I had never heard of this until yesterday when I discovered I was descended from these people.I never paid attention to history but this is so interesting.I'm from New England, U.S.A , and started looking into my family tree and traced back to this area and time period.I've been to the Highlands and a few islands.Thank you for your informative research.
Thank you for this series of videos on this fascinating topic. I have a question that you might be able to shed light on. I am currently researching the history of Dal Riata and it's relation to the Scottish epic poems of Ossian (Fingal and Temora). After reading James McPhersons translations, it became apparent to me that Fingal might be a Mythological king of Dal Rhiata. For the purposes of my adaptation of the story, I intend to use elements of Macphersons version of the story and the Irish version related in the ulster Cycle(Finn McCool and the Fiana Fail) . Also from online research I found that one of the kings of Dal Riata (possbly Domnighall) fought in a huge battle in Ireland over a battle of succession of the Irish crown(High kingship) were the king of Dal Riata backed his ulster kinsmen. It was apparently the largest battle on Irish soil(50,000 men) . The outcome of the battle was defeat for the Dal Riata king and his pretender high king. The historical events of this battle, are strikingly similar to the events portrayed the epic Temora. Although one must be cautious and not speculate on the historical validatity of linking history and mythology. It does give me an opportunity to flesh out the world building of the story by using the historical kingdom of Dal Riata as a template for events of Temora. I was wondering what are your thoughts on the Ossian poems(both versions) and if you believe the have any tangible links to the culture of Dal Riata?
Thank you! My friends and I are starting an EMP branch based on and named after DalRiata. You're video is exactly the level of education we have been searching for.
This is great. This video is the first video describing dal riada in such detail I have seen. I'm from the isle of arran - I like to think that arran wouldve been part of dal riada - maybe the gabràin area? There is a big fort on the southend of the island, called torr na chaisdail (I probably butchered that name lol)
Thankyou! I agree - there seems to be a lack of accessible videos on RUclips that deal with Dalriada in more than passing detail. In their time, the kingdom held far-reaching power across Northern Britain and its frustrating that more work on them hasn't come into the mainstream. The Firth of Clyde would've been a fascinating (and probably rather dangerous) place throughout the Early Medieval period! Arran and Cowal would've been on the frontlines of wars, invasions, political intrigue and language barriers. From what I've read, Arran would've indeed been under the control of Cenel Gabràin during this time. Torr a' chaisdail may have been a little early for this period, but if still occupied in the Early Medieval era, it would've been the home of a minor chief who controlled the farmlands - and the people - nearby. We can imagine him and his people answering the call to arms by the lord of Cenel Gabràin and sailing off in their warships to fight under kings such as Aedan macGabràin in the late 6th century.
Thanks for great vid..what i do know, it added to..you mention the Leather works..at one stage,vellum was the biggest industries in the area.this points to Iona where book making ,and a Huge Library was attributed to Iona?
@jan gowan I've read the same - Alistair Moffat, although a bit of a romantic, suggested that the Ionan monks were able to hide some of Iona's library before the Norse destroyed everything on Iona. If so whoever did so died before they could go back for it - wherever it is. In the unlikely event anything survived to be found today, imagine the significance of making such a find. Mind blowing!
@@cowalhistory7598 yes,King Cormac commissioned several ships to take what was left to Richalieu in France,where Boniface under the authority of the Pope, ordered all to be incarcarcerated in a vault in the Vatican ,locked up to this day....Recently ,the Pope ordered a review of the contents of several vaults,so there's some hope?
Other books were sent to Kells in Ireland,many were taken to Lindisfarne,and st. Gallen in Switzerland...i came across part or a Dictionary translating the Ogham scripts into Gaelic,i made a few photocopies of some pages and was suprised to see that it was much more than the Ogham scripts that we know ..will send you a photo copy soon
If I am correct you said something about the Vikings doing-in Dalriada. I always thought they may have taken Iona and some other coastal areas/islands but that it was the the Picts who came back and officially ended their run.
