The Cenél nGabráin was a kin group, presumed to descend from Gabrán mac Domangairt,[1] which dominated the kingship of Dál Riata until the late 7th century and continued to provide kings thereafter.
Kings of Alba and of Scotland traced their descent through Gabrán to his grandfather Fergus Mór, who was seen as the ultimate founder of the royal house as late as the 16th and 17th centuries, long after the Gaelic origins of the kingdom.
[2] A genealogy of David I of Scotland in the Book of Ballymote notes the following divisions: The domain of the Cenél nGabráin appears to have been centred in Kintyre and Knapdale and may have included Arran, Jura and Gigha.
Kilmartin may have been an important early Christian site by reason of its proximity to Dunadd and its dedication to Saint Martin of Tours, as may Kilmichael Glassary.
However, there appears to be no religious site of the importance of Lismore in the lands of the rival Cenél Loairn.