Fera Cuala; Fercullen; Uí Brúin Cualann

 

The area of the Greater Glen of the Downs was very special in ancient Ireland. The old name for the Great Sugar Loaf was

Ó Cualann and it was central to the Royal Kingdom of Fera Cuala in Leinster (YF2021) - no wonder the area from its foot in Calary running through The Royal Meeting Place, The Ancient Toll Path, The Glen of the Downs, Ballydonnagh (Villa U Dunecha) and  back up to Coolagad Hillfort and on to the sea at Greystones is so stunningly beautiful!.

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This territory was known in ancient times as Fera Cuala, the Men of Cuala, also as Uí Briúin Cualann,  and by the 1500's Fera Cuala or genitive Fera Cualann was anglicised to Fercullen. 

 

Calary, Downshill and Coolagad were very important to the territory of Fera Cuala with the ancient Irish name of Ó Cualann for the Sugar Loaf which site in their midst supporting that theory. I believe that the following place names have Cuala as their root: Glencullen - Glen Cualann; Farrankelly - Fearann Cuala;  Coolnaskeagh -Cuala-na- sceach;  and Coolagad Cuala-gad - Road of Cuala; Coolakay - Cuala Mhic Aedh; Eaglais Fhearann na Coille (Woodlands Church) - Eagalis Fearann na Cuala; Barchuilia - Bar Cuala; Barnachullia - Bar na Cuala  (YF2021). The Irish name for Downshill is Cnoc an Dúin - Hill of the Fort. This harkens back to a time when it was used as a hill-fort in ancient Ireland. Even more amazing is the ancient name for Downshill - Dún Caillaighe Béirre - Fort of the Wise Woman of Beara (The Ancient Irish Goddess of Winter)

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Fera Cuala was ruled by the Mac Giolla Mocholmog clan:

 

"Prior to 1169, coastal Wicklow was dominated by three Irish kingdoms and the two Viking towns of Wicklow and Arklow with their respective hinterlands. These kingdoms were Ui Briuin Cualann who ruled over by Domnall Mac Gilla Mo-Cholmoc (d.c.1185) in the northeast, the Ua Fergaile kingdom of Forthuatha Laigin (running from Glendalough to the coast) and the Ua Fiachrach kingdom of Ui Enechglaiss extending from the Aughrim region down the Avonmore to outskirts of Viking Arklow" (Dr. Emmett O'Byrne 2011).

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"The Ui Briuin appear to have occupied the coastal district south of the river Liffey at a very early date, perhaps before 500 A.D., and to have gradually extended their territory further to the south. At one period or another Deilginis (Dalkey), Senchill (Rathmichael), Tulach na n-Epscop (Tully), Glenn Munire (Glenmunder, Ballyman), Dun Brea (which is prob ably Bray1) and Teach Conaill (near Powerscourt) are named as being in Ui Briuin Cualann; so was Dergne Mogoroc (Delgany)" (The Grant to Walter de Ridelesford of Brien and the Land of the Sons of Turchil : Liam Price 1954).

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