From Dál Riata to the Gall-Ghàidheil

Taking a multidisciplinary approach, including onomastics and historical analysis, this paper will present the hypothesis that Ketill Flatnefr was a real warlord from Sogn who, at the beginning of the Viking Age, conquered the Kingdom of Dál Riata. The direct result was the appearance of the Gall-Ghàidheil in Ireland and the report of their activities in the Irish Annals. A further result was that the culture of Dál Riata was reflected in Icelandic traditions surrounding Ketil’s family in Iceland. The name Dál Riata may even lie behind the Icelandic district of Dalir.