Dubgall mac Somairle

Dubgall mac Somairle (died 1175) was an apparent King of the Isles. He was a son of Somairle mac Gilla Brigte and Ragnhildr Óláfsdóttir. Dubgall was a leading figure of Clann Somairle, and the eponymous ancestor of Clann Dubgaill. Dubgall's career is obscure, and little is certain of his life. In 1155 or 1156, Dubgall was produced as a candidate to the kingship of the Isles, then-possessed by his maternal uncle, Guðrøðr Óláfsson. Later that year, Somairle defeated Guðrøðr, and the kingdom was divided between them. Two years later, Somairle again defeated Guðrøðr, and assumed control over the entirety of the realm. Whilst is possible that Dubgall was the nominal King of the Isles, it is apparent that his father possessed the real power. Dubgall's father died in an invasion of Scotland in 1164. At least one of Somairle's sons was slain in this defeat, and it is unknown if Dubgall was present. Whilst it is possible that Dubgall retained a degree of royal authority after Somairle's death, it is evident that his maternal uncle Rǫgnvaldr Óláfsson seized the kingship before being defeated by Guðrøðr. Nevertheless, the territories seized by Somairle in 1156 were retained by Clann Somairle. Dubgall's next and last attestation occurs in 1175, when he is recorded to have made a donation to St Cuthbert at Durham Cathedral. Whilst Somairle appears to have been a religious traditionalist, his descendants associated themselves with reformed monastic orders from continental Europe. Either Dubgall, his father, or his brother Ragnall, may have been responsible for the foundation of the Diocese of Argyll. Although the division of Clann Somairle territories is uncertain, it is possible that Dubgall held Lorne on the mainland, and the Mull group of islands in the Hebrides. The date of Dubgall's death is unknown. There is reason to suspect that he was succeeded or superseded by Ragnall at some point. Certainly, Ragnall and yet another brother, Aongus, came into conflict before the end of the century—possibly over the leadership of Clann Somairle.