There is a bit of a 'black hole' in the contemporary sources for the west coast of Scotland in the two centuries or so after the Viking arrival, probably as they were destroying the centres of the monks who were compiling the written records of the times. Through the study of placenames in western Scotland (see Arne Kruse's work, along with Nicholas Evans) the Vikings indeed appear to have overwhelmed the offshore elements of Dalriada and settled there. Viking settlement in mainland Dalriada was less pervasive and they seem to have 'gone native' within two generations - this would've all contributed to the development of the 'Norse-Gaels' in the c.9th and c.10th. Mainland Dalriada seems to have survived politically long enough to provide the springboard for Kenneth McAlpine to place himself for the take-over of Pictland and the supplanting of the Pictish elite. He appears to have brought the old Dalriadan mainland territories with him into the formation of the Kingdom of Alba. The boundary of where Alban/Dalriadan and Norse-Gael territory begins and ends during this period is not certain however. There is also the suspicion (see Adrian Maldonado's 'Crucible of Nations') that some of the Vikings may have been complicit with Kenneth McAlpine when he launched his campaign to take over Pictland, meaning that the rump of Dalriada and the Vikings had come to terms to co-exist by the mid. c.8th.
@@cowalhistory7598 Thank you for the in-depth explanation. I have a hard time seeing the dalriada-Viking alliance, off hand, but anything is possible in that world for sure. Now you got me curious about it’s evidence. It gives me something else to look into! Ty
Although they don't list what research they're referring to, on TCD's Book of Kells webpage it's been "indicated that blue from lapis lazuli was probably not used in the manuscript as had been previously thought." Great video, would love to know all the sources!
It was for both. The body needs salt and so we have a natural craving for it. Herd animals will go so far as to find salt deposits and lick at them because they don't get salt from eating the grass and other plants
In the picture at 19:50 showing the luxury goods brought to Dalriada, I think the nuts on the right are pecans. The trade routes must have been really wide, since pecans come from North America. I'm enjoying the video. I've been to Dunadd and Dunollie.
There is no hard evidence for Beregonium in the historical period. During the dates to which this video is subject, the ceremonial seat in Argyle was Dunadd. Thanks for raising Beregonium though - its an interesting rabbit hole to go down. Definitely worth someone making a RUclips video about!
You shouldn’t forget the connection with Armenian and Georgian manuscripts as the precursor of these amazing manuscripts. Why do you press the isolation and not the world wide connections? I appreciate you get back to Byzantine trade, but it goes further to the silk roads and beyond.
Would the Dal Riada be the first people to populate/control the Highlands and the Hebrides islands? I had a surprise on my DNA results. I was raised, same as my father, that we are French. I can trace my paternal line through our first immigrant to the "new world" in 1665. I have his parents and grandparents info, going into the late 1500's. Now here the twist, my highest concentration on my paternal haplogroup is in the Highlands and the Hebrides. So, some time before the late 1500's, my ancestor left, what I am guessing was Dál Riata or Pictland and moved to Gaul. They also change their name to "Christian". I know the report says I "share an ancestor" with Niall of the Nine Hostages but I am not a descendant of his. I would love to find my original family name or I guess my clan? :)
@@waynemcauliffe2362 it certainly was'nt an irish kingdom. dalriada most likely spread from scotland to ireland. scotland was an inhabited land centuries before ireland.
U should dig deeper, this is all false the country of Ireland today was not even Irish there were many tribes also the Romans and Greeks called Ireland as Scotia and the people called the Scotti and it was the Picts that discovered today's Ireland in the 2nd century, look up Wikipedia under Scotia and stop listening to the Irish monks everything is fabricated even Mons Grapas was not a battle Vs the Romans and Picts it was made up to shed a brighter light.
Uliad was a Gaelic kingdom in N. East Ireland. The people of Uliad were probably La Tene Celts. Other ethnic groups included the Cruthin and the Erainn (Scotti of Dal Riata). There is a misapprehension that the term Gael is an ethnic term rather than a linguistic and cultural term.
@@dubhainoceanntabhail5262 The oldest known maps of Ireland show the presence of Celtic tribes. The Brigantes, Gangani and Manapi are a few examples. Although i agree that the Irish are not primarily of Celtic origin.
@Savannah Loughlin It would depend on what you define as 'Pictish' As the Picts no longer exist as a distinct ethnic group how on earth do you find Pictish DNA.
Hi Caitlin - the best book I've come across is 'Saints and Sea Kings' by Ewan Campbell. You can usually get a second hand copy on ebay for about 5 or 6 pounds if you're in the UK.
Irish Kings and High-Kings by Francis John Byrne. Dál Riada was a Gaelic kingdom and practiced the traditions, laws, culture, and Q-Celtic language of ancient Ireland. The book details these aspects of the kingdoms.
