Dál Riata
"Dalriada" redirects here. For the neighbouring Irish kingdom sometimes called Dalaradia, see Dál nAraidi. For other uses, see Dalriada (disambiguation). Satellite image of Scotland and Ireland showing the approximate greatest extent of Dál Riata (shaded). The mountainous spine which separates the east and west coasts of Scotland can be seen. Dál Riata or Dál Riada (also Dalriada ) ( / d æ l ˈ r iː ə d ə / ) was a Gaelic overkingdom that included parts of western Scotland and northeastern Ireland, on each side of the North Channel. At its height in the late 6th and early 7th centuries, it encompassed roughly what is now Argyll in Scotland and part of County Antrim in the Irish province of Ulster. [1] [2] In Argyll, it consisted of four main kindreds each with their own chief: Cenél Loairn (kindred of Loarn) in north and mid-Argyll, who gave their name to the district of Lorn [1] Cenél nÓengusa (kindred of Óengus) based on Islay Cenél nGabráin (kindred ...