Adventures of Art son of Conn"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071022085531/http://maryjones.us/ctexts/art.html |date=2007-10-22 }}, Cross & Slover 1936, pp. 491–502</ref> In another variant of the myth, Bé Chuille places a [[geis]] on Art, after he loses at a game of fidchell; under which he must leave Ireland never to return until he can find and rescue the maiden Delbchaem ("Fair Shape"). Art travels to the Land of Wonder, facing untold dangers and is forced to kill Delbchaem's mother a fearsome and supernatural figure, who has been foretold by druids that she would be killed by a suitor of her daughter. When Art and Delbchaem return to Tara, Delbchaem banishes Bé Chuille from the land, returning fertility to the region.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bsNuTKJ9w4QC&q=delbchaem+Art+Mac+Conn&pg=PA330|title=The Celtic Encyclopedia, Volume 2|last=Mountain|first=Harry|year=1998|page=330|isbn=9781581128918|publisher=Universal Publishers}}</ref>

Art succeeded to the High Kingship after his brother-in-law [[Conaire Cóem]], was killed by Nemed, son of Sroibcenn, in the battle of Gruitine. He ruled for twenty or thirty years. During his reign Conaire's sons took revenge against Nemed and his allies, the sons of [[Ailill Aulom]], in the Battle of Cennfebrat in [[Munster]]. Ailill's foster-son [[Lugaid mac Con]] was wounded in the thigh in the battle, and was exiled from Ireland. He made an alliance with Benne Brit, son of the king of [[Great Britain|Britain]], raised an army of foreigners, and returned to Ireland. He defeated and killed Art in the [[Battle of Maigh Mucruimhe]] in [[Connacht]].<ref>''[[Annals of the Four Masters]]'' [http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100005A/text027.html M165-195]</ref> According to legend, Art was given hospitality by Olc Acha, a local smith, the night before the battle. It had been prophesied that a great dignity would come from Olc's line, and he gave Art his daughter Achtan to sleep with. Art's son [[Cormac mac Airt|Cormac]] was conceived that night.<ref>[http://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/mucrama.html "The Battle of Mag Mucrama"] (translator unknown)</ref> However, according to Keating, Achtan was Art's official mistress, to whom he paid a dowry of cattle; his wife, and the mother of his other children, was [[Medb Lethderg]].<ref>Geoffrey Keating, ''Foras Feasa ar Éirinn'' [http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100054/text053.html 1.43]</ref>

The ''[[Lebor Gabála Érenn]]'' synchronises Art's reign with that of the [[Roman emperor]] [[Commodus]] (180–192).<ref>R. A. Stewart Macalister (ed. & trans.), ''Lebor Gabála Érenn: The Book of the Taking of Ireland Part V'', Irish Texts Society, 1956, p. 335</ref> The chronology of Keating's ''Foras Feasa ar Éirinn'' dates his reign to 143–173, that of the ''[[Annals of the Four Masters]]'' to 165–195.

{{Tree chart/start}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | FLR | | CAM |FLR=[[Fedlimid Rechtmar]]|CAM=[[Cathaír Mór]]}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | |!| | | |!}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | CON |y| ETH | | |CON=[[Conn Cétchathach]]|ETH=Eithne Táebfada}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | |,|-|-|^|-|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|-|-|-|.}}
{{Tree chart | | MLD |~| AMC |y| ACH | | SAR |y| MML | | SDB |~| CCM |MLD=[[Medb Lethderg]]|AMC='''Art mac Cuinn'''|ACH=[[Achtan]]|SAR=Saruit|MML=Macnia mac Lugdach|SDB=Sadb|CCM=[[Conaire Cóem]]}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | |!| | | | | | | |!}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | CMA |y| EOL | | LMC |CMA=[[Cormac mac Airt]]||EOL=Eithne Ollamda|LMC=[[Lugaid mac Con]]}}
{{Tree chart | | |,|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|+|-|-|-|-|-|-|.}}
{{Tree chart | | CLF | | DUD |~| GRA |~| FMC |~| AIL |CLF=[[Cairbre Lifechair]]|DUD=[[Diarmuid Ua Duibhne]]|GRA=[[Gráinne]]|FMC=[[Fionn mac Cumhaill]]|AIL=Aillbe}}
{{Tree chart | | |:}}
{{Tree chart | |F|A|~|~|V|~|~|~|V|~|~|~|V|~|~|~|7}}
{{Tree chart | CNN | | UN  | | AIR | | DLR | | UIM |CNN=''[[Connachta]]''|UN=''[[Uí Néill]]''|AIR=''[[Airgíalla]]''|DLR=''[[Colla Da Chrioch]]''|UIM=''[[Uí Maine]]''}}
{{Tree chart/end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Conaire Cóem]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of High Kings of Ireland|High King of Ireland]]|years=[[Lebor Gabála Érenn|LGE]] 2nd century AD<br />[[Geoffrey Keating|FFE]] AD 143–173<br />[[Annals of the Four Masters|AFM]] AD 165–195}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Lugaid mac Con]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Art Mac Cuinn}}
[[Category:Cycles of the Kings]]
[[Category:Legendary High Kings of Ireland]]