[381]. 719 Cath maritimum Arddeanesbi etir Dunchadh mac Becc cum genere Gabrain et Selbach cum genere Loarn et versum est super Selbacum ii. Non. Octobris die iii. ferie, in quo quidem comites corruerunt. 721 Duncadh (mac) Becc Ri Cindtire mortuus est.—Tigh. See note [385] as to the meaning of ‘comites’ here. Duncadh was the son of Becc, grandson of Duncadh, son of Conaing, son of Aidan, by his son Conall Chail, whose death in 681 is thus recorded by Tighernac:—Bass Conaill Chail mac Dunchadh in Cindtire.
[382]. 722 Beli filius Elfin moritur.—An. Cam. Bili mac Elphine rex Alochluaithe moritur.—Tigh.
723 Clericatus Selbaigh regis Dalriada.—Tigh.
[383]. 725 Simal filius Druist constringitur.—Tigh.
726 Nechtain mac Derili constringitur apud Druist regem. Dungal de regno ejectus est et Druist de regno Pictorum ejectus et Elphin pro eo regnat. Eochach mac Eachach regnare incipit.—Tigh.
[384]. Flann Mainistrech has ‘nine kings over Albain from the death of Donald, son of Aed, to the death of Aeda Allan, son of Fergal, king of Ireland, that is from 642 to 743,’ the last two of whom are Selbach mac Ferchair and Eochaidh Angbaidh, or the valiant; and from the death of Aeda Allan to the death of Aeda Finnleith, that is, from 743 to 879, he has ‘thirteen kings over Alban,’ the first two of whom are Dungal mac Selbach and Alpin mac Eachach. This leaves no room for doubt as to the period when these four kings reigned, and agrees exactly with the Irish Annals. The Albanic Duan omits the stanza following Ainbhcellach, and containing Selbach and Eochach, and then has ‘Dungal dein seven years, Alpin four years.’ Dungal had reigned both before and after Eochaidh, as we shall see; and as Eochach is also called son of Eochach by Tighernac, this leaves no doubt that he and Alpin were brothers.
[385]. 727 Congressio Irroisfoichne, ubi quidam ceciderunt den dibh Airgiallaibh inter Selbacum et familiam Echdach nepotis Domhnaill.—An. Ult. This term ‘Airgialla’ is the same word as that applied to the territory said to have been acquired from the Picts in Ulster by the three Collas in the fourth century, of which Emhan or Emania was the capital. It was called Oirgialla or Airgialla, from which comes the modern name of Oriel; but this Airgialla cannot here be meant, for in the tract on the Men of Alban we are told that ‘the armed muster of the Cinel Loarn was 700 men; but it is of the Airgialla that the seventh hundred is’ (acht is dinaibh Airgiall in Sechtmadh cet.—Chron. Picts and Scots, p. 313). This name was therefore likewise applied to two districts whose people were subject to the Cinel Loarn, and contributed 100 men to their armed muster, and were probably the ‘Comites’ who fought along with Sealbach in 719. This leads us to look to the origin of the name. ‘Gialla’ is a hostage, and the tribes who owed fealty to the head of a superior tribe gave hostages for the fulfilment of their obligation. When any failure took place in their duty, these hostages were fettered. Thus, at the king’s table, as described in the Crith Gablach, sat on one side the hostages, and at the extreme end the forfeited hostages or pledges in fetters (see Introduction to O’Curry’s Lectures, p. cccli); and in the Pictish legends Finach takes hostages (Gialla) of the Cruithnigh, and Fiachna mac Baedan fetters the hostages of Erin and Alban.—Chron. Picts and Scots, pp. 24, 320. Now we learn from the Book of Rights that it was a privilege of the kingdom of Airgialla that ‘their hostages were not bound in fetters nor in chains, save that they swear by the hand of the king that they will not then make their escape’ (see Book of Rights, p. 135); and a tract on Oirghialla states that whenever the hostage of the Oirghialla was fettered, golden chains were used for the purpose, and that it was hence they were called Oirghialla, i.e. of the golden hostages. The Airgialla of Dalriada were therefore districts which owed fealty to the Cinel Loarn, but possessed the same privileges which gave that name to the Irish Airgialla; and the central districts between the territories of the Cinel Loarn, Cinel Gabbran, and Cinel Comgall, situated on both sides of Loch Awe, and occupied by the remains of the older population, were probably the districts known by the name of the two Airgiallas.
[386]. 733 Eochach mac Eochach ri Dalriada et Conall mac Concobair mortui sunt.—Tigh.
[387]. 728 Cath Monaigh Craebi itir Piccardachaib fein (between the Picts themselves) i.e. Aengus et Alpine issiat tuc in cath (fought that battle), et ro mebaigh ria (the victory was with) n Aengus et ro marbhadh mac Alpin andsin (and the son of Alpin was slain there) et ro gab Aengus nert (and Angus took his person). Cath truadh itir (an unfortunate battle between the) Piccardachaebh ac Caislen Credhi et ro mebaigh ar in (and the victory was against the same), Alpin et ro bearadh a cricha et a daine de uile (and his territories and all his men were taken), et ro gab Nechtan mac Derili Righi na Picardach (lost the kingdom of the Picts).—Tigh. The Ulster Annals add,—‘ubi Alpinus effugit.’
[388]. 729 Bellum Monitcarno juxta stagnum Loogdae inter hostem Nechtain et exercitum Aengusa et exactatores Nechtain ceciderunt, id est, Biceot mac Moneit et filius ejus et Finguine mac Drostain, Ferot mac Finguine et alii multi. Familia Aengusia triumphavit.—An. Ult. The Stagnum Loogdeae is mentioned in Adamnan’s Life of St. Columba, and what is there stated, taken in connection with this battle, seems to place it on the Spey. See Reeves’s Adamnan, ed. 1874, pp. 258, 357. Exactor was a term applied to the Saxon thane.