kingdom · British Isles

Dal nAraidi

450 CE – 1100 CE (approx.)

Leading kingdom of the Cruthin in south Antrim, whose king Congal Cáech fought for the high kingship and fell at Mag Rath in 637.

Origins

The Dál nAraidi were the leading dynasty of the Cruthin, a people of east Ulster distinguished in early Irish sources from the Ulaid proper. By the 6th century they held south and central County Antrim, with their royal centre in Mag Line near the town of Antrim, and they competed with the Dal Fiatach for the kingship of the Kingdom of Ulaid.

Rule and society

Fiachnae mac Báetáin, who died in 626, became king of the Ulaid and is said to have campaigned in Britain. Congal Cáech, king of the Ulaid and briefly claimant to the kingship of Tara, allied with Dál Riata but was defeated and killed by Domnall mac Áedo at Mag Rath in 637. St Comgall, founder of the monastery of Bangor, belonged to this people.

Decline and legacy

After Mag Rath their power declined, though their kings still held the Ulaid kingship at times until the 10th century. Pressure from Viking raiders, the Uí Néill and the Dal Fiatach reduced them, and by the 12th century their lands passed under Anglo-Norman and Ua Néill rule.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Dal nAraidi. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dal-naraidi
MLA
“Dal nAraidi.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dal-naraidi. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Dal nAraidi.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dal-naraidi.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Dal nAraidi’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dal-naraidi (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