@@ULYSSES-31 that's a nonsense....dalriada most likely spread from scotland to ulster. much of irish history is made up or adaptations of other countries histories. (including scotlands).
@@brucecollins641 You're an expert at spouting ahistorical nonsense: Scotland didn't even exist until the late middle-ages after Gaelic culture dominated. Funny how there's not evidence of anything you claim. There is no history of 'Dál Riada' until Gaelic culture took hold on the Western Isles after it had been established in Ireland, and from there spread to the rest of Alba.
@@ULYSSES-31 lol spouting nonsense.maybe you should look at medieval irish monks for that. also....there is no evidence of any invasion or incursion from ireland into scotland..zilch..zero nothin. before you start mis-educatin the world on scotish history you should start with your own....so, explain the origins of the gaels in ireland..from where/when and how did they get there?
The construction of the crannogs would have taken so long too build, people really do underistiamete how difficult life would be without machinery for example the crane 🏗
Thank you for sharing this information
I had never heard of this until yesterday when I discovered I was descended from these people.I never paid attention to history but this is so interesting.I'm from New England, U.S.A , and started looking into my family tree and traced back to this area and time period.I've been to the Highlands and a few islands.Thank you for your informative research.
No problem, Kristina. Glad to hear that you enjoyed it!
P
I recognise a creator/researcher/teacher here I think. Nice work sir
Thank you kindly!
Thank you for this series of videos on this fascinating topic. I have a question that you might be able to shed light on. I am currently researching the history of Dal Riata and it's relation to the Scottish epic poems of Ossian (Fingal and Temora). After reading James McPhersons translations, it became apparent to me that Fingal might be a Mythological king of Dal Rhiata. For the purposes of my adaptation of the story, I intend to use elements of Macphersons version of the story and the Irish version related in the ulster Cycle(Finn McCool and the Fiana Fail) . Also from online research I found that one of the kings of Dal Riata (possbly Domnighall) fought in a huge battle in Ireland over a battle of succession of the Irish crown(High kingship) were the king of Dal Riata backed his ulster kinsmen. It was apparently the largest battle on Irish soil(50,000 men) . The outcome of the battle was defeat for the Dal Riata king and his pretender high king. The historical events of this battle, are strikingly similar to the events portrayed the epic Temora. Although one must be cautious and not speculate on the historical validatity of linking history and mythology. It does give me an opportunity to flesh out the world building of the story by using the historical kingdom of Dal Riata as a template for events of Temora. I was wondering what are your thoughts on the Ossian poems(both versions) and if you believe the have any tangible links to the culture of Dal Riata?
Well done Sir
It is sincerely appreciated
Joey Morrison many thanks!
As a descendent of Kenneth MacAlpin I find this very endearing and thank you for this detailing.
Thank you, Tasja! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you. Clear description and artifacts well presented. Agree very little discussion/comment to be found on Dal Riata society.
As am I cousin, its very cool to know our history as so few are able to know theirs
Hello, cousin!
Where did you find a sample of Kenneth McAlpin's DNA to compare yours with?
Thank you! My friends and I are starting an EMP branch based on and named after DalRiata. You're video is exactly the level of education we have been searching for.
@Scott Hasner thankyou! Best of luck!
I live in a neighborhood called Dalraida in Montgomery AL!! It sux
This is great. This video is the first video describing dal riada in such detail I have seen. I'm from the isle of arran - I like to think that arran wouldve been part of dal riada - maybe the gabràin area? There is a big fort on the southend of the island, called torr na chaisdail (I probably butchered that name lol)
Thankyou! I agree - there seems to be a lack of accessible videos on RUclips that deal with Dalriada in more than passing detail. In their time, the kingdom held far-reaching power across Northern Britain and its frustrating that more work on them hasn't come into the mainstream. The Firth of Clyde would've been a fascinating (and probably rather dangerous) place throughout the Early Medieval period! Arran and Cowal would've been on the frontlines of wars, invasions, political intrigue and language barriers. From what I've read, Arran would've indeed been under the control of Cenel Gabràin during this time. Torr a' chaisdail may have been a little early for this period, but if still occupied in the Early Medieval era, it would've been the home of a minor chief who controlled the farmlands - and the people - nearby. We can imagine him and his people answering the call to arms by the lord of Cenel Gabràin and sailing off in their warships to fight under kings such as Aedan macGabràin in the late 6th century.
