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Its a fact that in ancient times conquest was tied to rape. When you plundered, you screwed your fallen foes women. This is why Khan has so many descendants, and explains Niall, Charlemagne, and other conquerors genes being so common today.

Despite the legends about the burning forge, it's likely that Niall became high king the way most Irish kings did...by killing those who opposed him. This would have given him a lot of opportunity to spread his seed, so to speak.

I'd be curious to know how common his genes are OUTSIDE of Ireland. What made Niall so famous wasn't that he was high king (there were lots of those), but that he was such a prolific raider. There are semi-legendary stories of him leading raiding parties all the way to the Alps, and it's fairly well established that he raided the coasts of Scotland, Wales, England, France, and Germany with impunity. That's a lot of raiding, and a lot of potential "seed spreading".

Unfortunately, mass emigration due to oppression and the Great Famine would largely complicate the picture, don't you think? There are more Irish living outside of Ireland than on the island today..