Dúnchad Bec was king of

Kintyre Kintyre ( gd, Cinn Tìre, ) is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The peninsula stretches about , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south to East and West Loch Tarbert in the north. The region immediately north ...

(in

Dál Riata Dál Riata or Dál Riada (also Dalriada) () was a Gaelic kingdom that encompassed the western seaboard of Scotland and north-eastern Ireland, on each side of the North Channel. At its height in the 6th and 7th centuries, it covered what is now ...

) in the early 8th century. Dúnchad Bec is too late to have been included in the

Senchus Fer n-Alban The ''Senchus fer n-Alban'' (''The History of the men of Scotland'') is an Old Irish medieval text believed to have been compiled in the 10th century. It provides genealogies for kings of Dál Riata and a census of the kingdoms which comprised Dá ...

, which includes kings to the first half of the 7th century. He is also unknown to later genealogies. He is named from two entries in the

Annals of Ulster The ''Annals of Ulster'' ( ga, Annála Uladh) are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years from 431 AD to 1540 AD. The entries up to 1489 AD were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, ...

(and the

Annals of Tigernach The ''Annals of Tigernach'' ( abbr. AT, ga, Annála Tiarnaigh) are chronicles probably originating in Clonmacnoise, Ireland. The language is a mixture of Latin and Old and Middle Irish. Many of the pre-historic entries come from the 12th-cent ...

). The first entry, for the year 719, reports a battle at Ard Nesbi between Dúnchad Bec "with the

Cenél nGabráin The Cenél nGabráin was a kingroup, presumed to descend from Gabrán mac Domangairt, which dominated the kingship of Dál Riata until the late 7th century and continued to provide kings thereafter. Kings of Alba and of Scotland traced their desce ...

" and

Selbach mac Ferchair Selbach mac Ferchair (died 730) was king of the Cenél Loairn and of Dál Riata. Selbach's existence is well-attested as he is mentioned repeatedly in Irish annals. Life Selbach mac Ferchair was a son of Ferchar Fota. He ruled as king of the Cen� ...

with the

Cenél Loairn The Cenél Loairn, the descendants of Loarn mac Eirc, controlled parts of northern Argyll around the Firth of Lorne, most probably centred in Lorne but perhaps including the islands of Mull and Colonsay, Morvern and Ardnamurchan. The boundary to ...

. The second, for 721, reports the death of "Dúnchad Bec, king of Cenn Tíre". As king of Kintyre and chief of the Cenél nGabráin, it is likely that Dúnchad Bec was a descendant of

Gabrán mac Domangairt Gabrán mac Domangairt ( Old Welsh: ''Gawran map Dinwarch'Annales Cambriae'' B Text) or Gabrán the Traitor (''Gwran Wradouc'') was king of Dál Riata,in the mid-6th century. He is the eponymous ancestor of the Cenél nGabráin. Gabrán was th ...

. If the assumption that

Fiannamail ua Dúnchado Fiannamail ua Dúnchado was a king of Dál Riata (modern-day western Scotland and Northern Ireland) at the end of the 7th century. Little can be said with certainty other than the recording of his death in 700AD, where he is listed as having been ...

was a grandson of the earlier king

Dúnchad mac Conaing Dúnchad mac Conaing (or Dúnchad mac Dubáin) (died 654) was king of Dál Riata (modern western Scotland). He was joint ruler with Conall Crandomna until he was defeated and killed by Talorcan, king of the Picts, in the battle of Strath Ethairt. ...

is correct, then it may be that Dúnchad Bec belonged to this segment of the Cenél nGabráin, probably descended from Conaing son of Áedán, which appears to have contested with the main line, descended from

Eochaid Buide Eochaid Buide was king of Dál Riata from around 608 until 629. "Buide" refers to the colour yellow, as in the colour of his hair. He was a younger son of Áedán mac Gabráin and became his father's chosen heir upon the death of his elder brothe ...

. It is not known who succeeded Dúnchad Bec as king of the Cenél nGabráin. The next known king is

Eochaid mac Echdach Eochaid mac Echdach was king of Dál Riata (modern western Scotland) from 726 until 733. He was a son of Eochaid mac Domangairt. Eochaid came to power as king of Dál Riata in 726, presumably deposing Dúngal mac Selbaig. Selbach may have tried ...

, of the line of Eochaid Buide, whose supporters deposed

Dúngal mac Selbaig Dúngal mac Selbaig was king of Dál Riata. His reign can best be placed in the years 723 to 726, beginning with the abdication of his father, Selbach mac Ferchair, who entered a monastery, and ending with the rise of Eochaid mac Echdach of the Ce ...

in 726.

References

* Anderson, Alan Orr, ''Early Sources of Scottish History A.D. 500 to 1286, volume one.'' Reprinted with corrections, Stamford: Paul Watkins, 1990. * Bannerman, John, ''Studies in the History of Dalriada''. Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press, 1974.

External links

Annals of Ulster
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunchad Bec Kings of Dál Riata 8th-century Irish monarchs 8th-century Scottish monarchs