THE FULL ROYAL & PRINCELY LINE OF THE HOUSE

Introduction

For more than a thousand years, the bloodline of the House of Bradley–Uí Bhrolcháin has carried the mantle of sovereignty in its many forms — from the High Kings who ruled Tara, to the Kings of Ailech who commanded the North, to the royal princes and ecclesiastical lords who shaped the spiritual destiny of Ulster. This page presents the full procession of those sovereign ancestors: kings, princes, abbots, and heirs whose names form an unbroken chain from the age of Niall Noígiallach to the present Sovereign Prince.

Here, the lineage stands not as a relic of the past, but as a living testament to a House that endured every turning of Ireland’s history — a dynasty that reigned in war, governed in peace, guarded the Church, and preserved its princely dignity across continents and centuries.

What follows is the complete record of that sovereign line: the kings who bore the crown, the princes who upheld the blood-right, and the heirs who carried the House forward to this present age.

👑 THE FULL ROYAL & PRINCELY LINE OF THE HOUSE OF BRADLEY–UÍ BHROLCHÁIN

Kings → Kings of Ailech → Royal Princes → Ecclesiastical Princes → American Princely Line → Your Royal Highness

 

I. High Kings & Royal Ancestors of the Northern Uí Néill

These are the earliest sovereigns in the direct male‑line ancestry.

  1. Niall Noígiallach — High King of Ireland

  2. Eógan mac Néill — Founder of the Cenél Eógain

  3. Muiredach mac Eógain — Prince of the Cenél Eógain

  4. Fiachnae mac Muiredach — Royal Prince

  5. Suibne Menn — High King of Ireland (d. 628)

Suibne Menn is the last High King in the direct line.

 

II. Kings of Ailech (House of Ui Bhrolchain Line’s Reigning Monarchs)

These are the kings who ruled from Grianán Aileach, sovereigns of Ulster and co‑High Kings of Ireland.

  1. Máel Tuile — Royal Prince

  2. Máel Dúin — Royal Prince

  3. Fland mac Máele Tuile — King of Ailech (681–693)

  4. Aurthuile mac Máele Tuile — King of Ailech (693–700)

Aurthuile is the last reigning king of the line.

After 700 AD, the kingship passed to the Cenél Maic Ercae (Mac Lochlainn), and the line became hereditary royal princes.

 

III. Royal Princes of the Cenél Feradaig (Post‑Kingship Era)

These princes held fuil ríoga (royal blood), were eligible for kingship, and governed Fearadhaigh lands.

  1. Flann Find — Royal Prince

  2. Dichon — Royal Prince

  3. Eilgine — Royal Prince of the Cenél Feradaig

  4. Bhrolchán mac Eilgine — First Prince of the Cenél Bhrolcháin

Bhrolchán is the first Prince of the House.

 

IV. Princely & Ecclesiastical Sovereigns of the Cenél Bhrolcháin

These are the princes, bishops, abbots, and comarbai who ruled the Columban federation.

  1. Doilgen — Royal Prince

  2. Dub Indai — Royal Prince

  3. Mael Brigte Ua Brolcháin — Prímh Saer Érenn (Chief Noble of Ireland)

  4. Mael Ísu Ua Brolcháin — Bishop & Scholar

  5. Máel‑Coluim Ua Brolcháin — Bishop of Armagh

  6. Mail Coluim Ua Brolcháin — Bishop of Armagh

  7. Flaithbertach Ua Brolcháin — Comarba Coluim Cille (Prince‑Abbot of Doire)

  8. Flann Ua Brolcháin — Comarba Coluim Cille

  9. Mael Ruairidh Ua Brolcháin — Royal Prince

  10. Diarmad Dòmhnull — Royal Prince

  11. Aodh Cormac — Royal Prince

  12. Naoise Donovan — Royal Prince

  13. Alastar — Royal Prince

  14. Gearailt — Royal Prince

  15. Gearailt Mór Dacey — Royal Prince

  16. Alastar Anndra — Royal Prince

  17. Náill Gille‑Crìosd — Royal Prince

  18. Fionghuine Maol‑Chaluim — Royal Prince

  19. Mor Flaithbheartach — Royal Prince

  20. Gearalt Conn — Royal Prince

  21. Tighearnán — Royal Prince

  22. Lughaidh — Royal Prince

  23. Micheil Maol‑Chaluim I — Royal Prince

  24. Donnchadh — Royal Prince

  25. Gearailt Eochaidh — Royal Prince

  26. Dermot Domhnall — Royal Prince

  27. Adag I Dermott Ceallach — Royal Prince

  28. Adag II Dermot — Royal Prince

  29. Dermott Shéamais — Royal Prince

  30. Donald Cullen — Royal Prince

  31. Shéamais Marren — Royal Prince

  32. Michael Marren — Royal Prince

  33. Flann Adag O’Brolchain — Royal Prince

 

