Person

Áedán mac Gabráin

d. c. 609 · 6th century

Áedán mac Gabráin was king of Dál Riata, the Gaelic kingdom of Argyll and north-eastern Ireland, from about 574 to about 609. Said to have been inaugurated by Saint Columba, he campaigned widely against the Picts and Britons, but was defeated by Æthelfrith of Northumbria at Degsastan in about 603. His descendants, the Cenél nGabráin, dominated the kingship of Dál Riata.

Áedán mac Gabráin
Image: Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 profiles

Dal RiataMilitary, Governance, SummaryKingdom of NorthumbriaFoundation

Mentioned in 1 state history

Cenel nGabrain

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Áedán mac Gabráin. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/aedan-mac-gabrain
MLA
“Áedán mac Gabráin.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/aedan-mac-gabrain. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Áedán mac Gabráin.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/aedan-mac-gabrain.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Áedán mac Gabráin’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/aedan-mac-gabrain (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