The
Senchus exists in a number of manuscripts, of which the most important belonged to
Dubhaltach Mac Fhirbhisigh and then to
Edward Lhuyd. This, Ms. H.2.7 held by
Trinity College Dublin, was compiled in the 14th century by
Lúcás Ó Dalláin, probably working with
Seán Mór Ó Dubhagáin (died 1372), the chief poet and historian of the
Uí Maine. This manuscript was once thought to have formed part of the
Book of Uí Maine, but this is no longer considered plausible. Other examples are found in the
Book of Ballymote (1384x1406), the
Book of Lecan (before 1418), and in Mac Fhirbhisigh's 17th-century genealogical compilations. It may have been derived from earlier documents of the 7th century which are presumed to have been written in
Latin. The
Senchus is a relatively short document, around 70 or 80 lines of type depending on the variant used. To it is appended the
Genelaig Albanensium which contains genealogies of
Máel Coluim mac Cináeda and
Causantín mac Cuilén, kings of
Alba, and of
Ainbcellach mac Ferchair and other Dál Riata kings. Most versions of the
Senchus follow the late myth of the Dál Riata origins by beginning with Eochaid Muinremar and the sons of Erc,
Fergus Mór among them. Mac Fhirbhisigh's own version of the
Senchus traces Dál Riata to the
Síl Conairi and Cairpre Riata (Rígfhota), son of
Conaire Mór and/or
Conaire Cóem, who may be the
Reuda of
Bede's
Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum. The
Genelaig Albanensium, and the similar genealogies in the
Rawlinson B 502 manuscript, make Cairpre Riata an ancestor in the tenth or fifteenth generation of Fergus Mór mac Eirc. The historical value of the
Senchus rests largely in its later sections, which include historical kings of Dál Riata — myth may end and history begin in the reign of
Conall mac Comgaill in the middle of the 6th century. The last king who can be identified in the genealogies contained in the
Senchus proper is
Conall Crandomna, who died around 660. The
Senchus lists the divisions of Dál Riata—the
Cenél nGabráin, the
Cenél Loairn, and the
Cenél nÓengusa—and their obligations for military service, apparently at a time when the
Cenél Comgaill remained part of the Cenél nGabráin. These divisions need not be of great antiquity, and the lists provided are not without problems. The Senchus lists no kindreds or military obligations for the Irish lands, if any, which may have formed part of Dál Riata. One curious feature of the Senchus is the presence of
Airgíalla in the lands of the Cenél Loairn. It is not apparent whether these represent settlers from Ireland, or simply people to whom the label "additional clients" was applied. The
Senchus lists what is believed to be the oldest reference to a naval battle in the British Isles. There is a brief record of an engagement between rival Dalriadan groups in 719. ==See also==