Dúngal mac Selbaig was

king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

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 n ...

. His reign can best be placed in the years 723 to 726, beginning with the abdication of his father,

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� ...

, who entered a monastery, and ending with the rise of Eochaid mac Echdach of the Cenél nGabráin. The High Medieval praise poem ''

Duan Albanach The Duan Albanach (Song of the Scots) is a Middle Gaelic poem. Written during the reign of Mael Coluim III, who ruled between 1058 and 1093, it is found in a variety of Irish sources, and the usual version comes from the '' Book of Lecan'' and ' ...

'' names Dúngal the Impetuous, and claims that he ruled for seven years. For over a generation before Dúngal's reign 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 ...

, to which he belonged, and the Cenél nGabráin had contested for control of Dál Riata. It seems that Dúngal's father had finally managed to defeat his rivals shortly before he abdicated. For whatever reason, Dúngal soon lost power to the Cenél nGabráin. His father left the monastery and attempted to restore his son, but failed. While Dúngal was no longer king of Dál Riata after 726, it may be that he remained ruler of the Cenél Loairn. Certainly he retained some following. In 731, he burned Tairpert Boitir, most probably

Tarbert Tarbert ( gd, An Tairbeart) is a place name in Scotland and Ireland. Places named Tarbert are characterised by a narrow strip of land, or isthmus. This can be where two lochs nearly meet, or a causeway out to an island. Etymology All placenames ...

Loch Fyne Loch Fyne ( gd, Loch Fìne, ; meaning "Loch of the Vine/Wine"), is a sea loch off the Firth of Clyde and forms part of the coast of the Cowal peninsula. Located on the west coast of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It extends inland from the Soun ...

which was in the lands of the Cenél nGabráin and possibly a portage site. In 733 the Annals of Ulster report that Dúngal profaned

Tory Island Tory Island, or simply Tory (officially known by its Irish name ''Toraigh''),Toraigh/Tory Island

Óengus mac Fergusa, king of the

Picts The Picts were a group of peoples who lived in what is now northern and eastern Scotland (north of the Firth of Forth) during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Where they lived and what their culture was like can be inferred from e ...

. This entry is followed by the statement that Dúngal's cousin,

Muiredach mac Ainbcellaig Muiredach mac Ainbcellaig was king of the Cenél Loairn, and of Dál Riata (modern western Scotland), from about 733 until 736. He was the son of Ainbcellach mac Ferchair. His coming to power is reported in 733, and is not obviously associated wit ...

, became king of the Cenél Loairn, and it seems probable that the rise of Muiredach, and Dúngal's epithet, stem from his doings on Tory Island. In 734 Dúngal fled to Ireland, "to escape the power of Óengus". Dúngal later returned to Scotland, and was captured in 736, along with his brother Feredach, by Óengus. Their subsequent fates are unknown.

External links

The Annals of Ulster
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Kings of Dál Riata 8th-century Irish monarchs 8th-century Scottish monarchs {{royalty-stub