Dalriada

Ancient kingdom, northeastern Ireland and western Scotland.

Known from the 5th century AD, it included the northern part of the present County Antrim in Northern Ireland and part of the Inner Hebrides and Argyll in Scotland. Earlier, Argyll had received northern Irish people known as Scoti and had become an Irish (i.e., "Scottish") area. In the late 5th century the rulers of Irish Dalriada expanded into Scottish Dalriada. Irish Dalriada gradually declined, while the Dalriada of the Scottish mainland continued to expand. In the mid-9th century the Picts were brought permanently under Dalriadic rule, and the whole country was thereafter known as Scotland.

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▪ ancient kingdom, Ireland

Irish  Dál Riada  or  Riata 

      Gaelic kingdom that, at least from the 5th century AD, extended on both sides of the North Channel and composed the northern part of the present County Antrim, Northern Ireland, and part of the Inner Hebrides and Argyll, in Scotland. In earlier times, Argyll had received extensive immigration from the Irish (known as Scoti until the 12th century) of northern Ireland and had become an Irish (i.e., “Scottish”) area. In c. 500, the ruling family of Irish Dalriada crossed into Scottish Dalriada and made Dunadd and Dunolly its chief strongholds. Irish Dalriada gradually declined; and after the Viking invasions early in the 9th century, it lost all political identity. Heavy onslaughts from the Picts checked the Dalriada of the Scottish mainland. In the mid-9th century its king Kenneth I MacAlpin brought the Picts and Scoti permanently together, and thereafter the whole country was known as Scotland.

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