Comgall mac Domangairt was king of

Dál Riata Dál Riata or Dál Riada (also Dalriada) () was a Gaels, Gaelic Monarchy, kingdom that encompassed the Inner Hebrides, western seaboard of Scotland and north-eastern Ireland, on each side of the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North ...

in the early 6th century. He was the son of Domangart Réti and grandson of Fergus Mór. The ''

Annals of Ulster The ''Annals of Ulster'' () are annals of History of Ireland, 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 Luin� ...

'' report his death in 538, 542 and 545, the ''

Annals of Tigernach The ''Annals of Tigernach'' (Abbreviation, abbr. AT, ) are chronicles probably originating in Clonmacnoise, Ireland. The language is a mixture of Latin language, Latin and Old Irish, Old and Middle Irish. Many of the pre-historic entries come f ...

'' in 537.

Comgall

Nothing certain is known of Comgall beyond the fact of his death, but he is significant as the

eponymous An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...

founder of the Cenél Comgaill, one of the kindreds of Dál Riata named by the '' Senchus fer n-Alban''. The ''Senchus'', in fact, speaks of the Crich Comgaill, but the ''Annals of Ulster'' use the term ''cenél'' in a report of 710. The ''Senchus'' says that Comgall had one son, Conall, and that Conall had seven sons, although only six are named: Loingsech, Nechtan, Artan, Tuatan, Tutio, and Coirpre. It may be that Coirpre was a later addition as the ''Senchus'' speaks of the people of Coirpre as being distinct from the sons of Erc. As with all claimed early genealogies, this need not be taken as reliable information. Unlike

Cenél nGabráin The Cenél nGabráin was a kin group, 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 kingdom of Alba, Alba and of Scotland ...

and

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 bounda ...

, no later genealogy traces back to the Cenél Comgaill, although one from the early 8th century survives appended to a copy of the ''Senchus''.

Cenél Comgaill

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 ti ...

speak relatively rarely of the Cenél Comgaill. A recent interpretation suggests, however, that the kindred may have been important in the

Gaelicisation Gaelicisation, or Gaelicization, is the act or process of making something Gaels, Gaelic or gaining characteristics of the ''Gaels'', a sub-branch of Celticisation. The Gaels are an ethno-linguistic group, traditionally viewed as having spread fro ...

of the

Picts The Picts were a group of peoples in what is now Scotland north of the Firth of Forth, in the Scotland in the early Middle Ages, Early Middle Ages. Where they lived and details of their culture can be gleaned from early medieval texts and Pic ...

, as a certain Dargart mac Finguine of the Cenél Comgaill married the Pictish princess Der-Ilei, and the Pictish kings Bridei and Nechtan mac Der Ilei were the result of this marriage. The Cenél Comgaill are thought to have been centred in

Cowal Cowal () is a rugged peninsula in Argyll and Bute, on the west coast of Scotland. It is connected to the mainland to the north, and is bounded by Loch Fyne to the west, by Loch Long and the Firth of Clyde to the east, and by the Kyles of Bute ...

, which is plausibly derived from Comgall or Comgaill, and the Isle of Bute. They may also have controlled the

Isle of Arran The Isle of Arran (; ) or simply Arran is an island off the west coast of Scotland. It is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde and the seventh-largest Scottish island, at . Counties of Scotland, Historically part of Buteshire, it is in the ...

to the south. The royal centres of their kingdom are not certainly known. Dunoon may have been important. The late 6th- or early 7th-century Saint Blane was reportedly associated with Bute, but modern scholars are less certain that his traditions are authentic. The monastery at Kingarth associated with Saint Blane is mentioned in the annals. It lies close to the Dunagoil fort, which might be a plausible royal centre, but it is not clear that this was occupied in the corresponding period.

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Comgall Mac Domangairt 6th-century deaths Kings of Dál Riata 6th-century Scottish monarchs Year of birth unknown 6th-century Irish monarchs

Comgall

Cenél Comgaill

See also

References