Official Clan MacTavish Society

                                    since 1997

King Kenneth I (843-858)
Part I
Robert Gunn, Author and Historian

Kenneth Mac Alpin is generally considered the first king the united Scots of Dalriada and the Picts, and so of Scotland, north of a line between the Forth and Clyde rivers. Ancient Gaelic-speaking people of northern Ireland settled in western Scotland sometime in the 5th century AD. Originally (until 10th century) "Scotia" often denoted Ireland, and the inhabitants Scotia were Scotti. [This is of course based upon the area of Northern Ireland where the Scotti dwelt]. This ancient Dalriadic land, later the area of Argyll and Bute, where these Scots settled, became known as the kingdom of Dal Riada the counterpart to Dal Riata in Ireland. St. Columba introduced them to Christianity and helped raise one person, Aidan, to the kingship Scottish Dalriada in 574.

The original seat of the Scottish Dalriada is thought to be Dunadd, in north Lochgilphead, Argyll. The dark age fortifications on top of the isolated crag of Dunadd, on the edge of the Crinan Moss, were probably the capital of the ancient kingdom of Dalriada. Dalriada was established by Irish immigrants, or raiders, from county Antrim, Ireland around 500 AD. The site now consists of a series of eroded terraces which, from three separate excavations, have shown evidence of metal-working, including many beautiful brooches, making it consistent with its interpretation of a royal residence of the first Kings of Dalriada. Interestingly, below the summit, on one of the lower terraces are a rock carving of a boar, (an ancient Celtic spiritual symbol, also found in Gaul) an enigmatic description in ogam, and the outline of a footprint! All this seems to indicate that not only was this spot a place of ancient Dalriada, but possibly the place of original inauguration of ancient kings. This is echoed by the later inauguration of the Lords of the Isles, whose own inauguration ceremonies at Finlaggan on Islay purposely recalled the kings of Dalriada. Other centres of this ancient seat, (seemingly to be connected with the tribute of grains), are at locations of other ancient royal forts, notably: Dunollie (Oban), Tarbert and Dunaverty (Kintyre).

They then expanded eastward into what came to be known as the Forest of Atholl and Strathearn (from the river Earn) and northward into the area of Elgin. The union of the lands of modern Scotland began in 843, when Kenneth MacAlpin, then King of the Dalriada, became also king of the Picts and Scots (within a few years, joined "Pict-land" to "Scot-land" to form the kingdom of Alba). By 1034, by inheritance and warfare the Scots had secured hegemony over not only Alba but also Lothian, Cumbria, and later Strathclyde--roughly the territory of modern mainland Scotland. In 1305 the kingdom was divided into Scotland, Lothian, and Galloway; in the 14th century, Scotland came to be the name for the whole land, and all its inhabitants came to be known as Scots, whatever their origin.

Ciniodh (Kenneth) MacAlpin was believed born around the year 810 AD, but later took the Christian name of Kenneth. His father, Alpin MacEochaid, was king of Scots in name only, as at that time some of the area around Dalriada was actually ruled by the Picts of Caledonia.

His mother is said to have been either a daughter of Achalas, King of Argyllshire or a princess of the royal lines of the Picts. In either case, he was born into a strong royal bloodline. On his father's side he could lay claim as righful heir to the throne of Dalriada and his mother's bloodline gave him the right to petition for the throne of South Pictland, or Caledonia.