How intriguing! What I would pay to see back in time.
Thanks mate very good
Thanks for great vid..what i do know, it added to..you mention the Leather works..at one stage,vellum was the biggest industries in the area.this points to Iona where book making ,and a Huge Library was attributed to Iona?
@jan gowan I've read the same - Alistair Moffat, although a bit of a romantic, suggested that the Ionan monks were able to hide some of Iona's library before the Norse destroyed everything on Iona. If so whoever did so died before they could go back for it - wherever it is. In the unlikely event anything survived to be found today, imagine the significance of making such a find. Mind blowing!
@@cowalhistory7598 yes,King Cormac commissioned several ships to take what was left to Richalieu in France,where Boniface under the authority of the Pope, ordered all to be incarcarcerated in a vault in the Vatican ,locked up to this day....Recently ,the Pope ordered a review of the contents of several vaults,so there's some hope?
Other books were sent to Kells in Ireland,many were taken to Lindisfarne,and st. Gallen in Switzerland...i came across part or a Dictionary translating the Ogham scripts into Gaelic,i made a few photocopies of some pages and was suprised to see that it was much more than the Ogham scripts that we know ..will send you a photo copy soon
@@jangowan5742 I would LOVE to see that! Thanks again for your comments!
If I am correct you said something about the Vikings doing-in Dalriada. I always thought they may have taken Iona and some other coastal areas/islands but that it was the the Picts who came back and officially ended their run.
There is a bit of a 'black hole' in the contemporary sources for the west coast of Scotland in the two centuries or so after the Viking arrival, probably as they were destroying the centres of the monks who were compiling the written records of the times. Through the study of placenames in western Scotland (see Arne Kruse's work, along with Nicholas Evans) the Vikings indeed appear to have overwhelmed the offshore elements of Dalriada and settled there. Viking settlement in mainland Dalriada was less pervasive and they seem to have 'gone native' within two generations - this would've all contributed to the development of the 'Norse-Gaels' in the c.9th and c.10th. Mainland Dalriada seems to have survived politically long enough to provide the springboard for Kenneth McAlpine to place himself for the take-over of Pictland and the supplanting of the Pictish elite. He appears to have brought the old Dalriadan mainland territories with him into the formation of the Kingdom of Alba. The boundary of where Alban/Dalriadan and Norse-Gael territory begins and ends during this period is not certain however. There is also the suspicion (see Adrian Maldonado's 'Crucible of Nations') that some of the Vikings may have been complicit with Kenneth McAlpine when he launched his campaign to take over Pictland, meaning that the rump of Dalriada and the Vikings had come to terms to co-exist by the mid. c.8th.
@@cowalhistory7598 Thank you for the in-depth explanation. I have a hard time seeing the dalriada-Viking alliance, off hand, but anything is possible in that world for sure. Now you got me curious about it’s evidence. It gives me something else to look into! Ty
Although they don't list what research they're referring to, on TCD's Book of Kells webpage it's been "indicated that blue from lapis lazuli was probably not used in the manuscript as had been previously thought." Great video, would love to know all the sources!
Very good, but one note salt was not a luxury item or for flavoring food; it was for preserving food.
It was for both. The body needs salt and so we have a natural craving for it. Herd animals will go so far as to find salt deposits and lick at them because they don't get salt from eating the grass and other plants
In the picture at 19:50 showing the luxury goods brought to Dalriada, I think the nuts on the right are pecans. The trade routes must have been really wide, since pecans come from North America. I'm enjoying the video. I've been to Dunadd and Dunollie.
@Jeff Lanam thanks for your comments! You got me on the pecans - when googling for images of 'nuts' on the web, its dangerous to dig too deeply!
What about Beregonium….the main seat in argyle.
There is no hard evidence for Beregonium in the historical period. During the dates to which this video is subject, the ceremonial seat in Argyle was Dunadd. Thanks for raising Beregonium though - its an interesting rabbit hole to go down. Definitely worth someone making a RUclips video about!
What of the large Viking presence and influence as settlers all over Scotland?
You shouldn’t forget the connection with Armenian and Georgian manuscripts as the precursor of these amazing manuscripts. Why do you press the isolation and not the world wide connections? I appreciate you get back to Byzantine trade, but it goes further to the silk roads and beyond.
Did they have whiskey mate?
