A Short History of Dal Riata.

Dal Riata (Gaelic for Riata's Portion), was land given to the legendary MacErc brothers (of whom there were three) Fergus Mor, Loarn, and Oengus by the High King of Ireland. They left Ireland's north coast of Antrim (also considered part of Dal Riata) with followers and family and settled in what is now Argyll, parts of Kintyre, and some of the nearby islands from Iona to Mull. From here, the Scots (as they came to be known) spread out into the further islands of Islay and the Hebrides, and northwards toward Inverness. At the time most of mainland Scotland was under the rule of another Celtic peoples, the Picts, cousins to the Welsh Britons and probable descendants of the Caledonii and other ancient tribes of that area.

The Dal Riata Scots were of the Irish royal family of Ui' Neill, said to be descended from Niall of the Nine Hostages. Fergus and his brothers ruled as kings each in turn of this island kingdom, fighting the Picts to the east.

The Kingdom of Dal Riata at it's fullest extent.

 

 

At the beginning of the 8th century, the Scots had a thriving kingdom with trade links to both the continent and Ireland. Irish monks built the monestary of Iona under the leadership of St. Columba, or Colum Cille. Further Irish missionaries worked their way into the interior of Alba to convert the Pictish kingdoms to Christianity. Now, many of the Pictish tribes may have already had prior contact with Christianity due to the influx of southern Britons fleeing the Roman persecutions of earlier centuries, but not all the Picts were converts to the new religion. St. Columba famously converted Pictish King Bridei Mac Maelchu (also known as Brude and the alleged founder of Clan Brodie) during this time.

It was in this century that the Vikings sailed over the horizon. The army from Hell, burning, raiding, pillaging all along the Scottish coast, sacking Iona and razing the monestary twice. This forced Pict and Scot to unite time and again against the Northmen, culminating in the kingship of Kenneth MacAlpin, founder of the first recognizable Scottish royal dynasty and the end of Dal Riata as a separate entity.

After MacAlpin, the kingdom would always be known as Alba, or in the English, Scotland. Over time, the MacAlpin dynasty shifted the center of power from the Argyll coast into the heart of Scotland at centers like Scone and Dunkeld, leaving the islands to their own devices. Eventually the High King of Scots would rule only over the old kingdom of Moray and the newer expansions further south. Their place in Argyll would be taken eventually by Somhairl MacGhillibride, or Somerled, King of Argyll and Isles. Thanks to Somerled, the Norse would eventually be driven out of the highlands and islands, thus reviving Gaelic culture and language and creating a vibrant hybrid culture of Norse-Gaels. From his dynasty came the great clans of MacDonald, MacDougall, and others. The old Irish descended clans also revived under Somerled's rule and eventually clans such as MacLaine and Campbell would arise from the old royal kindreds, helping to bring an end to the Viking Age in Scotland once and for all at the Battle of Largs in the 1200's.

Warriors of Clan Gibson. The use of blue paint had gone out of fashion by the 1300's I think.