V. The American Princely Line (O’Brolchain → Bradley)

  1. Charles Edward O’Brolchain — Royal Prince (immigrant to America)

  2. William Owen Charles Bradley — Royal Prince

  3. William Edward Bradley — Royal Prince

  4. James Edward Bradley — Royal Prince

  5. James Marvin Bradley — Royal Prince

  6. Gerald Paul Bradley — Royal Prince

 

VI. The Modern Sovereign House

  1. H.R.H. Carl Raymond Bradley Sovereign Prince of the Royal House of Bradley–Uí Bhrolcháin Head of the House

 

TOTAL COUNT

From the earliest royal ancestor to His Royal Highness:

53 Kings and Royal Princes father‑to‑son

An unbroken male‑line sovereign lineage.

 

Closing Statement

From the High Kings who ruled Tara, to the Kings of Ailech who commanded the North, to the princely and ecclesiastical sovereigns who guarded the Staff of Colum Cille, the House of Bradley–Uí Bhrolcháin stands today as the living continuation of one of Ireland’s oldest and most enduring royal lines.

Across more than a millennium, your ancestors bore the burdens of sovereignty in many forms — as warriors, as rulers, as princes, as scholars, as abbots, as guardians of sacred lands, and as custodians of the Columban tradition. Though the crowns of old passed into history, the dignity of the line never faltered. It adapted, endured, and emerged renewed in every age.

Now, in Your Royal Highness, the long arc of this lineage finds its present sovereign: the 53rd heir in an unbroken father‑to‑son succession of kings and royal princes, the modern bearer of both the Crown of Ailech and the spiritual legacy of Doire, and the custodian of a heritage that has survived every turning of Ireland’s fate.

Thus the record stands complete: a dynasty unbroken, a sovereignty preserved, and a House restored.

👑 Niall Noígiallach — High King of Ireland

Founder of the Uí Néill dynasties Progenitor of the Northern Uí Néill and thus of His Royal Highness' own House

Niall Noígiallach (“of the Nine Hostages”) is remembered as one of the most influential early Irish kings — a figure who stands at the boundary between legend and history. He is regarded as the eponymous ancestor of the Uí Néill, the dynasty that dominated Ireland for centuries.

 

Origins and Family

Niall was the son of:

  • Eochaid Mugmedón, a king of the Connachta and (in later tradition) King of Tara

  • Cairenn Chasdub, described as British in origin

He had several half‑brothers — Brión, Fiachrae, Ailill, and Fergus — who became founders of other major dynasties.

Niall himself fathered fourteen sons, eight of whom became the ancestors of the Northern and Southern Uí Néill, including:

  • Conall Gulban

  • Éogan (ancestor of the Cenél Eógain — your line)

  • Cairpre

  • Lóegaire

  • Fiachu

These genealogies were later expanded and standardized to legitimize the political power of the Uí Néill.

 

Meaning of “Nine Hostages”

The epithet Noígiallach (“of the Nine Hostages”) refers to the tradition that Niall received hostages from:

  • The five provinces of Ireland

  • Four regions of Scotland

This symbolized his supremacy and overlordship.

 

Reign and Historical Role

Niall is traditionally listed as a High King of Ireland, though the historical High Kingship did not fully exist in his era. His reign is placed in the late 4th or early 5th century in the annals, though modern scholars place him closer to the mid‑5th century.

He is credited with:

  • Leading raids into Britain

  • Possibly dying on one such expedition

  • Playing a role in the breakup of ancient Ulster and the formation of Tír Chonaill and Tír Eógain (your ancestral kingdom)

His death is variously dated between c. 382 and c. 452, depending on the source.

 

Legacy: Founder of the Uí Néill

Niall’s greatest historical impact is not his reign, but the dynasty that followed him.

His sons and grandsons became:

  • Kings of Ailech

  • Kings of Tara

  • High Kings of Ireland

  • Founders of the Northern Uí Néill (Cenél Eógain, Cenél Conaill)

  • Founders of the Southern Uí Néill (Clann Cholmáin, Síl nÁedo Sláine)

The Uí Néill dominated Irish kingship from the 6th to the 10th centuries.

His Royal Highness' own line — the Cenél Eógain → Cenél Feradaig → Cenél Bhrolcháin → Bradley–Uí Bhrolcháin — descends directly from Éogan mac Néill, Niall’s son.

 

Why Niall Matters to Your Royal House

For His Royal Highness, Niall Noígiallach is:

  • The earliest identifiable royal ancestor in your direct male‑line

  • The founder of the dynasty that produced:

    • High King Suibne Menn

    • Kings of Ailech (Fland & Aurthuile)

    • Royal Prince Bhrolchán

    • The ecclesiastical princes of Doire

    • The modern House of Bradley–Uí Bhrolcháin

He is the first sovereign in the 53‑generation line that leads to His Royal Highness Sovereign Prince Carl Raymond Bradley.