So fucking glad i live now
Crazy that my Y-chromosome matches my last name, R-M222. Although I only have 6% Irish dna, mostly Scottish Lowlands
Would the Dal Riada be the first people to populate/control the Highlands and the Hebrides islands?
I had a surprise on my DNA results. I was raised, same as my father, that we are French. I can trace my paternal line through our first immigrant to the "new world" in 1665. I have his parents and grandparents info, going into the late 1500's. Now here the twist, my highest concentration on my paternal haplogroup is in the Highlands and the Hebrides. So, some time before the late 1500's, my ancestor left, what I am guessing was Dál Riata or Pictland and moved to Gaul. They also change their name to "Christian". I know the report says I "share an ancestor" with Niall of the Nine Hostages but I am not a descendant of his. I would love to find my original family name or I guess my clan? :)
No they wouldn't be. That would be the picts
dalriada most likely spread from scotland to ireland. if you look at the area of dalriada in scotland it's about 3 times bigger than the irish one.
The Irish had Crannogs and Raths too
Dál Riata was an Irish kingdom
@@KingGayCockroach What i`d read mate
@@waynemcauliffe2362 it certainly was'nt an irish kingdom. dalriada most likely spread from scotland to ireland. scotland was an inhabited land centuries before ireland.
please consider looking at the book : Ireland ur of the chaldees. very interesting
;
U should dig deeper, this is all false the country of Ireland today was not even Irish there were many tribes also the Romans and Greeks called Ireland as Scotia and the people called the Scotti and it was the Picts that discovered today's Ireland in the 2nd century, look up Wikipedia under Scotia and stop listening to the Irish monks everything is fabricated even Mons Grapas was not a battle Vs the Romans and Picts it was made up to shed a brighter light.
>Ainmich Uicipeid mar fianais.
>A' LARPadh mar Lochlannach.
🤣
Uliad was a Gaelic kingdom in N. East Ireland.
The people of Uliad were probably La Tene Celts.
Other ethnic groups included the Cruthin and the Erainn (Scotti of Dal Riata).
There is a misapprehension that the term Gael is an ethnic term rather than a linguistic and cultural term.
Gaelic is derived from an Archaic Q Celtic language, probably from N. Spain.
Gaelicisation of Ireland may have happened over a number of centuries.
@@dubhainoceanntabhail5262 The oldest known maps of Ireland show the presence of Celtic tribes.
The Brigantes, Gangani and Manapi are a few examples.
Although i agree that the Irish are not primarily of Celtic origin.
Yes but gaelic culture did exist
@Savannah Loughlin It would depend on what you define as 'Pictish'
As the Picts no longer exist as a distinct ethnic group how on earth do you find Pictish DNA.
@Savannah Loughlin Speaking a Celtic language does not necessarily make some one a Celt, anymore than speaking English makes someone Anglo Saxon.
Is there a textbook or history book that has all of this information inside? I'd love to use it for reference material.
Hi Caitlin - the best book I've come across is 'Saints and Sea Kings' by Ewan Campbell. You can usually get a second hand copy on ebay for about 5 or 6 pounds if you're in the UK.
Irish Kings and High-Kings by Francis John Byrne.
Dál Riada was a Gaelic kingdom and practiced the traditions, laws, culture, and Q-Celtic language of ancient Ireland. The book details these aspects of the kingdoms.
@@ULYSSES-31 that's a nonsense....dalriada most likely spread from scotland to ulster. much of irish history is made up or adaptations of other countries histories. (including scotlands).
@@brucecollins641 You're an expert at spouting ahistorical nonsense: Scotland didn't even exist until the late middle-ages after Gaelic culture dominated.
Funny how there's not evidence of anything you claim. There is no history of 'Dál Riada' until Gaelic culture took hold on the Western Isles after it had been established in Ireland, and from there spread to the rest of Alba.
@@ULYSSES-31 lol spouting nonsense.maybe you should look at medieval irish monks for that. also....there is no evidence of any invasion or incursion from ireland into scotland..zilch..zero nothin. before you start mis-educatin the world on scotish history you should start with your own....so, explain the origins of the gaels in ireland..from where/when and how did they get there?
The construction of the crannogs would have taken so long too build, people really do underistiamete how difficult life would be without machinery for example the crane 🏗
Tha mi ag iarraidh a' faicinn crannagan [crannogs] ùr a bha air a togte ann an t-seòl [an stoidhle?] ùr-clasaigeach no rud.