Dál Riata: The Powerful Gaelic Kingdom of Scotland and Ireland
Channel: Celtic History Decoded
Date: 2022-02-08

Dál Riata: The Powerful Gaelic Kingdom of Scotland and Ireland

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Dál Riata was a Gaelic kingdom that comprised County Antrim in modern north-east Ireland and the western seaborne of modern Scotland. This Gaelic Kingdom included various inner Hebridean islands, and the western section of Scotland known as Argyll, or coast of the Gaels. The capital of Dál Riata was most probably Dunadd in Argyll and Bute, with wine containers from Gaul amongst the relics found in Dunadd. 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.

An early version of Gaelic appears to have been the primary language of Dál Riata, but other languages seem to have been spoken in parts of the island kingdom. Columba famously had to use a translator when speaking to someone from Skye, and there is evidence from placenames that P-Celtic languages were spoken in certain places. Celtic languages are divided by some scholars into two categories: P-Celtic languages such as Gaulish and Brittonic; and Q-Celtic languages, which include the Goidelic or Gaelic languages of Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx today. 

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. 
In relation to the origins of the Gaels in Scotland, one argument is that they came from Ireland and conquered the western region of Argyll in Scotland around 500 AD. The story goes that the conquest was led by the three sons of the King of the Irish Dál Riata, Erc, with his sons being Fergus Mor, Loarn and Óengus. This narrative is challenged by others, who argue that the Gaels were in Scotland centuries before this. 

Bede, a monk born in the Kingdom of Northumbria wrote in his book completed in 731 AD, called the Ecclesiastical History of the English People, that. 

“In course of time Britain received a third tribe in addition to the Britons and the Picts, namely the Irish. These came from Ireland under their leader Reuda, and won lands among the Picts either by friendly treaty or the sword. These they still possess. They are still called Dalreudini after this leader, Dal in their language signifying a part” (Bede 1994: 11). 

The origins of Dál Riata are not quite clear, but there does seem to have been two Dál Riata’s in a sense however, at least for periods of time, a Scottish and an Irish one. 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...

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/ 

Creative Commons Imagery:

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#DálRiata #Gaelic #ScottishHistory