Comgall mac Domangairt facts for kids

NASA Landsat image of the Cowal peninsula and the isle of Bute. You can see parts of Kintyre and Knapdale on the left. The lands of the Cenél Loairn are beyond the top left corner. Dumbarton Rock, an important place for the kingdom of Alt Clut, is further up the river Clyde in the middle right.

Comgall mac Domangairt was a king of Dál Riata in the early 500s. He was the son of Domangart Réti and the grandson of Fergus Mór. Old records called the Annals of Ulster say he died in 538, 542, or 545. Another record, the Annals of Tigernach, says he died in 537.

Who Was Comgall?

We don't know much for sure about Comgall, except when he died. But he is important because a major family group, the Cenél Comgaill, was named after him. This group was one of the main families in Dál Riata. An old document called the Senchus fer n-Alban talks about the "Crich Comgaill," which means "Comgall's territory." Later, the Annals of Ulster used the term cenél, meaning "kindred" or "family."

The Senchus says that Comgall had one son named Conall. It also says Conall had seven sons, but only six names are listed: Loingsech, Nechtan, Artan, Tuatan, Tutio, and Coirpre. It's possible Coirpre was added later. We should remember that these very old family trees might not be perfectly accurate.

The Cenél Comgaill Family

The Cenél Comgaill family group is not mentioned very often in old Irish writings. However, some historians think this family might have been important in helping the Gaels mix with the Picts. This is because a man named Dargart mac Finguine from the Cenél Comgaill married a Pictish princess named Der-Ilei. Their children, Bridei and Nechtan, later became Pictish kings.

The Cenél Comgaill are believed to have lived mainly in an area called Cowal. The name "Cowal" might even come from Comgall or Comgaill. They also likely controlled the Isle of Bute. They might have also ruled the Isle of Arran to the south. We don't know for sure where their main royal centers were. Dunoon might have been an important place for them.

A religious leader from the late 500s or early 600s, Saint Blane, is linked to Bute. However, experts today are not completely sure if all the stories about him are true. A monastery at Kingarth, connected to Saint Blane, is mentioned in old records. This monastery is near the Dunagoil fort, which could have been a royal center. But it's not clear if the fort was used during the time of the Cenél Comgaill.

See also

• Origins of the Kingdom of Alba