55. Domnall Brecc the Speckled King of Scots, 43G Grandfather, M. Domnall Brecc the Speckled King of died in 0642.
Reigned 629-642 Dal Rialto
His reign saw the Scots of dal Rialto lose much of what they had gained during the reign of Aedan mac Gaghran. The early part of his saw him heavily involved fighting in Ireland alongside the Irish high king, also called Domnall, but by the year 629 the complicated hostilities in Ulster had caused a change in allegiance. Over the next eight years there was open conflict between the Scottish Dal Riata and the kings of the O'Neill, with the Domnall siding with the Ulster king of the Dal nAraide. This proved a disastrous alliance and resulted in totat defeat for Domnall at the battle of Mag Rath in County Down in 637. This was taken as the fulfilment of a prophecy uttered by St. Columba, forty years earlier, that the Dal Riatan Scots would retain power and authority provided they remained in alliance with the kings of the O'Neill. After Mag Rath Domnall Brecc not only lost his authority in Ireland, but seems to have lost much of his authority in Scotland. From 637 he was forced to reign jointly with his nephew Ferchar, the son of Connad Cerr. It is not clear whether Ferchar retained any authority over the Dal Riata of Ireland or whether, as is more likely, he became recognized as overlord of the Dal Riata in Scotland, with Domnall relegated to the ruler of only part of Dal Riata in Kintyre and Argyll. No doubt over the next five years Domnall sought to re-enforce his authority, but he met with failure after failure. In 635 and 638 he was defeated in battles against the Picts, and in 642 he was killed in battle at Strathcarron, near Falkirk, by Owen Map Bili of the Strathclyde Britons. It would be another one hundred and fifty years before the Scots re-established themselves as a significant force in Northern Britain.
