 Dalriada was a Gaelic kingdom that comprised County Antrim and Modern North-East Island in the western sea-borne of modern Scotland. This Gaelic kingdom included various Inner Hebridean islands in the western section of Scotland known as Argyll or Coast of the Gales. The capital of Dalriada was most probably Dunad in Argyll and Butte with wine containers from Gaul amongst the relics found in Dunad. The kingdom reached its height of power during the 6th and 7th centuries AD and the inhabitants of Dalriada were often referred to by Latin sources as Scoti and later as Gales. An early version of Gaelic appears to have been the primary language of Dalriada but other languages seem to have been spoken in parts of the island kingdom. Colomba, the Irish Abbot, famously used a translator when speaking to someone from Sky and there is evidence from place names that pre-Celtic languages were spoken in certain regions. Celtic languages are divided by some scholars into two categories, P Celtic languages such as Gaulish and Bretonic and Q Celtic languages which include the Gaudelic or Gaelic languages of Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx today. Given the geography of Dalriada, it will come as no surprise that the kingdom had a strong naval presence. Caracx, a type of Irish boat, were probably popular methods of transport, with some sources suggesting that the Gauls may have built their version of Viking long boats for certain purposes. Dalriada also had a strong naval war fleet that was organised between the houses who each had to provide oresmen in relation to the origins of the Gauls in Scotland. One argument is that they came from Ireland and conquered the western region of Argyll in Scotland around 500 AD. The story goes that the conquest was led by the three sons of the king of the Irish Dalriada, Ayrc, with his sons being Fergus Moor, Lorne and Angus. This narrative is challenged by others who argue that the Gauls were in Scotland centuries before this. Bede, a monk born in the kingdom of Northumbria, wrote in his book completed in 731 AD called the ecclesiastical history of the English people that, in course of time, Britain received a third tribe in addition to the Britons and the Picts, namely the Irish. These came from Ireland under the leader, Rude, and one lands among the Picts either by friendly treaty or by the sword. These they still possess, they are still called Dalridini after this leader, Dal in their language signifying a part. The origins of Dalriada are not quite clear, but there does seem to have been two Dalriadas in a sense, a Scottish Dalriada and an Irish one. In relation to the organisation of Scottish Dalriada, it was comprised of four main kindreds, with the leaders claiming descent from previous kings. The four kindreds were, Keno Gabrain based in Contire, Keno Angasa based on Isla, Keno Lorne who gave their name to the district of Lorne, and Keno Komgail who gave their name to Kibble. No kindreds are recorded for Irish Dalriada. The monastery of Iona played an important role within the territory of Dalriada, seemingly helping to spread the Christian faith around the region. It was apparently founded by the Irish abbot Columbar in 563 AD. Some scholars have argued that there was somewhat of a Celtic Christian faith that was distinct in certain ways to Christianity found in non-Celtic speaking lands, although this is debated. Iona also helped to popularise a form of art known as Insular Art or Herberno Saxon Art, with Insular derived from the Latin word for island. This style of art began around the start of the 7th century AD and was a fusion of Celtic and Saxon art. Insular art is known for its use of interlaced decoration among other traits. One of the most famous kings of Dalriada was Aiden Mac Gabrain who ruled from 574 to 608 AD during the Golden Age of the Kingdom. He was made king at Iona by Saint Columbar and he extended the power of Dalriada to places such as Orkney and the Isle of Man, whilst also winning campaigns against the Picts and the Britons. He was eventually defeated at the Battle of Degs to Stan in 603 AD by Ethelrith of Burnisia, the king of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Burnisia in modern-day North-East England. Aiden's grandson then presided over a disastrous reign that culminated in defeat at the Battle of Strathcaron in 642 AD by the Kingdom of Strathclyde. Civil war and instability then ruled until a new royal line was established by Ferture Fota at the end of the 7th century AD. For a time around this period, parts of Dalriada were apparently annexed into the Kingdom of Northumbria. In the 8th century, the Picts then dealt a series of blows to the Gaelic Kingdom. As an entry from 736 AD, in the annals of Ulster Describe, the Picts act Dunad, the capital of the Kingdom. Angus, son of Fergus, king of the Picts laid waste to the territory of Dalriada and seized Dunad and burned Crecque and bounding chains to sons of Selbac, as well as the Picts weakening the power of Dalriada. Viking raids then began in around 794 AD that further compounded this. Some argue that Dalriada went through somewhat of a re-emergence around this time, although the sources are not clear about this. In the middle of the 9th century AD, Dalriada and the Picts merged into one political unit potentially under Kenneth Macalpin, known as the Kingdom of Alba or Alipa. This is seen by many as the birth or at least the embryo of modern Scotland. The precise way this unity came about is not quite clear however. Kenneth Macalpin is said by some sources to have been the king of Dalriada from 841 to 850 AD, who, either by conquest, agreement or a combination of both, united his kingdom with that of the Picts and formed the Kingdom of Alba or Alipa in 843 AD. The Picts eventually became assimilated into the Gaelic culture, with the adoption of the Christian religion occurring as part of this process. Dalriada played a vital role in the formation of modern Scotland and is a core reason why Gaelic culture still thrives today in Scotland. Thanks for watching, please subscribe and hit the bell to turn on notifications. You can also support this work through buymeacoffee.com and Patreon, all the links are in the description below. By supporting this channel on Patreon, you will gain access to exclusive benefits and you will greatly support the growth of this channel. Some of these benefits you will gain, including early access to snippets of my upcoming video scripts, greater voting power to participate in Patreon-only channel-related polls and your name appearing in the credits of my videos. You can also follow Celtic History Decoded on Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Finally, please tell your friends and family about this channel. Thanks for watching, more videos are coming soon.