Aed Brosc (fl. 382 - 405?)

There was a lot of Irish migration to Wales in
the fourth century. The Desai fled Ireland after
a failed bid for independence and eventually
settled in Dyfed as mercenaries.

Aed Brosc was a warrior and key figure from the Desai tribe who had settled along the Dyfed coast in southwestern Wales in the late fourth century. Several years before, his grandfather, Eochaid Allmuir, had led a failed bid for independence which had been severely crushed by the Irish High King. Fearing retribution, the Desai fled Ireland, sailing across the Irish Sea to Britain.

The Roman Commander of Britain at the time was Magnus Maximus, who would later go on to become Western Roman Emperor. At a time when Roman military strength was stretched, he made very effective use of mercenaries to protect the remoter parts of Britain. The Desai, led by Aed Brosc, were allowed to settle in Dementia (modern-day Dyfed) in 382 AD and in return became mercenaries, protecting the Dyfed coast against Irish raiders. This arrangement continued after Magnus Maximus's death in 388 AD. One of Magnus Maximus's sons, Anwn Dynod, had been given authority over Demetia sometime in the 380s and it appears that Aed Brosc fought alongside him to drive off the Irish warbands that continued to plague the Welsh coast.

Not much is known about Aed Brosc personally. He must have been a strong character to lead a dispossessed tribe across the Irish Sea, and also a loyal man who helped protect his new homeland even as Roman authority crumbled. He had at least two sons and indirectly founded two royal dynasties. The descendants of his eldest son, Urb, would found the kingdom of Brycheiniog in the mid-fifth century and his younger son, Triffyn, would go on to marry Gweldyr, the sole surviving heiress of the Demetian kings in 421 AD. Aed Brosc's death is not recorded but he probably died before the Roman withdrawal in 410 AD.