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 bounda ...

and 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 ...

(modern western

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

) 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 with the death of Eochaid mac Echdach, the contemporary 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 ti ...

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

Fortriu Fortriu (; ; ; ) was a Pictish kingdom recorded between the 4th and 10th centuries. It was traditionally believed to be located in and around Strathearn in central Scotland, but is more likely to have been based in the north, in the Moray and ...

, led by Talorgan mac Fergusa, brother of Óengus, at "Cnoc Cairpri in Calathros at Etarlinde". The battle is recorded in 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� ...

'', 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, of the Cenél nGabráin, named in 768. Some Scottish sources, including the '' Chronicle of Melrose'', have Muiredach's son

Eógan is an Old Irish, early Irish male given name, which also has the hypocoristic and diminutive forms , , and . The Irish language, Modern Irish form of the name is (). In Scottish Gaelic, the name is or . All of the above are often anglicisation ...

as his successor. An entry in the ''

Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' () or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' () are chronicles of Middle Ages, medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Genesis flood narrative, Deluge, dated as 2,242 Anno Mundi, years after crea ...

'' 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