Fergus mac Echdach was king of

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 ...

(modern western

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

) from about 778 until 781. He succeeded Áed Find. He is stated to have been a son of

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 ...

, and thus a brother of Áed. Some much later sources make him a son of Áed, but this is not credited by modern studies. His death is noticed in 781 by 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, ...

. The next reported king of Dál Riata is

Donncoirce Donncoirce (or Donn Corci) was probably king of Dál Riata until his death in 792. Donncoirce's death, the only report of his existence, appears in the ''Annals of Ulster'' for the year 791, corresponding with 792 AD. In it he is called "Donncoirc ...

References

* Anderson, Alan Orr, ''Early Sources of Scottish History A.D 500–1286'', volume 1. Reprinted with corrections. Paul Watkins, Stamford, 1990. * Broun, Dauvit, ''The Irish Identity of the Kingdom of the Scots in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries.'' Boydell, Woodbridge, 1999. * Broun, Dauvit, "Pictish Kings 761–839: Integration with Dál Riata or Separate Development" in Sally M. Foster (ed.), ''The St Andrews Sarcophagus: A Pictish masterpiece and its international connections.'' Four Courts, Dublin, 1998.

External links

CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts
a
University College Cork
includes the ''Annals of Ulster'', ''Tigernach'', ''the Four Masters'' and ''Innisfallen'', the ''Chronicon Scotorum'', the ''Lebor Bretnach'' (which includes the ''Duan Albanach''), Genealogies, and various Saints' Lives. Most are translated into English, or translations are in progress {{DEFAULTSORT:Echdach, Fergus Mac 781 deaths Kings of Dál Riata 8th-century Irish monarchs 8th-century Scottish monarchs Year of birth unknown