House of Dunkeld

The House of Dunkeld (in Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Chailleann, lit. 'Fort of the Caledonii' or "of the Caledonians") is a historiographical and genealogical construct to illustrate the clear succession of Scottish kings from 1034 to 1040 and from 1058 to 1286. The line is also variously referred to by historians as "The Canmores" and "MacMalcolm".

It is dynastically sort of a continuation to Cenél nGabráin of Dál Riata, "race of Fergus", as "house" was an originally Celtic concept to express one of the two rival leading clans of early medieval Scotland, whose founding father is king Fergus Mor of Dalriada. This Ferguside royal clan had disputed the crown (of Dalriada, then that of Alba) against the Cenél Loairn, the later House of Moray for the preceding four or more centuries. The Cenél nGabráin were represented by the House of Alpin before Dunkeld.^[1]

Sir Iain Moncreiffe made the case that Crínán of Dunkeld was actually a kinsman of Saint Columba and thus a member of the Irish Cenél Conaill, a royal branch of the Northern Uí Néill dynasty.^[2] Christopher Cairney makes the case for a different Uí Néill descent in the Cenél nEógain.^[3] This does not exclude Crínán's descendants from also being a (female line) continuation of the Cenél nGabráin through Bethóc.

The Dunkeld dynasty is genealogically based on Duncan I of Scotland being of a different agnatic clan to his predecessor and maternal grandfather Malcolm II of Scotland. However, sociohistorically, the reign of Duncan's son Malcolm III of Scotland, which happens to coincide with the start of the centuries-long period of strong influence from the southern neighbour, the Kingdom of England, has been seen as a more important place to start.