 He was the son of Muirecán mac Diarmata (died 863), a previous king.There is much confusion in the king lists during this period for Leinster.Francis John Byrne suggests that the root of this apparent confusion lay in the fact that the Uí Dúnlainge kings exercised little real authority due to the aggressions of their western neighbour Cerball mac Dúnlainge (died 888), King of Osraige.