Exploring the Capital of Dál Riata, the Powerful Gaelic Kingdom of Scotland and Ireland, Dunadd Fort
Channel: Celtic History Decoded
Date: 2022-10-10

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Exploring the Capital of Dál Riata, the Powerful Gaelic Kingdom of Scotland and Ireland (Dunadd)

Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen are some major power centres in Scotland today. 1,500 years ago, Dunadd fort in Argyll served a similar function to these places today, as it was the capital of the powerful Gaelic Kingdom of Dál Riata from around the AD 500 to AD 800, a kingdom that eventually merged with the Picts in 843AD into the Kingdom of Alba, the embryonic kingdom of Scotland. 

Given the geography of Dál Riata, it will come as no surprise that the kingdom had a strong naval presence. Currachs, a type of Irish boat, were probably popular methods of transport, with some sources suggesting that the Gaels may have built their own version of Viking long boats for certain purposes. Dál Riata also had a strong naval war fleet that was organised between the houses who each had to provide oarsmen. 

The Kingdom reached its height of power during the 6th and 7th centuries AD, and the inhabitants of Dál Riata were often referred to by Latin sources as Scoti, and later as Gaels. Dunadd was also where royal ceremonies took place in Dal Raita during its golden age.

The coast is not far from here at all, and Dunadd was a major centre of trade. Pottery from across Europe has also been found here, including wine containers from ancient Gaul, which was centred on France and Belgium today.

In relation to the organisation of Scottish Dál Riata, it was comprised of 4 main kindreds with their own leaders claiming descent from previous kings. The four kindreds were:
• Cenél nGabráin (based in Kintyre).
• Cenél nÓengusa (based on Islay); 
• Cenél Loairn (who gave their name to the district of Lorn); 
• and Cenél Comgaill (who gave their name to Cowal). 

Sources:

Dál Riata, Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%A1l_Riata 

Dalriada, Britannica https://www.britannica.com/place/Dalriada 

Bede - Ecclesiastical History of the English People (Oxford University Press) quote from p.11. 

BBC News, Kingdom of Dal Riata – Factsheet - https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/scottishhistory/darkages/trails_darkages_gaels2.shtml 

Dalriada, The Scottish Historical Society https://scottishhistorysociety.com/dalriada/ 

Dunadd Fort, Historic Environment Scotland https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/kilmartin-glen-dunadd-fort/history/ 

Encyclopedia - Dál Riata https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/dal-riata 

Scotland History Tours, Why You'd be Crazy Not to Visit Kilmartin Glen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB2jRL_DqKM 

Creative Commons Imagery:

Kenny Davidson https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nether_Largie.jpg Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/deed.en 

#dalraita #history #scotland 

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:35 Golden Age
1:05 Kings Inauguration Stone 
2:52 International Hub 
4:14 Naval Presence and Iona 
5:59 Fairies
7:15 Support