Muiredach mac Ainbcellaig was king of 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 t ...

, and 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 733 until 736. He was the son of

Ainbcellach mac Ferchair Ainbcellach mac Ferchair was king of the Cenél Loairn of Dál Riata, and perhaps of all Dál Riata, from 697 until 698, when he was deposed and exiled to Ireland. He was a son of Ferchar Fota. He is given the epithet the Good in the ''Duan Alban ...

. His coming to power is reported in 733, and is not obviously associated with the death 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 ...

, king of Dál Riata, in the

Irish annals A number of Irish annals, of which the earliest was the Chronicle of Ireland, were compiled up to and shortly after the end of the 17th century. Annals were originally a means by which monks determined the yearly chronology of feast days. Over t ...

. It is not certain who preceded Muiredach as king of the Cenél Loairn, but it may have been his cousin

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 ...

. Muiredach is one of the kings named in the 11th century 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 '' ...

''. It is likely that his reign ended as a result of his defeat at the hands 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 ea ...

Fortriu Fortriu ( la, Verturiones; sga, *Foirtrinn; ang, Wærteras; xpi, *Uerteru) was a Pictish kingdom that existed between the 4th and 10th centuries. It was traditionally believed to be located in and around Strathearn in central Scotland, but is ...

, led by

Talorgan mac Fergusa Talorg (also Talorc, Talorgan and Talorcan) may refer to: * Talorc m. Achiuir, First known King of Picts * Talorc I of the Picts, Talorc son of Aniel * Talorc II of the Picts, Talorc son of Muircholach * Talorc III of the Picts, Talorc son of F ...

, brother of

Óengus In Irish mythology, Aengus or Óengus is one of the Tuatha Dé Danann and probably originally a god associated with youth, love,Ó hÓgáin, Dáithí. ''Myth, Legend & Romance: An encyclopedia of the Irish folk tradition''. Prentice-Hall Press, ...

, at "Cnoc Cairpri in Calathros at Etarlinde". The battle is recorded 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, ...

, but Muiredach's death is not. The independent existence of the kingdom of the Cenél Loairn, and that of Dál Riata, probably ended in 736, after which time it formed part of the kingdom of the

, ruled by Óengus mac Fergusa. The next king of Dál Riata reported by the Irish annals is

Áed Find Áed Find (Áed the White), or Áed mac Echdach (before 736–778), was king of Dál Riata (modern western Scotland and County Antrim, Ireland). Áed was the son of Eochaid mac Echdach, a descendant of Domnall Brecc in the main line of Cenél ...

, of the Cenél nGabráin, named in 768. Some Scottish sources, including the

Chronicle of Melrose The ''Chronicle of Melrose'' is a medieval chronicle from the Cottonian Manuscript, Faustina B. ix within the British Museum. It was written by unknown authors, though evidence in the writing shows that it most likely was written by the monks a ...

, have Muiredach's son

Eógan or is an early Irish male name, which also has the hypocoristic and diminutive forms , , and . In more modern forms of Irish it is written as or (/'oːəun/). In Scottish Gaelic the name is Eòghann or Eòghan. All of the above are often ...

as his successor. An entry in the

Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' ( ga, Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (''Annála na gCeithre Máistrí'') are chronicles of medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Deluge, dated as 2,24 ...

under the year 771 (corresponding with about 776 AD, but perhaps as late as 778 AD since the death of Áed Find appears in the same year) reports Muiredach's death.

External links

Annals of Ulster
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Muiredach Mac Ainbcellaig Kings of Dál Riata 770s deaths 8th-century Irish monarchs 8th-century Scottish monarchs Year of birth unknown