A Celtic Chronology

EUROPEAN CELTS

500 Battle of Mount Baton in which the Saxons won a big victory over the Celtic Britons. From this point in history the Saxons and Angles control England.

Armorica became known as Brittany.

Scotland was divided into: Dalriada, which was inhabited by the Scots (originally Irish, Caesar called the Irish Scoti and thus the term Scots); The Picts inhabited Pictland which was divided into South and North by sub-tribes of Picts; the Angles controlled an area known as Bernicia, and the Britons held a portion of Scotland known as Strathclyde.

547 The King of Bernicia was Ide.

549 A plague swept Scotland.

550 Saint Brendan the Navigator and former Bishop of Kerry discovers America.

563 Saint Columba from a base on the island of Iona begins conversion of the Picts of Scotland. It is said he founded 100 monasteries and 365 churches. Other Irish religious notables of the period include Saint Brighid, Saint Killian, Saint Columbanus, and Saint Augustine.

564 Brude was King of Pictland.

577 Battle of Dyrham, Scotland.

More migrations of Irish into Wales, Scotland and Brittany. The Irish migrants in Scotland congregate at Argyle.

590 Irish priests and monks build churches and monasteries in England, Italy, France, Switzerland Austria and Germany in the sixth and seventh century. Among them were Saints; Columbanus, Fridolin, Cilian, Columba, Cuthbert, Augustine, Paulinus, and Gallus. These institutions sheltered, protected, and preserved the light of civilization and The Faith during the Dark Ages.

592 There is evidence there were Irish missionaries in the present counties of Wyoming and Boone in West Virginia.Though the evidence is in the form of Ogham writing which goes back much further, it is known scholarly monks of this period and later used it as a method of cryptographic writing.

650 Irish monastic schools flourish and produce masterpieces in illuminated manuscripts.

663 Synod of Whitby

685 Battle of Nechtansmere (Dunnichen) in which the Angles of Bernicia led by Ecgfrith were defeated by the Scots.

700 The Tara Brooch, and the Ardagh Chalice two examples of the high level of metal-working produced in Ireland are crafted at the peak of the period.

Saint Pinian, a missionary of Saint Patrick, becomes the patron saint of Cornish tin miners.

757 Beginning of the construction of Offa’s Dike in Wales which became the demarcation line with England.

795 Viking raids begin.

815 Ecbert begins an eight year effort to subjugate West Wales and Cornwall.

830 Danish Vikings under Turgesius sailed up the Shannon River and Bann River and established colonies.
Limerick founded by Danish Vikings.

The Danes founded Waterford and Cork.

838 Battle of Hengestesdun (Hingston Down) in which the Cornish, with Danish allies, were defeated by the English.

841 Dublin founded by Danish Vikings as well as other coastal areas.

Though the Danish were the dominant Viking group present there were also Vikings in Ireland during this period from Norway, and Sweden. The Viking raiders took Irish women back to Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and places in between. Many Vikings in the Irish settlements married Irish women so that relationships were established. Before long it was not simply the Dane against the Swedish Viking, but each had with them Irish allies developed through family relationships.

843 Kenneth MacAlpin, King of the Picts and of the Irish in Scotland, called his kingdom – Alba. From this period forth the Picts and Scots are considered one.

Bernicia became Lothia and Strathclyde became Cambria.

844 Beginning of the reign of Rhodri the Great in Wales. He ruled until 878.

850 Norse attacks begin in Wales and continue off and on until 1063.

910 Hywel the Good rules Wales by accepting English domination. He was king until 950.

~973 The royal line of Strathclyde died out and the territory that was Strathclyde is now a part of Alba.

980 Malachy, High King of Ireland, defeated the Danes in a battle at Tara. The men of Leinster had allied with the Danes. Malachy next occupied Dublin.

983 Scandinavian tradition relates that Ari Marson sailed from Ireland to a place south of Vinland, around the Chesapeake Bay area, landed and found Irish missionaries. There after, the land was known and written on Norse, and then other maps as Greater Ireland.