The Kingdom of Dalriada (4)

[Ptarmigan]

Dalriada

Dál Riata (also Dalriada or Dalriata) was a Gaelic overkingdom on the western seaboard of Scotland with some territory on the northern coasts of Ireland. In the late 6th and early 7th century it encompassed roughly what is now Argyll and Bute and Lochaber in Scotland and also County Antrim in Ireland.[1]

Dál Riata ~ Wikipedia

This is where "modern" history began, Angus' birthplace at Dunseverick Castle in Northern Ireland. Angus was one of three brothers who went north to settle Scottland. Aonghais, the Gaelic name, sounds out to be Innes, Mac means those descendants of Angus, thus MacInnes is the family line from Angus. With history from the time of Moses, intermingled with legends like St. Patrick and St. Columba, Dalriada was first the name for the land in Northern Ireland. Founded by Cairbre Riadia who settled in this area, and later, the name was applied to the Scottish area where Angus, Lorne and Fergus settled. Angus was the seafaring brother, having Jura and Islay as his lands. The name MacInnes (mac Aonghais) is one the oldest name to remain from these times.

Irish Dalriada

The first settlers from the Irish tribe of Dal Riata in County Antrim arrived in Argyll around 400AD. They would hardly be noticed by the Picts. There had always been contact with Ireland - after all, the Mull of Kintyre is only 12 miles from the emerald isle. There is even some evidence that the Scotti, as they became known, drifted in over a number of centuries and may have fought alongside the Picts against the Romans as far back as the 4th century. Around 497, however, Fergus Mor, son of Erc, of Irish royal blood, arrived with his sons. Gradually, there were sufficient numbers of them to create a kingdom which was separate from that in Ireland. The indigenous Pictish tribe of the Epidii in Argyll disappeared without trace at this stage.

Dalriada ~ Kingdom of the Scots

Dalriada was probably one of the most significant and important of the Celtic maritime kingdoms, stretching from the North Antrim coast to the Mull of Kintyre, thus uniting the countries of Ireland and Scotland. Although now shrouded in myth and legend, there is little doubt that it provided political and cultural links across the Sea of Moyle, which have persisted down through the ages until today. Founded by the Irish in prehistoric times, the Kingdom formally continued until the 8th and 9th centuries although the traditions it engendered persisted down to the 16th and 17th centuries, providing inspiration for much poetry, legend, drama and song in both Ireland and Scotland. Despite its undoubted historical and cultural significance, Dalriada still remains a mysterious and shadowy realm, its name meaning different things to different peoples.

Dalriada ~ North Antrim Community Network