Was the Isle of Skye a part of the Gaelic Kingdom of Dál Riata?

The short answer for this is yes and no. Historical documents from later periods such as 13th century De Situ Albanie, seem to assume that Skye was part of Dál Riata. But more reliable sources such as the Annals of Ulster seem to contradict them, as they record the Cenél Gabráin sept of Dál Riata invading Skye and attempting to conquer it from the natives. This could only be the case if Skye had been an independent polity, one that likely controlled other nearby territories like Wester Ross. The same source also records multiple individuals from Skye with Pictish names such as Gartnait, Talorg, and Cano, while the archaeological record attests to the Pictish culture predominant on the island.

The Dál Riata are first recorded attacking Skye in the year 649 AD. After nineteen years of fighting, the ruling dynasty of Skye was dislodged and forced to flee to Ireland. The middle Irish tale Scéla Cano meic Gartnáin records the adventures of Skye’s Pictish king, Cano, son of Gartnait during his exile in Ireland. He was only there for two years, and returned with a fleet —of the Irish Corcu Loígde of Munster— to reclaim his kingdom. From then onward, constant fighting between Dál Riata and the people of Skye was recorded, which didn’t seem to abate until the early 700s. By that point, Skye seems to have become integrated into Dál Riata, although the original ruling dynasty —descendants of that same Cano, son of Gartnait— retained their position as rulers. This likely indicates a settlement through marriage alliances rather than a successful conquest. But Skye didn’t remain a part of Dál Riata for long. The growth of the Gaelic kingdom seems to have attracted the ire of the Pictish king of neighboring Foirtriu, Óengus I, who conquered first Skye, then Dál Riata in a series of campaigns between the years 730 and 740 AD. The last known ruler of Skye, Cano’s great grandson Talorgan, son of Congus, was defeated in battle by Óengus’ son Bruide in 731, then captured by his own unnamed brother and handed over to Óengus in the year 734; he was then executed by drowning. With that, Skye was brought back into the Pictish orbit as a satellite of Foirtriu, where it would remain until the end of the century, at which point it was conquered by Norse Vikings.

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